As you begin to learn how to care for a pet snake, you discover that there is a lot to learn, but you quickly realize that most of it is common sense when it comes to properly caring for the health and well-being of your pet snake.
The fundamental things to keep in mind are what a snake eats, how much and how often, and what type of snake cage and environmental conditions it requires. And making sure to provide clean and hygienic living conditions appropriate to your pet snake’s needs to keep them healthy and happy in your care.
Here I list ten of the basic pet snake health tips you need to know:
1. Select a healthy snake to adopt
When choosing a snake, choose one that has good meat, clear eyes, no cuts, no mites or ticks, and is alert. The snake should seem curious and grab you firmly but gently when you handle it.
You should be there when the snakes are being fed so you can watch them and make sure the snakes you are picking are eating well.
Captive bred snakes are more suitable for pets than buying a wild born snake. Snakes born in the wild are typically highly stressed by the capture process and transportation to the pet supplier. Wild snakes are also likely to have a high parasite load.
2. Get the right size cage for your breed of snake
Their enclosure should normally be about two-thirds the size of their body length. If your snake is six feet long, then the cage should be at least four feet long.
You can always make the enclosure longer than the snake, but your snake will be comfortable in a cage smaller than your snake’s length.
Remember to upgrade the enclosure as your snake grows, as it needs to increase in size relative to the length of the snake’s body.
3. Keep the snake enclosure moist
Snakes are sensitive to temperature and humidity factors, and you should always make sure their enclosure is kept at the right temperature. Consult a reputable snake pet book to learn what the optimal conditions are for your breed of snake.
4. Keep feeding your snake simple, safe and hygienic
When shopping for your snake, you first want to make sure you select a pet snake that will happily eat thawed rodents (which you buy frozen at the pet store) and isn’t too picky about its feeding requirements.
Feeding live rodents, even small mice, to your snake can hurt it, and is NOT entertainment for an audience of friends, so don’t do it.
The dead animal to be fed should not be wider than the snake’s own head. Snakes don’t eat very often and you can store pre-killed, frozen mice in your freezer.
5. Learn how much and how often to feed your snake
Get expert advice on the optimal amount and type of food for your pet snake and feeding frequency.
Snakes can eat almost anything they are fed and will usually regurgitate food after a day or two if they have been overfed.
6. Make Sure Your Snake Cage Is Secure
The snake’s cage, terrarium, enclosure, etc. should always be well planned and ventilated, but also fully secured to prevent the snake from escaping.
Breeds like corn snakes can be excellent escape artists and you can lose your pet snake very quickly if you are not careful.
They will even poke at the lid of the enclosure with their nose to look for any weaknesses in the cage or doors.
7. Maintain a constant supply of fresh water.
Snakes fail in water and also get soaked, especially before they move.
You should make sure to check the water regularly and replace it with clean water as soon as there are any signs of contamination in it.
Buy a heavy plate or container so it won’t tip over when the snake slithers into it.
It is good to place several dishes of water in the snake’s cage which also help establish the proper humidity for the snake.
8. Create hiding places so your snake feels safe.
Hideouts should be placed at the warm and cool ends of the enclosure.
Pieces of bark with hollow areas or curved shapes to make a ‘cave’ are good to use as snake hideouts if placed on a substrate that allows snakes to burrow under them.
You can get a wide variety of snake caves and wooden structures for snakes to hide in at pet stores and online at Amazon. These are also usually easy to keep clean and hygienic.
Add some smooth tree branches as well for the snake to climb and coil around. You can also get them online.
9. Provide a range of temperatures in the cage
Your snake needs to be able to find a variety of locations for both hot and cold, as it may need to during different times of the day.
Since you can’t travel around a garden to find your ideal temperature at any given time, like a rock to sleep on top of in the warm sunlight, or under it to cool off, you need to make sure you offer some range of temperatures inside the cabinet. for you to select.
One end of the enclosure should be cooler and the temperature should ideally gradually increase towards the other end of the cage.
You can get a full spectrum incandescent light to sit on top of the enclosure which can provide some warmth and serve as a sunny spot for basking.
10. Use Proper Snake Cage Bedding
Newspaper is good to use as a substrate. It is very cheap and is easily replaced as soon as it gets dirty. Astroturf is also a good alternative that you can buy online.
Artificial grass can be cleaned, dried and reused multiple times before it wears out. Soak dirty grass in a gallon of water to which you add 2 tablespoons of bleach, then wash it well, rinse it with clean water, and dry it well before putting it back in the cage.
Snakes will live a long and healthy life as long as you learn how to care for a pet snake and provide them with their basic needs and avoid overfeeding them.