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Caring for Your Snake

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Caring for Your Snake within its enclosure. An aquarium that is longer It is important to including a hiding place in the Caring for and deeper than it is tall is best, unless you are enclosure. They enjoy coiling in a tight hiding planning to keep an arboreal species such as a place that might seem barely big enough for Your Snake rough green snake, a ribbon snake or a tree boa them to fit into. When including branches and that require height for climbing. other climbing devices, ensure they are securely anchored and strong enough to hold the snake. Avoid an enclosure with wire on the side walls because snakes may strike at the wire or rub against it, causing damage to its face or skin. Water Screen covers designed for security are a neces- A heavy, shallow water dish with fresh water is Snake Basics sity. Make sure the enclosure has an adequate important for drinking and soaking. If you can- locking system. Snakes are escape artists and can not provide a dish large enough for the snake Snakes make excellent pets. They are easy to climb up glass walls, push open covers, and to completely submerge itself, it would be a care for, clean, quiet, and do not require fre- squeeze through small openings. good idea to allow for weekly soakings in a spe- quent interaction. In addition, they require a cial plastic container where he can move about, limited amount of special equipment for prop- Environment soak, relax and shed its skin or relieve itself if er care and handling. necessary. Some small or tropical spe-cies The interior of your snake’s home can be as sim- enjoy drinking from artificial rainfalls in the It is important to understand that the proper ple or as elaborate as you like, as long as it con- form of misting with a spray bottle. Always care of snakes cannot be generalized. Certain forms to a few basic needs. keep the water clean and fresh. Change it regu- species require specialized handling, so research No matter the species, a clean and dry environ- larly. the species to get specific information on the ment is the most important factor in maintain- proper care of your pet. ing a healthy snake. Your enclosure should be Diet planned and designed with this in mind. Even To provide optimal care for your snake, it is nec- water snakes, garters, and other species from All snakes are carnivorous. In captivity, they typ- essary to replicate its natural environment as high humidity micro-climates, must have a dry ically eat mice, rats, chicks, fish, eggs, red closely as possible. Do research on your snake to space within the enclosure. worms, and crickets. Nightcrawlers and min- determine its natural habitat, such as fields, nows are fed to water snakes and garters. Live marshes, meadows, tropical forests or deserts. A simple enclosure can contain nothing more crickets, earthworms, insects and caterpillars than a newspaper substrate, a heavy water dish are fed to green, decay, and ringneck snakes. Housing sufficient in size for drinking and soaking, and a Hognose snakes only eat toads while many de- hiding place. Depending on the specific species sert species only eat lizards. Bird eggs, and even Aquariums, with a locked screen cover, are ideal of snake you have selected, you may want to birds, are common diets for other species. Most enclosures for your snake. They will retain the include cypress bark, grapevine branches, drift- heat that cold-blooded animals need, in addition wood, hollowed cholla branches, aspen shav- to providing maximum visibility and adequate ings, silica sand, stones and rocks, or dry leaves This information is designed as a basic guide. There ventilation. Snakes utilize both vertical and hori- to create a natural environment. Desert species are several books and online resources available zontal surfaces and should be provided sufficient prefer sand while burrowing species like potting which provide in-depth information on snakes and space for them to stretch out and move freely soil, leaf or litter. their care. www.PIJAC.org snake species that naturally prefer to eat am- Handling Snakes should be handled with care and adult phibians, reptiles or birds usually can be trained supervision. Sudden movements may startle a to eat rodents. The type of feed and how often Before removing your snake from its environ- snake causing it to strike defensively, which may you feed will vary depending on the species, age ment, make sure it is awake to avoid startling it result in serious injury. It is always important to of the snake, and the time of year. Normally, (snakes have no eyelids to close while sleeping). It wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap snakes should be fed once every 1 to 2 weeks. is important to let your snake know it is time to after handling your snake. be handled and not time to be fed. You can ac- Your snake’s jaw can expand allowing it to con- All bowls, dishes, and bottles should be cleaned complish this by gently moving the snake with an sume a rodent that is larger than the size of its daily and disinfected weekly. object such as a snake hook. Once the snake is head, but a rule of thumb is to never feed a prey alert to your presence and is not expecting to be Avoiding Human Illness item that is much thicker than the thickest point fed, you may pick the snake up by gently grasping of the snake’s body. Whenever possible feed Reptiles may have bacteria, such as Salmonella, it mid-body with both hands and supporting as frozen rodents rather than live. They are safer that can cause disease in humans. Fortunately, much of its length across your hands and arms as and healthier to feed than live rodents that may taking a few simple precautions will keep you possible. It is important to be aware of where the bite in self-defense and injure your snake. Also, healthy when handling reptiles: snake’s head is at all times: you can avoid it mov- most internal or external parasites the prey item ing into small openings while watching for signs Always wash your hands with soap and water might carry will have been killed by the freezing that it is becoming agitated and should be re- before and after handling reptiles or anything in process. Before feeding your snake, thaw the their habitat. turned to its habitat. More than one person rodent until it is slightly warmer than room tem- should be involved when handling larger speci- Avoid close facial contact with all reptiles. perature. Do not thaw the rodent in areas used mens over 6 feet in length. Minors should only for food preparation. Never use food-preparation areas to clean handle snakes under adult supervision reptile habitats or anything in their habitats. If you clean the habitat in the bathroom, disinfect the area completely afterwards. Temperature Keeping You and Your Most snakes require a constant ambient temper- Children under 5, pregnant women, senior citi- Snake Healthy zens, and people with weakened immune sys- ature between 75°F and 85°F. It is best, tems run a greater risk of infection; contact your however, to provide a slight temperature Good hygiene, care and handling will help pre- health care provider for more information. variation throughout the enclosure. This can be vent illness in your pets, and reduce the chance achieved by the strategic placement of an under- of your snake transmitting disease to humans. aquarium heating pad and an incandescent Along with providing the proper diet, tempera- reptile light fixture with a spot light or ceramic ture, and humidity, follow these steps to main- heater. By placing the hiding place in the cooler tain your pet’s health. corner, your snake can change his own micro- climate as it desires. Spot clean the enclosure daily and remove droppings. Weekly maintenance should include Tropical species require slightly higher tempera- thoroughly cleaning the branches and rocks, tures ranging up to 90°F in the basking area and turning the substrate, removing any large higher humidity (75-90%). clumps, and wiping down the glass. www.PIJAC.org .
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