Always Free February 2013 - Pets in the City Magazine

18 February 2013 Pets In The City Magazine
REPTILES
The Snake Essentials
An introduction to the care and maintenance of a slithering companion
Last month we discussed the advantages of
having a snake as a pet and how to choose
one. This month we’ll talk about the care and
maintenance of snakes.
All you need to raise a healthy, happy
snake is a glass terrarium with a screen
top, a hiding box, some substrate, and a
water dish. The cage must be escape-proof!
Snakes are master escape artists and will
exploit the smallest of openings.
Most North American snakes will thrive at
room temperature (low 70s), but because
they are ectothermic (cold-blooded), their
metabolic rates function best at 80 to 85
degrees Fahrenheit. This can be easily
accomplished with a heat lamp above
the cage that allows them to simulate the
basking they do in nature.
Place a heat lamp above one end of the tank
or cage. This not only lights the cage, it also
creates temperature zones which allow the
snake to warm up and cool down as needed
David E. Jensen
by moving from one end of the cage to the
other. Snakes don’t require specific UVA or
UVB spectrum lighting like lizards do, so
you don’t have to buy those expensive pet
store lights, but don’t use fluorescent bulbs
because they don’t produce enough heat.
In a deep tank, most of the heat generated
by an overhead light will dissipate and very
little will reach the bottom of the cage. Make
sure you take temperature readings at the
floor of the cage where the snake is and not
at the top. A branch placed in the cage will
allow your snake to climb up closer to the
heat source and also provides good exercise.
Heat tape can be used underneath a cage,
but it can cause hot spots that can scald a
snake or even crack a glass floor. A rheostat
should be used to control any type of underthe-tank
heating pad.
Choose a good substrate. Aspen shavings
are attractive and allow snakes to burrow,
but newspaper is the most economic and
easy-to-clean cage liner. Unless you’re trying
to create a realistic looking eco-system,
newspaper is
the way to go. If
you use aspen
shavings, make
sure to buy the
dustless type.
Do NOT use
cedar chips –
these can be
toxic if a snake
accidentally
ingests them.
Snakes are
carnivores, and
most eat rodents.
Frozen rodents
are the easiest, cleanest, and cheapest way to
feed your snake, and they come in all sizes.
They can be purchased locally or you can buy
them in bulk from several companies that
will ship them to your door. Rodents must
be thawed completely at room temperature
before being offered to a snake. Live rodents
will try to defend themselves, and in an
enclosure they have a tactical advantage over a
snake. Do not feed your snake live rodents!
Adjust rodent size to the size of the snake.
Baby corn snakes eat pinky (new-born) mice,
and may eat two or three of them at a time
once or twice a week. As the snake gets bigger,
it’s cheaper to feed it larger rodents than a lot
of small ones.
Your snake will shed its skin as it grows.
Young snakes may shed as often as once
a month, and a healthy snake will shed a
complete skin including the scales over its
eyes. This is a good indication that you’re
doing everything right!
There are many excellent books that can
provide further information about the care
and maintenance of a snake, and many
websites that can address your specific
questions and concerns. Your local pet store is
also ready to advise you.
Enjoy your new pet snake!
David E. Jensen is a snake enthusiast, educator,
and rattlesnake removal expert.