MagiStream

I originally posted this in Popsicle Stand, but looking at the other posts there, I think it belongs here instead

Are there any other snake owners here? Anyone have questions about keeping snakes as pets? Any owners with pics of their snakes to show off?

Lets talk about pet snakes!

Here are two pics of my ball python, Dovah:

Hiding in the couch cover a few days ago
Wrapped around my arm, when I first got him

Dovah is gorgeous! How long have you had him?
I've loved snakes since I was a kid and I've always wanted one as a pet (much to my mom's horror, lol), but it's just never been the right time for me. Maybe someday - I'd like a rosy boa or ball python.

Thank you! I'll have had him for a year as of next month

I'm gonna be honest with you - I didn't think I was ready for one either when I got him. He was given to me as a birthday present from my girlfriend, and honestly I was upset because I was in college and not working and I have a kid, I was living off of student loans and child support and already had enough on my plate. I tried to get her to return him that day, but she got so upset about it and my daughter got upset and eventually I caved and said "fine, you buy the stuff for him and make sure his temperature and humidity levels stay right, and I'll keep him".

She bought most of his initial supplies but of course I ended up being the one buying his food and substrate and everything, all of the regular upkeep supplies, and making sure his temp and humidity levels stay where they're supposed to. But I'm not mad about it anymore. He is a super low maintenance pet and honestly I know that if I had waited, I might have never gotten one in the first place.

I'm not saying you should go out and get one, but I was expecting him to be a lot more work and money than he actually is, to be honest. The only other "exotic" pet I've had was rabbits, and they were a LOT more work than he is. Even the toad that my daughter caught and we kept in a tank for a while was more work than him.

Gorgeous snake and a great name too!

I'm going to dig up some photos of all the snakes I owned. I'm a rabid reptile fan and had a zoo's worth of them but my favorites have always been chameleons and snakes. I used to run a shelter for unwanted reptiles, bred rare species (for commercial and conservational gains) and even owned a specialized pet store, but due to health reasons I have slowly let everything "die off" (reducing the numbers by not breeding and letting old age take its course).

I'm still somewhat well known locally and people know where to find me for advice which is pretty cool. I'm quite the amateur-herpetologist and darn it I wish I had chosen Biology for my PhD!

It's only since the last five years or so I feel like I can keep reptiles of my own but never again on the scale that I did before as it wouldn't be fair on the animals themselves. I'm also hell-bent on getting CB (Captive Bred) only; I used to have a few wild ones because I wanted to breed certain rare species but now most of them are readily available and I make no contribution to any serous conservational breeding efforts it's CB all the way.

I currently own two corn snakes; one male anery and a female motley anery. Most look down on corn snakes but I've always loved them. They are also the first snakes for my current partner who has fallen madly in love with them. Let's see if I can find some pics soon, I had over twenty species...

Oooh, please do share pics!

My cousin was the first in my immediate family to have a snake, and hers is a corn snake. She didn't handle it very much when she first got it so it's grown aggressive and she can't really handle it much though.

Some snakes can never be handled properly as they cannot be tamed like other animals can. I love snakes but they are not...smart
I had one little bugger that bit me as soon as he hatched and he never stopped trying to kill me in the 18yrs I lived with him

IMO all reptiles should be handled as little as possible; not only because of stress (some people do not even recognize stress in reptiles) but also for health reasons. Both for the snake and the owner. I always wash my hand before and after handling and try to keep contact brief.

My current corn snakes are hand fed (with hilarious consequences such as trying to eat my fingers because if it smells like mice it probably is a mouse). I hope they will start to notice that handling equals food and fun instead of terror but it's a very long shot.
I don't do this to cuddle with my snakes, reptiles are not cuddle-buddies no matter how much people say they are, but in case I need to handle them for health inspection/cleaning/etc.
The female corn snake I have now, Ishtar, is very relaxed and doesn't seem to care what goes on around her but Voldemort, the male, is a bit more stressed and is treated equally; as soon as he is done feeding it's back in the terrarium with him.

Yeah, I get you. At first my gf hassled me about handling him because she is used to cats and dogs as pets and thought I should be taking him out of his cage every day to "play" with him. And when I explained that most snakes don't like to be handled, she basically was like "then why have one as a pet?"

At first I handled him maybe once a week/every 2 weeks. Now I handle him even less than that... last time i took him out to chill with was the first time in maybe 3 months. And when I do take him out, I'll hold him for a minute or two then set him up on the couch or floor with somewhere to hide, and let him hide out til he feels brave enough to explore. Taking him out involves pretty minimal actual handling most of the time, and he seems to enjoy it (he likes to poke around in the cabinets/shelves where the dvds and board games are kept). A lot of the time when I open his tank to clean out his water bowl or remove poop/shedded skin, he tries to come out to explore (which I usually stop him from doing, because we have a dog and I lock the dog up when I take him out because she has been known to kill wild snakes in the yard). Other time he stays in his hide.

It's a big part of the reason why I like him. I'm at a point in my life where I have too much going on and too much stress to want to deal with a mammal pet, who needs attention and exercise and grooming and everything else. The snake is content with just chilling in his tank and being fed/watered, and it's not nearly as much of a hassle cleaning up after him as it is with a dog or cat.

Stemny wrote:Thank you! I'll have had him for a year as of next month

I'm gonna be honest with you - I didn't think I was ready for one either when I got him. He was given to me as a birthday present from my girlfriend, and honestly I was upset because I was in college and not working and I have a kid, I was living off of student loans and child support and already had enough on my plate. I tried to get her to return him that day, but she got so upset about it and my daughter got upset and eventually I caved and said "fine, you buy the stuff for him and make sure his temperature and humidity levels stay right, and I'll keep him".

She bought most of his initial supplies but of course I ended up being the one buying his food and substrate and everything, all of the regular upkeep supplies, and making sure his temp and humidity levels stay where they're supposed to. But I'm not mad about it anymore. He is a super low maintenance pet and honestly I know that if I had waited, I might have never gotten one in the first place.

I'm not saying you should go out and get one, but I was expecting him to be a lot more work and money than he actually is, to be honest. The only other "exotic" pet I've had was rabbits, and they were a LOT more work than he is. Even the toad that my daughter caught and we kept in a tank for a while was more work than him.

That's actually really, really good to hear! Low maintenance is a really big perk for me, lol. I'd like to get one sometime in the next 5 years - the biggest issue right now is space, honestly. If I remember right, it's 30 to 40 gallons for an adult ball python? Even a 10 to 20 gal for a juvenile would be tough to fit in my living space right now, unfortunately.

You handled being surprised with a pet very well. I don't blame you for being mad and it's great that you're not anymore.
Gift/surprise pet situations often don't end well for the pet, so I'm glad everything worked out

Yeah, 30-40 gallons for an adult. I guess I lucked out in that regard.. our house is tiny but we do have space against the wall in the living room! In fact we just got a new larger tank for him since he's getting so big, that we plan on putting against the wall by the door.. but that worries me a little to think about, because being by the door, it might make it more difficult to keep his tank warm enough in the winter. But we will figure it out I'm sure!

Stemny wrote:Yeah, 30-40 gallons for an adult. I guess I lucked out in that regard.. our house is tiny but we do have space against the wall in the living room! In fact we just got a new larger tank for him since he's getting so big, that we plan on putting against the wall by the door.. but that worries me a little to think about, because being by the door, it might make it more difficult to keep his tank warm enough in the winter. But we will figure it out I'm sure!

Also remember that their cages don't need to be glass. A wooden enclosure with a viewing panel works just fine and can be easier to keep warm. If a tank is what you have, the back and sides can be covered to reduce drafts.