November 1999
AN INTRODUCTION TO KEEPING SNAKES
The following tips and hints are intended to help beginners to the hobby to successfully keep the more familier varieties of Ratsnakes and Kingsnakes.
Snakes are easy pets to keep but you must ensure that you cater for their :
a)ENVIRINMENTAL NEEDS. (housing, heating, hygine, etc).
b)FEEDING NEEDS.(a refular supply of appropriate sized mice).
c)PHSYCOLOGICAL NEEDS.providing security, avoiding stress, etc).
Do not buy a snake until you are confident that you can provide the above conditions.
read up on the type of dnake you would like to keep.
Ask people at your local reptile club for advice.
Make contact with breeders of that snake and ask questions.
ABOVE ALL MAKE SURE THAT IT IS THE RIGHT SNAKE FOR YOU.
Most species of snake are now available as captive bred babies. Wherever possible always buy captive bred animals this ensures that you have perfect, healthy, trouble free snakes and you are also reducing the pressure on wild animals.
When you recieve your snake it will probably be a hatchling, about a month or so old. At this age security is very important, your baby snake will feed if it feels safe. Keep baby snakes in a small (eg 8" by 4"() escape proof, ventilated plastic box. Place the back 1" to 2" on a heat mat or cable (see HEATING), the snake can now thermoregulate (also see HEATING).
Ensure that a hide box is provided small cardboard boxes, up turned plant pots with hole cut in for access, etc. are ideal) along with a small water dish (one which is difficult to tip over). Use kitchen roll as a substrate (floor covering) and change as soon as it is soiled.
As the snake grows it can be transferred to a larger box or allowed the freedom of the vivarium.
Feed one pink mouse every 4 - 7 days (see feeding As the snake grows this can be increassed to two pink mice. When the snake is ready it can be fed on larger mice (fuzzies or small weaned mice). It is totally unnecessary to feed live mice to your snakes.
Regurgitation (bringing meals back up) is usually caused by overfeeding, or by feeding mice which are too large, or through excessive heat, cold or disturbance when food is being digested.
Snakes are very easily cared for if certain guide - lines are followed.
A vivarium should:-
a) Be escaoe proof,
b) Be easy to clean,
c) Have a heat gradient (see HEATING),
d) Have various hiding places and fresh water,
e) Be ventilated,
a) CONVERTED FISH TANK. Cheap and adequate but not ideal. Ensure that the lid is ventilated and escape proof. All round visibility can make some snakes nervous.
b) CONSTRUCTED VIVARIUM. Usually made from laminate chipboard with sliding glass doors in the front. A "deluxe" version has a false floor with a drawer beneath. Seal the joints with aquarium sealer.
3' or 4' x 2'x 1' (l x w x h) is an adequate size for many of the Ratsnakes and Kingsnakes. Do not house Kingsnakes (Lampropeltus getulus types) together, or common Milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) as they will eat each other.
Snakes do not need to be HOT.
The temperature should not be higher than 80 - 82F in the hottest part of your vivarium.
The recommended form of heating is HEAT MATS for two main reasons :-
1) Snakes THERMOREGULATE. This means that they must move to and from heat as they need. Heat mats provide a heat gradient within the vivarium, creating warm and cool areas. Makesure that the area of the heat mat does not exceed 50% of the base area for this to happen.
2) Snakes generally take in heat through their ventral surface (belly scales). They will sit on the heat mat when warming up, digesting meals, before a slough and when they are gravid (carrying eggs).
Healthy snakes feed well and pass solid looking droppings(faeces).
To make sure that your snake feeds regularly it must :-
a) Have enough food of a suitable size (mice which are to big are ignored).
b) Feel secure (feed near to its hiding place).
c) Be able to thermoregulate in order to digest its food properly.
d) Be kept seperate from other snakes, if possible.
Your snake jmay refuse to eat if :-
a) It is close to shedding its skin.
b) It is too hot/cold.
c) The food is too big.
d) It has been disturbed recently (handled, frightened, etc).
e) It wants to breed (adult males only).
f) it wants to lay eggs (adult females only).
g) There is overcrowding.
h) The vivarium is too big (hatchlings can be agoraphobic).
i) It is ill (look for signs - runny droppings, open mouth, odd behaviour, etc).
j) Food is offered at the wrong time (try evenings first).
ALWAYS LOOK FOR A SIMPLE REASON FIRST BEFORE PANICKING, KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE TIMES WHEN YOUR SNAKE WAS FED, WHEN IT SHED ITS SKIN, WHAT THE TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN, AND WHETHER THERE HAS BEEN ANY UNUSUAL BEHAVIOUR.
Some times it is difficult to find a regular supply of mice. They are fairly expensive and are time consumming to breed. Make sure you have a supplier before you buy your snake. Ask at your local club for the addresses of suppliers/breeders of mice.
November 1999