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IMPORTANT NOTE:
Citizens of the United States, be aware that it is illegal in states such as New York,
to remove most animal species from the wild and keep them as pets.
Doing so could result in a large fine or even jail time.
TIM'S OTHER WEBSITES:
Captive Bred Schneider's Skinks
[Section Under Construction]
Be Aware !
This section will deal strictly with the colubridae family. Colubrids are
non-venomous to slightly venomous snakes. Lethally venomous snakes will not
be dealt with in this section due to an extreme danger factor. Please seek
the advice of a venomous snake expert if you have questions regarding these kinds of snakes.
GENERAL SNAKE CARE
(The following information is generic; see care sheets for species specific care information)
SNAKE TAXONOMY:
Kingdom: Animalia ("animals" and insects)
Phylum: Chordata (has a backbone)
Class: Reptilia (not amphibians)
Order: Squamata (snakes and lizards)
Suborder: Serpentes(snakes)
ALL SNAKES:
All snakes need to have their water dish and bathing dishes cleaned and replenished daily. Cages need to be spot cleaned daily and fully cleaned once a week. To fully clean the cage, remove any substrate or mat and wash the inside and outside glass with mild soap and warm water; rinse well. Replace any old substrate with new or if a mat is being used, wash the mat with mild soap and warm water; let dry and place back in cage.
Snakes also need a heat mat (cage size appropriate), heat lamp, UVB lamp (primarily if they are breeder snakes), and at least 3 shelters. Provide a rough stone for the snake to rub against. This is to help the snake shed his skin. Be sure to close the cage lid securely, snakes are expert escape artists. With your basic fish tank, you can buy lid clasps which will help reduce the chance of an escape by clamping the screen lid tight against the tank.
The reason why snakes are so good at escaping is due to the fact that their skeletal system was designed to bend and fold in specific locations. This is done much to the same affect as when the snake dislodges its jaws when consuming a large meal. Not only can a snake dislodge its jaws, but its jaw bones can also fold vertically forming an upside down "V" formation. The skull of snakes can also fold in the same direction as its jaw bones, again forming that upside down "V" shape. It is due to these adaptations that snakes can squeeze through tight crevices, ones believed by most people as too small for a snake to fit through. Unfortunately those same people find themselves bewildered when they find their snake missing from the cage.
DID YOU KNOW? :
Did you know that ALL snakes have backwards facing teeth to help hold onto their prey item?
LIFE SAVING INFORMATION:
If a snake ever bit and does not let go, or even if you have a large snake start constricting you, the best thing to do is stay calm (especially if being constricted) and find the nearest sink or hose and run water over the snake until they let go.
There are some snakes which survive by mimicry, meaning they pretend to be something they are not. One example of this is the Pueblan milksnake. This snake looks very similar to the venomous coral snake. To tell snakes such as these apart, there is an important slogan (there are a few slogans like this one), which goes: "Red meets yellow, Kill a fellow, Red meets black, Friend of Jack".
SMALL SNAKES:
TEMPERATURES -
Keep the cage about 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day on the hot end and about 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
HOUSING / ADDITIONAL CARE -
Cage size is basically species specific. For Garter and Ribbon snakes, you want a 20 to 30 gallon cage. This is due to the fact that these snakes grow between 2ft. to 4ft. in length. Provide your snake a bathing container. Make sure the container is large enough for the snake to comfortably fit their entire body into. Fill the bathing container so that if submerged, there is about 2 inches of water covering the snake.
Set up a hot end and a cool end. The heat mat, heat lamp, UVB lamp go on the hot end of the cage. The water dish and one of the shelters go on the opposite end of the cage. Place a second shelter on the hot end and place a third shelter somewhere in the middle of the two ends. This will provide ample hiding locations for your snake to feel comfortable. Place two thermometers in the cage to monitor the temperatures. Place one in the hot end and the other in the cool end. Use a humidity gauge to monitor humidity. Keep the humidity about 45% for non-tropical species and about 75% for tropical species.
FEEDING -
young snakes and hatchlings get fed tiny sized pinkies, minnows,or earth worms depending on species. Juvenile and adult snakes will eat medium to large feeder fish and still earth worms. Feed the fish to the snake in a container appropriate to the size and quantity of fish being fed. Place enough water in the container so that there is about an inch of water covering the fish.
DECORATIONS -
You may use live plants figuring of course they are considered "reptile safe". Try to get hardy, short branched plants as to reduce any destruction to them by the snake. Fake plants work fine as well.
CARE SHEETS:
Garter and Ribbon Snake Species
Milk Snake Species
MEDIUM & LARGE SNAKES:
CAUTION !
Large snakes such as any species of boa or python
are very dangerous and should only be kept by
reptile experts. This is due to their extremely large
size and ability to constrict even adult humans with minimal effort.
If you do own one of these species, it is always best to have at
least one other person to help you if there is ever a problem.
TEMPERATURES -
Keep the cage about 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day on the hot end and about 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
HOUSING / ADDITIONAL CARE -
Cage size is basically species specific. For something like a Corn snake, which gets up to 4 to 6 ft in length, you would need about a 30 to 50 gallon cage. A larger species such as a Boa or Python, I would suggest building your own cage. These species exceed 9ft in length when fully grown, some pythons even up to 20ft. A cage 200 to 300 gallons would be appropriate for boas and some pythons, other python species would need a cage about 600+ gallons. Provide your snake a bathing container. Make sure the container is large enough for the snake to comfortably fit their entire body into. Fill the bathing container so that if submerged, there is about 2 inches of water covering the snake.
Set up a hot end and a cool end. The heat mat, heat lamp, UVB lamp go on the hot end of the cage. The water dish and one of the shelters go on the opposite end of the cage. Place a second shelter on the hot end and place a third shelter somewhere in the middle of the two ends. This will provide ample hiding locations for your snake to feel comfortable. Place two thermometers in the cage to monitor the temperatures. Place one in the hot end and the other in the cool end. Use a humidity gauge to monitor humidity. Keep the humidity about 45% for non-tropical species and about 75% for tropical species.
FEEDING -
All young snakes and hatchlings get fed pinky mice (also known as "pinkies" and provide the smallest ones possible). Juvenile and large snakes get fed adult mice and rats depending on the species of snake. Be sure you feed your snake rodents that are about the same diameter as the snake (same girth of the snake). With the larger species of snakes, when fully grown, you will need to provide them rabbits. It is always best to feed snakes frozen rodents. This prevents any injury the snake may endure if feeding on a live rodent. When feeding frozen rodents, always defrost the rodent in hot water until thoroughly defrosted. Once defrosted, dry off the rodent with a paper towel. Rodents still frozen when fed to a snake can cause the snake digestion problems.
DECORATIONS -
You may use live plants figuring of course they are considered "reptile safe". Try to get hardy, short branched plants as to reduce any destruction to them by the snake. Fake plants work fine as well.
CARE SHEETS:
Boa Constrictor
King Snake Species
Burmese Python
Ball Python
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