Buying your snake
You should choose a snake that you feel comfortable with, not one that you are unsure of, or you are just buying it because of its colour or the size it will grow. Beginners should find out as much information about the snake they would like before buying.
Take into account where its going to live in its new home, how big will it get when adult and what will it eat when its adult. once you have dicided on the type of snake, you need to find a supplier, either a known breeder or local pet shop. Before buy check closely for illness,scaring unusal discharge. Ask if the snake is captive bred or wild caught, as more often than not wild caught carry parasites.
if when buying your snake you have chosen to rear a hatchling a small viv of about 33cm x 20cm x 15cm will be fine,in the viv you will need bedding known as substrat,couple of hides, large enough water bowl for the snake to soak if it needs, decor is down to your own choice, remember the more in the viv the more to disinfect.
finding the right place for your new snakes home should be located in a quiet area or room for about 2 weeks for the snake to get use to its enviroment, with no handling for the 2weeks.
Your Snake Is More Frightened Of You Than You Are Of It.
If you have chosen a semi or adult snake then a aduquit viv is neccersery, you can buy pre-built and plastic formed vivs of good size which are easy to install, or build your own. constructing a viv is very simple, have good plans drawn first as i found this to help, plan where you will have the heaters/lights and any other electrics entering the viv to finish with a cleam intereior. the chose of woods is to your own preferrance, ensure though to use covers woods to ease the cleaning procces, seal all the wood with a good sealent and allow the viv to air for about 2 weeks before getting your snake.
HEATING
I use ceramic heat bulbs, which i find very good, though some prefer heat mats,again this is down to preferance and type of snake you have or intend to get. lighting is also use as a heat source as well as for lighting, again some snakes do well with UV lighting so check to see if your snake requiers it.
Heating can run from a regulater called habistat which come in many forms, some pulse heat and others turn on/off when set temperatures are reached. Have at least 2 temp gauges in the viv, one at the cool end and one near the hot spot, so you can moniter the temp accuratlly, giving a good gradiant in the viv.
Depending on the type of snake you have the viv should maintanin a cool end at about 75F and the basking end 80-90F pending agian on the type of snake.
Recommended books.
The Encylopaedia of Snakes
Aurthor:Chris Mattison
Whats Wrong With My Snake
Aurthor:John Rossi & Roxanne Rossi
The Corn Snake Manual
Aurthor:Bill Love & Kathy Love
The Living Pythons
Aurthor:Jerry G. Walls
REMEMBER , A COMFORTABLE SNAKE IS A HAPPY SNAKE |
