Boa constrictors and Pythons are two of the most common snakes that are kept as pets. One big difference between these snakes is that boas give live birth and pythons lay eggs. Other popular snakes include milk snakes, king snakes, rat snakes, corn snakes, water snakes, garter snakes and much more.
Diet
Snakes should be trained to eat dead prey. If this is not possible, feed live prey but make sure the snake is not harmed by the prey. Observation of the snake is crucial until the prey is dead to be sure that the snake is not harmed. It is common for rodents to chew on the snake causing extensive damage to the snake without any self-defense from the snake. Most captive snakes feed on small rodents. They are a good source of nutrition as long as they were fed a well-balanced rodent diet prior to being destroyed. If live prey is required, avoid diseased, starving, or wild rodents because they can transmit diseases and internal or external parasites to the snake. If the snake is trained to consume pre-killed rodents, frozen mice and rats that have been thawed are suitable for smaller snakes. Larger snakes can be fed frozen gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, or pigeons that have been recently thawed. Garter snakes and ribbon snakes should be fed fish, frogs, earthworms, and occasionally baby mice. Water snakes should be fed goldfish, minnows, shiners, trout, or smelt. A note of caution; thiamine deficiencies can develop if you only feed them the mentioned fish (except trout) so it is important that you supplement their diet with brewer’s yeast, warm the fish up to 176°F, or feed them a balanced diet. Fresh water should also be provided in a bowl that is easy to remove. How often you feed them depends on their routine of defecation, behavior, and physiological needs. This can be achieved through observation.
Housing and Environment
It is important to house your snake in the appropriate environment. You should have a tight fitting enclosure that is made out of glass, fiberglass, polyurethane sealed wood, or acrylic/Plexiglas. Ventilation is key when you are deciding what type of enclosure you want. If the air exchange is less than 5-15 cycles per hour there is a chance they may develop skin lesions from a build up of urine, feces, or bacterial growth. You can line the bottom of the enclosure with either newspaper, pine/ash or aspen wood shavings, orchid bark, sand, gravel, peat/sphagnum moss, cypress or pine mulch, or soil. This depends on the type of snake you have. Do not use cedar wood shavings, crushed corn cob, walnut shells, or cat litter because these are too dry and dusty. You should also provide various size branches. Snakes like privacy so you should provide some sort of hiding area for them. Some snakes like to bask in the water so you should provide a water bowl big enough for them to do this. Temperature ranges vary depending on the type of snake you are housing. Day temperatures range from 70° - 75°F and night temperatures range from 86° - 95°F. You can use a portable space heater to heat the air. You should also use a heating pad , heat tape, hot rock, or 15-75 watt incandescent light placed outside of the tank for a focal hot spot. Be careful when using any of these because they are a potential for burns. You should also place a thermometer inside of the enclosure to monitor the temperature. Humidity is another important aspect in housing snakes. It should be between 30% and 60%. You can do this by misting the enclosure with a spray bottle several times a week.
You must be very careful in handling snakes, both large and small, because they can inflict serious bite wounds. If you have an aggressive snake, securely hold it behind the head while supporting the body. You should always restrain a snake at 2 points of its body. If you need to administer oral medications you should restrain the head with the thumb and forefinger caudolateral to the skull; then open the mouth by gently forcing 2 cotton-tipped applicators between the anterior jaws as far caudally as possible. To keep the mouth open you can use a business card or small piece of stiff paper with a hole cut in the center so that you can tube them or administer oral medications.
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