Best Pet Snakes? indeed this question is getting buzz in town. Choosing the best pet snake can be a fun and exciting experience for any age. There is a great range of best pet snakes in the world that can be domesticated.
PET SNAKES:
Whether you’re a yearning herpetologist, looking to join the existing 4.5 million families with reptiles, or are a more experienced handler seeking out for a beginner snake, this list will assist you to discover the idealized one.
Pet snakes are exceptionally diverse from companion creatures and animals. Because of this, they have exceptionally distinctive cultivation and care prerequisites. Choosing a beginner snake can be a precarious preparation.
In this article, we go through some interesting facts about the best 05 pet snakes that can be taken care of by beginners based on ease of care, cost, and personality.
Interesting Facts About Pet Snakes:
First up. Let’s start with some important but very interesting facts about pet snakes:
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Pet Snakes are reptile – they have been around for around 100 million years and advanced from prehistoric lizards. Snakes are found on each landmass within the world but Antarctica.
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Snakes are carnivores (meat-eaters). Their diet mostly consists of small mammals. Snakes will eat mice, rats, rabbits, birds, possums, bats, lizards, skinks, geckos, other snakes, and frogs. Without snakes sharing our habitat we would be over-run with vermin.
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Snakes are NOT aggressive. They are shy secretive animals. Snakes do not bite out of malice and they certainly do not go looking for enemies. They will defend their lives if/when needed. Snakes DO like to be left alone.
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Snakes have no external ears. They are mostly deaf to airborne sounds. They do have an inner ear (like humans), which helps with balance. You can shout/scream as loud while walking in the bush but it simply won’t scare a snake away.
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Snakes do not have eyelids. They do have an eye ‘spectacle’ which protects their eye. This ‘spectacle’ comes away when a snake sheds its skin.
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Small snakes have a very acute sense of smell and taste – they use their forked tongue to pick up scents. Just like you use your nose. They are interested in the scent of prey, predators, a potential mate, a rival, or their own trail.
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Snakes swallow their prey whole – they can eat a prey item up to 10 times bigger than the size of their head – that’s like a human swallowing a whole pig!! Snakes are able to do this as their jaws are not fused by bone like a human jaw – instead, the top and bottom jaw are joined by stretchy muscles and ligaments.
Summary: So we can come up with this belief that small snakes can be a great pet. Only you need to be careful regarding their care. If they like their tank they can live longer & act rationally.
Best Pet Snakes for Beginners:
Now let’s look at some interesting features about some snakes for beginners to own and enjoy. There are 05 best pet snakes on our list which are docile and easy to take care of making them great for a beginner!
If you are new to keeping reptiles, you should choose which one is the best for you based on your lifestyle from the following list.
1.CORN SNAKES
The corn snake previous classification placed it in the genus Elaphe, it was recently changed to Pantherophis. Some studies have shown that they are actually more closely related to king snakes (genus Lampropeltis) than the Old-World rat snakes with which they were previously classified. It was considered to have 2 subspecies until 2002 when the Great Plains rat snake was split off as its own species.
Corn Snake Routine:
Corn snakes are primarily active at night and are both terrestrial burrowers and extremely good climbers. In colder regions of their range, they hibernate during winter. But in the temperate climate along the coast, they take shelter in logs and rock crevices during colder weather and come out on warmer days to bask.
Corn Snake Look:
These are slender with a length ranging from 24 to 72 inches (60 to 180 cm), with males being larger than females. Their base color is usually a brown to red-orange, speckled with many large red blotches with black edges down their backs. Their colors vary from region to region and can also include gray and yellow. They have a black and white checkered belly.
In captivity, breeders have been creating a wide variety of color patterns, called morphs, ranging in color from white to black, and patterns that include spots, stripes, or solid coloring.
Corn Snake Feed:
The corn snake feeds every few days and being constrictors, they first bite the prey to obtain a firm grip, then quickly wrap around the victim. Then they squeeze tightly to suffocate the prey and swallow it whole, usually head first.
These are oviparous snake, the female deposits a clutch of 10 to 30 eggs during the summer in late May to July. The eggs are laid in hidden locations with sufficient heat and humidity to incubate them, like rotting stumps, piles of decaying vegetation, or similar places.
Summary: The first choice should be a corn snake if you are a beginner. These fellows are easy to handle, very docile& submissive. They love the night time to enjoy their tank.
2.CALIFORNIA KING SNAKES
Most species of kingsnake have vibrant patterns on their skins with vivid contrasting colors. The patterns, especially bands and speckles, break up the snake’s body outline so it is less visible to predators like birds of prey, mammals like foxes and coyotes, and other snakes.
The species is very adaptable, these snakes can live in forests, deserts, chaparral, grassland, woodlands, along rivers or farms even bushy suburban areas. They are normally found up to 1000 meters but can be found in elevations up to 2100 m (7,000 ft) in the Tehachapi Mountains region.
Daily Routine:
This snake is more active during the daytime in the colder regions of its range. But with higher temperatures, the California Kingsnake becomes more crepuscular and nocturnal. In the winter, they will usually go deep underground and enter brumation a hibernation-like state which is characterized by reduced activity and slowed metabolism.
California Kingsnake Looks:
The California Kingsnake can reach a length between 110 and 150 cm, with the same width throughout most of the body, the head being slightly wider than the neck. It is found in several colors most commonly with alternating bands of black or brown with white or yellow.
The California Kingsnake usually sheds 4 to 6 times per year, during this period they become “opaque” as their skin becomes dull and its eyes turn a milky white color, making them virtually blind.
Due to their ease of care, attractive appearance, and docile nature California kingsnakes are among the most popular pet snakes. Snake enthusiasts and breeders have selectively bred a variety of color patterns called morphs.
Like many snakes the California kingsnakes jaws are hinged, this feature allows them to swallow prey items larger than their head.
Summary: These buddies have very pretty patterns on their bodies. Like other small pet snakes, these are not aggressive & venomous. An interesting feature is in the season of shedding skin the California Kingsnake becomes virtually blind.
3.BALL PYTHON
Ball pythons are called Royal Pythons by Europeans. They are called “Royal” because it is said that African tribe leaders would wear the snakes like they were jewelry . That’s one heck of a necklace. There is also a rumor still in circulation today that Cleopatra used to wear a ball python around her wrist as a bracelet.
Life-Span:
The average life-span of a ball python is 30 years but it is not unheard of for one to live up to 45 years old as long as they are living in captivity. These snakes tend not to live as long in the wild because of the environment and the dangers of having to fend for themselves.
This snake species when in a defensive posture, coil themselves, with the head protected in the middle, almost like a ball, from this behavior derives their common name, Ball Python.
Nature:
This fact is definitely for pet snakes. Pet snakes that have matured are comfortable around humans. They like to be held around once a day and will curl around their owner’s arms or drape around necks. Younger snakes are more easily startled and are known to be a bit more bitey and dangerous than older snakes.
Of course, these bites are not too dangerous because they are small and do not have venom. This issue also depends from snake to snake and how comfortable they are with their owners.
Being smaller and one of the most inoffensive and less aggressive pythons snake species known, means it can be easily handled, making it ideal for those who want an exotic pet snake.
Looks:
The Ball Python head is oval-shaped and narrow, this snake has a narrow neck, a solid body, and a relatively short tail. Their skin color is a shade of dark brown in the background with a pattern of round spots of golden yellow color, and a cream or whitish underside.
Feed:
The Ball Python feeds mainly on small mammals and rodents found in their habitat, like shrews, striped mice, and African soft-furred including rats. Young snakes are known to occasionally feed on birds.
Summary: It is one of the most common snake species found in the exotic pet trade. The ball python makes an excellent pet because they are inexpensive, usually have a good temperament, and their long-life span makes them one of the most common pet snakes.
4. ROSY BOA
The rosy boa is a small non-venomous boa species found in the southwestern United States in California southwestern through Arizona and south through Baja California and western Sonora in Mexico.
It inhabits anywhere from the low desert basins up to 6000 ft high mountain slopes and can be found in coastal desert canyons, near-desert and desert slopes, rocky shrubland, creek beds, boulder-strewn hillsides.
Routine:
Their activity patterns are dependent on weather, in the hot summer months, rosy boas will hunt primarily in the evening and night time, while in the more moderate temperatures it may forage almost any time of day. In most of the rosy boa range, the winter is too cold and they enter a dormant state called brumation, similar to the hibernation of mammals.
Rosy boas are a popular snake to have as a pet. They are sometimes hard to care for, due to their master-escape-artist tendencies but have a small manageable size.
Life Span:
The rosy boa average and maximum lifespan in the wild is unknown but the average lifespan for captive snakes ranges from 18 to 22 years, although some individuals have been documented to live over 30 years.
The rosy boa is considered one of the slowest moving snakes in the world, moving at around 1 mph on open ground. Just compare that to the striking speed of 12 mph (19 km/h) of the highly venomous black mamba, and you see why the mamba has such a fearsome reputation in Africa.
When feeling threatened the rosy boa rolls itself into a ball, enveloping its head for protection and leaving its tail exposed and wiggling it as a distraction to the predator. It will also emit an evil-smelling odor from the cloaca.
Feed:
The rosy boa snake feeds primarily on rodents and small mammals like woodrats, deer mice, kangaroo rats, and baby rabbits. But they will also prey upon bats, nestling birds, lizards, amphibians, and even on other snakes.
Summary: Rosy Boa is one of the best small pet snakes. Rosy Boa maximum can live up to 30 years if the captivity condition is best. Don’t hold these beauties for long, once cuddle in a day is pretty good for them.
5.MILK SNAKES
Milk snakes are great pets, especially for beginners, because they are calm and don’t need too much attention.
Handeling:
Unlike other animals, milk snakes don’t need constant care. As long as the snake has a nice enclosure and is kept well-fed, it should be happy.
Milk snakes are creatures who like to hide and burrow. If you are planning on getting a milk snake, make sure that there is enough dry mulch or paper for them to dig into. They like to climb, so to make your snake happy, put a branch for them to dangle from in there as well.
These snakes are known to be escape artists of sorts and quickly take advantage of any little openings or cracks left unchecked so make sure that whatever enclosure you choose is inescapable.
Looks:
Some people wonder if being a constrictor makes them dangerous to people. These snakes are usually only three feet in length, though there are some that can grow up to five feet long. They are powerful little snakes, yes, but are way too small to try to strangle or consume a person, so there would be no reason to hurt them or for them to hurt you.
Feed:
The Milksnake is a carnivore like all other snakes, they feed on a wide variety of prey. Juvenile and smaller milk snakes usually eat smaller prey such as insects, slugs, crickets, and earthworms.
They provide humans a valuable service since many of their prey as adults includes rats, mice, voles, and other rodents commonly found in agricultural areas and considered pests. The Milksnake is a much more opportunistic hunter when compared with other species such as the Corn snake.
** Summary**: If you are planning on getting a milk snake, make sure that there is enough dry mulch or paper for them to dig into. They like to climb, so to make your snake happy, put a branch for them to dangle from in there as well
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Here are a few most frequently asked questions regarding adopting snakes as pets. It will give more in-depth information regarding snake petting.
What is the best snake to have as a pet?
Corn snake & ball python are the 2 most commonly kept pet snakes around the world. These fellows are docile, easy to handle & having a high tolerance rate.
Can snakes sense fear in humans?
Snakes do have a better sense of smell than dogs. But they cant give meaning to it as their intellectual capacity is way low. But snakes can feel or sense danger.
What is the hardest snake to keep?
Small snakes ain’t hard to keep but yes if you with big ones then Flying snakes, Green anaconda & Burmese Python are at top of the list. Their maintenance & care both need special attention.
CONCLUSION:
I am pretty sure after reading all the above-mentioned information, you got a good knowledge of the best pet snakes. Now it will be very easy for you to decide which small nake to go with. Let me again emphasize here, if you provide the best captivity conditions to these pals, they will be very docile & never act abnormally. Proper feed, adequate supply of water, hidden holes,& less holding will surely please your snake pet.