I got my first pet snake over 25 years ago.
Back then we didn’t have the internet with all the answers to any question at our fingertips. The pet reptile industry was still in its infancy, so there weren’t a lot of books on the subject either.
A lot has changed over the years, and I’ve certainly gained a ton of experience and knowledge since then too.
I want to share that experience and knowledge with you today, and tell you everything you need to know about keeping a pet snake.
Here are the basic things you need to know about keeping a pet snake. In order to successfully keep a pet snake you have to provide it with a habitat that replicates its natural environment as closely as possible. This means maintaining the proper temperature, humidity and lighting. You also need to provide the right type of enclosure, and meet all of the snakes nutritional requirements.
I don’t know what type of snake you are considering keeping, but all snakes share many common traits which I’ll cover in this article.
Check Your Local Laws Before Getting A Snake
Whether you’re buying a snake, receiving one as a gift, or thinking about keeping one that is wild caught, you’ll want to be aware of your local laws.
There are no federal laws preventing the keeping of snakes, unless they are a native and/or endangered species. You do need to be aware of your state and county laws however, and even the local ordinances for where you live.
I can’t possibly cover the laws for ALL of these places, but I can give you a map providing you with a rough guideline of what you can expect in each state.
Quarantine Any New Pet Snake You Receive
This is the first thing you should do regardless of whether the snake is wild caught, or bought at a pet store, reptile show or even a private breeder.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a newly born, captive bred snake that you just got from your best friend who has been successfully breeding snakes for years. Any new snake brought into your collection needs to be quarantined away from all other animals.
This means taking extra precautions to prevent cross contamination.
Your snake should be placed in an enclosure that has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, along with fresh substrate, a sanitized hide box and a sanitized water bowl. It should also be kept in a room separate from your other pets.
I personally like to keep it as simple as possible for a newly acquired snake.
I use a clear plastic tote for the enclosure, a new shoe box for the hide box, and paper towels for the substrate. Clean, white paper towels will enable you to more easily see things like mites, and allows you to better observe their stool for potential signs of illness.
Your new snake should be quarantined for two weeks.
I like to see them go potty at least once too so I can get a good look at the stool, but that isn’t always possible. Sometimes a snake won’t eat until their habitat more closely resembles their natural environment. No eat = no poop.
Supplies You’ll Need For A New Pet Snake
The basic supplies you need for any captive snake is pretty simple and straight forward.
You’ll need:
- The proper size enclosure
- Heat light
- UV light
- Adequately sized water bowl
- Hide box
- Substrate
- Temperature and humidity gauges
For some species of snakes, you might also need something to help increase the humidity level of the enclosure. I wrote a great article on maintaining humidity that goes a lot more in depth on this subject.
The proper size enclosure for a new pet snake is going to depend on how big your snake will grow as an adult.
A good rule of thumb is that the cage should be as wide (side to side) as at least 3/4 the length of the snake from snout to tip of tail. It should be as deep (front to back) as 1/3 the length of the snake.
When it comes to snakes, floor space is more important than height. Even arboreal snakes like green tree pythons only need to be a foot or two above the ground.
Since floor space is what counts, the décor, hide box and water bowl shouldn’t take up any more than around 50% of it.
Heat and lighting are the other critical factors here.
Some snakes absolutely require UV lighting, while others don’t have to have it, but still benefit from it. There are only a very few snakes who should have minimal UV light.
If you don’t know what type you have, I would recommend having UV lighting.
New Pet Snake Enclosure Set Up
I’ve talked about some of the things you’ll need for a pet snake, but now I want to go more in depth of the set up itself.
A lot of new snake owners start with an aquarium…like a fish aquarium, with a screen top. Eww.
This is how it was done back when I first started collecting reptiles, but a lot has changed since then. Modern husbandry has taught us that the best cage set up is solid on all sides except the front, which is a clear glass or acrylic door.
This type of enclosure has several benefits.
- Heat rises. It is much easier to maintain proper heat levels when the top is solid and there are less air gaps letting the heat out.
- The same concept is true for maintaining good humidity. Less air gaps means the humid air stays inside the cage.
- Snakes are more defensive when you approach them from the side rather than from above. Most predators attack from above. A front view enclosure allows you to open the door and reach right in.
- Snakes have less stress when most of their view of the room is cut off, preventing them from seeing any commotion in the surrounding area.
- It is easier to clean a cage when you can reach straight in rather than having to reach down from above. A standard 55 gallon aquarium on a stand might require a ladder in order to reach the bottom on the inside.
The next thing you’ll want is a hide box.
This is not only a place for the snake to escape the stress of a busy room, it can also be used to regulate temperature and humidity.
Many snake owners who have species requiring a high humidity like rainbow boas, will use the box as a place to keep the moisture levels higher than the rest of the cage.
You’ll also want to have a water bowl that is large enough for the snake to soak in.
Check your species of snake because contrary to popular belief, not all snakes can swim, nor do all snakes want to soak. The vast majority do however, and especially appreciate a place to soak when they are shedding.
Substrate is an important consideration for your pet.
You can use paper towels for pretty much any snake, but most people want something a little more aesthetically pleasing. There are a wide variety of alternatives to choose from.
Be sure to read a guide for your species to see which is best suited to you. Here is a link to my snake care guides page for you.
Finally we have the heat and lighting.
You’ll need a basking area on one side so that there is a hot side and cool side within the enclosure. This allows the snake to choose an area that is best for it to thermoregulate.
Temperature And Humidity For A New Pet Snake
These are essential for the longevity of your pet.
One of the main differences between an amateur snake keeper and a pro is the ability to read your snakes body language and provide the perfect temperature and humidity level based on its needs.
Get the levels wrong in either of these areas and you can end up with a snake won’t eat, develops health issues such as infections or respiratory illnesses, or a combination thereof.
It’s critical to not only read a comprehensive guide for your specific species of snake, but to also learn through experience how a healthy specimen looks and behaves.
- Is it too hot or cold?
- Does it’s skin show signs of being too wet or dry?
- Is it active enough?
- Has its weight increased or decreased?
- Are you seeing unusual signs of aggression or defensiveness?
There’s a reason each species only lives in specific parts of the world. A rattlesnake could never survive in a rainforest, just like a red tail boa wouldn’t make it the desert. Each one is adapted to thrive in its own specialized environment. Change that environment too much and the snake won’t last long.
Feeding A Pet Snake
One thing all snakes share in common is that they are carnivores.
For the most part, you can’t go wrong with mice or rats. Anywhere snakes live, rodents do too, and they are typically on the menu.
You still need to know your snake however. Some species such as the king cobra and king snake eat other snakes, but will still feed on rodents.
Feeding your snake is another aspect of husbandry that has changed over the years.
Rather than feeding a live rat or mouse to your pet, the preferred method now is to use frozen food. Frozen mice and rats are readily available at most pet stores that carry reptiles.
Besides being easier for those people who might be a bit squeamish about watching an animal be killed, it is also safer for your snake. Any animal that is fighting for its life might cause considerable injury to your pet.
Here is an entire article I wrote about feeding a snake frozen food.
Pro Tip
An easy way to determine when your snake should be fed is to watch for when it defecates. A couple of days after it poops, it will be ready to eat. Feed prey that is slightly larger than your snake’s body at its midsection.
Handling A Pet Snake
Snakes are not like other pets. They aren’t domesticated like dogs or cats, and aren’t born naturally enjoying cuddle time with us.
Most will adapt to human interaction however, especially if they are introduced to it when they’re young.
Some snakes take to this right away, and rarely have issues with being picked up and held, while others may take a lot of work.
Young snakes especially might be a little nippy for their first year of life or so. This is when they are at their most vulnerable in the wild. Anything trying to grab it is usually trying to eat it!
Once you take your pet out of quarantine and have seen it eat at least once, it is time to start getting it used to human contact. It’s important to wait until you’ve seen it have one meal because some snakes won’t eat when they’re stressed, and handling can sometimes cause stress.
If a snake isn’t eating, you have to figure out why. If you haven’t handled it and have followed my quarantine advice, you can eliminate stress as a factor and begin looking into other possible causes.
Before I explain the best way to handle a snake, I do want to point out that there are times when they should NOT be bothered.
- When they are getting ready to shed. – When you see their eyes beginning to get milky or gray in color, they are about to shed and can’t see very well. This tends to make them more defensive.
- 24 hours before feeding. – Even if your snake is accustomed to being taken out of its cage, it can still cause stress which may lead to them not eating. In addition to that, they are hungry around feeding day and might go into hunting mode. This increases the chance of you being bitten.
- 48-72 hours after they have eaten. – Again, handling a snake can cause stress. The first thing a frightened snake will do if it has eaten is regurgitate its food. Give it a couple of days or more to get the digestion process going.
As for the actual handling of your snake, keep the sessions short in the beginning.
The idea is to get your pet out of its cage and get it to the point where it is calm and relaxed. It should be exploring its surroundings without tensing up.
Be sure to pick your snake up from underneath its body.
Don’t grab its head or tail, and don’t grab it from above. That’s how a predator would attack. Don’t pet your snake first either. It isn’t a dog, and isn’t accustomed to being touched. Simply pick it up in a confident manner, being sure to support its body, and get it out of the cage.
Once it has reached a calm state, allow it to explore you and its surroundings for several minutes, then put it back into the enclosure. You want sessions to last around 15 minutes or so, and end on a happy note with the snake being relaxed.
After a couple weeks of doing this, most snakes become fairly acclimated to being handled regularly.
Summary
Snakes make remarkable pets.
As long as you monitor their temperature and humidity levels, feed them at the appropriate times and keep their enclosure clean, you can spend as little or as much time and attention as you want.
Most snakes enjoy getting out of their cage to explore, but are just as satisfied staying inside if you don’t have time to get them out regularly.
Their habitats can be pretty awesome too! Spend a little extra time decorating both the inside and outside of their cage, and you can have an aesthetically pleasing addition to the room you keep them in.
The last thing I want to point out is pretty important. Be sure to research your specific species of pet snake. Learn all about where it is from, what its natural environment is like, and do your homework on how other snake keepers successfully raise their snakes.