Snakes are an exotic animal, and owning one is not the same as owning a domesticated animal whose behaviors are more documented and experienced. Even so, there are a few simple tips to help select the right pet snake for a household.
Best Pet Snake for the Family
To determine the best snake to purchase as a pet for the family, it's important to consider the age of any children in the family. Some breeds of snake can grow quite large very quickly, such as the constrictor snakes like the boa and the anaconda. Other snakes, like the corn snakes and king snakes, will stay smaller.
If the family has small children, it's important to consider the size of the snake before making a purchase of one for a pet. Also, it's important to take into consideration the aggressiveness of the snake in the wild, and whether or not the snake is deemed poisonous. Finding someone who is knowledgeable about snakes in the pet industry is crucial to making a decision about buying a pet snake.
Best Pet Snake for the Kids
Another thing to consider before purchasing a snake is what type of food the snake has to be fed. Some snakes are required to be fed live food, such as prey they would normally eat if the snake were in the wild. Some children might be sensitive to feeding live bugs, mice or rats to a snakes, and this could be quite traumatic for them to watch.
Smaller snakes that eat only live bugs might be one option, since bugs are something people are used to seeing smooshed or killed. Some snakes are able to eat frozen prey, that children do not have to see as live or being killed for the snake to be nourished. Again, the corn snakes are most likely to eat frozen prey versus live prey.
Pet Snakes Are Low Maintenance
Snakes, unlike small rodent-like pets or larger dogs and cats, require very little maintenance to maintain a habitat. In fact, since some snakes only eat once or twice per month, people who travel might benefit from a pet snake that would not need a sitter or boarding for short trips.
Cleaning a habitat or terrarium for a snake is also easy, but the snake will have to be handled to be removed from the terrarium for cleaning. If no one in the family can handle, hold, or ensure the safety of a snake with his or her hands, buying a pet snake is not a good idea for the family.
Pet Snakes Can Live Long Lives
The bigger the snake, the longer it will likely live. According to one employee at PetSmart in League City, Texas, some snakes have been documented living as long as 40 years. Most snakes, however, only live an average of 20 years, with 25 to 30 years not being uncommon. This means a pet snake is going to be a lifelong commitment, and a snake should not be purchased as a pet unless the family is willing and able to care for the snake for its entire lifetime.
Again, corn snakes are the best for a family not wanting a long-term commitment, since corn snakes live only about 10-15 years, reducing the length of time for the commitment.
Which Pet Snake is Best?
For a family with small children and as a pet for a child, the colorful corn snakes likely make the best pets. These smaller snakes can still grow to decent sizes, but stay smaller around. Also, corn snakes are pretty, fun to watch, and usually have distinct personalities. The corn snake also is one of the easiest to feed frozen or non-live prey.
For more experienced snake owners, a boa constrictor or ball python is a good step up from a corn snake. Both of these snakes are known to do well in captivity, though they often do require live prey to stay healthy. The boa and ball python both are known to live longer lives too, so be prepared to have a pet snake for a long time.
Milk snakes and king snakes both are good snake varieties to consider for a first-time snake pet too.
Handle a few snakes at pet stores prior to purchasing one, and look for one that has a good personality, seems at ease with being handled, and that would make a complement to the family as a family pet snake.
Michelle L Devon - ~~Michelle Devon has 15 years of writing and over a decade of editorial experience, working with hundreds of publications and ...
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