Does anyone have any advice about snakes?

Do’t lose it in the house, or mother will ‘lose it’ in the house.

I speak from experience.

Don’t.

haha oh yeah i know!
its even better because my sister and i share a room and she is deathly afraid of them(:

Why would you do that to your sister? That is cruel.

Keep them away from planes.

well im not doing it because of her. i am doing it because i love snacks. and she does plenty of things wi th our room and what not that i can get a snake. its not to be cruel.

Know what you are getting into. Quite often little snakes grow into big snakes and be prepared for that. I had a boa and that was my favorite pet yet ever! It was the coolest pet until he got big-er! Have a secure cage is the biggest part to be concerned with and then the type of diet. Watching little mice get squeezed to death is not for everybody.

I would just do your homework and make an informed choice is all and talk to pet shop owners and check out reptile forums and ask there!

Snake!... it’s what’s for dinner!

Please remember that most snakes are rather long lived. So… if you are a teenager be advised that you will need to make provisions for your pet when you go off to seek your fortune. This can be problematic if you plan on going to college and living in a dorm room as most have rules about pets.

If you are already out on your own and don’t have to worry about rules of the house in your living arrangements. Just remember that any potential future life partners will have to accept the snake along with you.

Yes, I speak from experience. When we were dating my wife nearly dropped a load on our bathroom floor when she opened the medicine cabinet and “Caesar”, our house 6’ boa stuck his head out to say hello. Fortunately, she got over her fear of Caesar, but it took awhile.

Getting over that first meeting must have told you that she was ‘the one’, I would imagine.

She is a remarkable woman in many regards.

@Cruiser, yes i very prepared for the snake to get bigger(: thats actually just what i want.

First, realize that to feed the snake, usually, is pretty costly. It will depend on the type, and how much it needs, but you will most likely need to regularly purchase small rodents to feed it with.

Second, don’t loose it in the house. It could be forever until you find it again; but look in your basement if that happens.

And third, most snakes need a pretty picky environment; prepare to spend lots on heating lights and special aquariums.

Yes. I have kept snakes all of my life.

If you want to keep your snake alive, do your homework. Decide what kind of snake you want, buy a good book about the snake, and do even more digging. The mortality rate for snakes is very high due to bad husbandry. Also, snakes can live for about 3–4 decades.

Each snake has different requirements for husbandry. You can’t just toss them in a tank. You have to have a proper enclosure for security, ability to clean, ability to temperature regulate.

Each species, or group of species, requires different environments. Learn what “you need a hot side and a cold side” means. Learn enough to know that heat rocks are not what you should use… ever. Learn what “substrate” means, which type of substrate you should use and why. If you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t get a snake.

Learn about the feeding habits of whatever snake you are considering. For instance Royal Pythons (“Ball Pythons”) are notoriously picky eaters and, if you get one of these beautiful snakes, you might have to do things up to and including breaking the head of your prey item open to stimulate feeding response.

When people ask me what sort of type of snake to get as a first one, I customarily suggest a colubridae such as a king snake or corn snake… after I have given quite the lecture (you are getting the short version). They are less fussy in temperature than the boid and grow nowhere near as long as one. Get a cute little burmese python, and you could have a 200+ pound reptile on your hands if it is female… I had one that size, she was a rescue.

You also are going to get bitten. That is not a matter up to debate. Sooner or later you are going to do something stupid with your snake. My first Stupid Snake Error was to not wash my hands after prekilling my snake’s rat. I reached in and got nailed. I said “well, damn I was an idiot,” washed my hands, and got on with it.

Oh… prekill. Get your snake on prekill.

As a guy who loves snakes, I encourage you to think twice. This is not a pet you can just put in a tank and toss misc. food items at.