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Every person wants to have a pet at home. But, as strange as it may sound, not everyone can afford the maintenance of a dog or cat. Allergies to wool and saliva are mostly to blame, but there are other reasons as well.
Less and less often people try to get parrots, hamsters or fish. Their life expectancy is not too high, and, not having time to finally become attached to their pet, they already have to say goodbye to him forever.
Exotic at home
Recently, the trend has been to keep exotic or even wild animals at home: snakes, ferrets, tarantulas or tarantulas. Many people do this unconsciously, succumbing to an impulse, a desire to stand out or simply demonstrate their extravagance. In fact, to have such animals in an apartment is a serious and very responsible step. These "animals" are not created for home conditions, and future owners will not only have to create an atmosphere comfortable for the life of the pet, but also face a number of surprises that will surely arise during the keeping of the animal. After all, it has recently become fashionable to have exotic predators, insects or reptiles at home, which means that not all habits of life in captivity have been studied and warned. 
Snake in the house
Still, the snake can rightfully be called the most popular exotic pet. Those who decide to have such a pet should study the feeding habits and behavior of snakes, their living conditions, consult with serpentologists about the characteristics of the nature and content of each species and very carefully weigh the pros and cons before taking this crucial step. Domestic snakes live for over 10 years, so you need to be completely sure that the reptiles will be given proper care until the end of their days.
For home keeping, experts recommend getting non-venomous reptiles of a fairly small size. Perhaps someone will think it is a brave act to have a poisonous snake at home in order to create a real sensation among friends. But it is forbidden to do so. Without good reason, no nursery will provide a snake for personal use as a pet, especially for a person who has not previously dealt with snakes, does not know how to care for, and does not know how to handle them. “Beginners” are advised to have “safe” animals of small size - up to 150 cm in length. Such domestic snakes quickly become tame, being born and growing up in captivity.
Snakes at home are still predators. This means that they will have to be fed not with vegetables and fruits, but with meat and, most often, fresh or live. This is one of the main reasons why people give up the idea of having a snake. Not everyone is ready to feed the pet carcasses of rodents in cold blood, even if they were killed, which could also be someone's pet. 
The most unpretentious view
Garter snakes or garden snakes are perfect for those who are faint of heart. They can be fed not by mice, but by fish, worms and insects, the main thing is to teach them to do this even as a cub. They are unpretentious. Usually, snakes require additional heating during the winter season, but this species can do without artificial heat. It is quite difficult to recognize garter snakes by the color of their scales, because there are a great many color options, only a serpentologist can do this. The length of representatives of this variety can range from 50 to 150 cm. 
Beautiful and dangerous snakes
For those who are attracted to dangerous snakes, there is a great alternative - the king snake. It does not lend itself well to domestication, but it is still possible to domesticate it if you raise a snake in captivity. With its bright predatory color, it resembles a poisonous coral snake, which is prohibited for keeping at home. Black and white wide stripes are located on the basic red tone. The stripes of the coral snake have yellow gaps instead of white. Rodents should feed the king snake: mice and rats. Carcasses can be either frozen or fresh. The king's snake can be up to 100 cm long. 
Another twin of the venomous coral snake is the milk snake. However, she, like the royal, is not at all poisonous. There are differences in colors: the color of the milk snake is darker, more burgundy than red, the stripes are less common. Such a snake feeds on small amphibians and reptiles, as well as rodents. It prefers to swallow food alive, so at home it is better to feed it with tweezers. The length of the milk snake ranges from 50 to 150 cm. 
Most popular variety
Climbing snakes are another type of snake that experts recommend starting taming reptiles with. There are more than 11 species in total, but the maize snake, or corn snake, and the patterned snake are best suited for living at home. Snakes are otherwise called rat snakes, since their main diet is made up of rodents. This is the most popular variety of snakes for home keeping. Snakes are easy to tame and easy to care for. The colors of such reptiles are very diverse. 
Due to genetic abnormalities, it is possible to cross species and breed snakes of incredible colors. Mutations can also provoke albinism in these snakes, which looks amazing, although negatively affects the health of the reptile. The natural color of the maize snake is bright red, the scales of the patterned snake have a greenish white tint. All other colors are the results of crosses. Snakes feed on small animals, birds, amphibians, they swallow eggs whole. Cannibalism is found among the patterned snakes. The average length of these snakes is approximately 120 cm.
Tips for those wishing to have a snake
- The terrarium for the snake should be equipped with a special cover, a cache in which the snake can hide, as well as tunnels for movement. It must have additional light and heating system. The temperature should not be too high or too low, so as not to provoke burns or hypothermia. This information should be checked with breeders when purchasing a snake. Some species require a vertical enclosure, others a horizontal enclosure.
- Domestic snakes, like any other animal, need regular veterinary examinations. The doctor checks the eyes, teeth, scales, breathing, and heartbeat.
- It is better to buy a snake not in a pet store, but from breeders. They also clarify the individual characteristics of caring for a reptile.
- Despite the fact that domestic snakes are not poisonous, they are dangerous with their strong and muscular body, with which they can easily strangle a person.
- It is better to feed the snake with frozen carcasses, rather than live rodents, which are carriers of diseases. By the way, snakes themselves can be carriers of Salmonella, so you need to wash your hands after each contact with your pet.
- For pets such as house snakes, the price ranges from 3,000 to 30,000 rubles.
Today every family wants to have some kind of pet. In this way, parents teach their children to take care and be responsible. But if someone has cute puppies, soft kittens and funny birds, then there are more extravagant breeders. Recently, it has become popular to breed exotic animals such as spiders, snakes and lizards.If you are one of them and are also going to have a "cute" snake, you should approach this issue especially responsibly. Keeping snakes at home is not an easy task.
Keeping snakes at home
To keep snakes, you will have to spend money on special equipment. The size of the terrarium depends on the size of the pet. He must be able to move freely around his home. Next, you need to equip heating and lighting. The temperature in the terrarium should be between 23-28 ° C. The heating device can be installed near a large branch so that your snake can warm up when needed. There should also be a cold corner. It should always remain dry. Lamps for lighting can be built into the cover. It is imperative to spray the surfaces with water to maintain air humidity.
Next, you need to equip your pet's house. Place a drinking bowl with water in the corner. You can choose a large shape, in this case it will also serve as a pool for the snake. Make sure to install multiple branches. If you prefer a tree snake, there should be a lot of branches so that it can crawl along them and rest. The bottom of the terrarium can be covered with stones. Make sure the stones are smooth, without sharp corners. You can also build a shelter. It can be a house or a shelf behind the branches.
Feeding
When buying a snake, you must clearly understand that these are carnivorous reptiles. To feed them, you will have to stock up on frogs, mice and even rabbits. Each snake should be fed according to its breed. Some only eat fish and snails, while others are willing to eat earthworms. Typically, snakes are fed once a week. The diet and quantity depends on the size of the pet.
Don't overfeed your snake. Also, it is not advisable to give live food. If your ward does not cope with the prey immediately, he risks getting a bite. And these are unnecessary problems for him and for you. Particular attention should be paid to nutrition during molting.
Possible problems
If you notice that your pet's behavior has changed, watch him. Very often health problems are directly related to maintenance or nutrition. If the snake regurgitates food undigested after dinner, it means that it is too hot in the terrarium. Buy proven food. Even through frozen food there is a chance of contracting parasites.
Monitor the condition of your skin, especially during shedding. Sometimes, in case of shedding problems, it is enough just to arrange a long bath.
For your pet to feel great, and you continue to admire his life, you need to learn to understand him. If your snake suddenly stops eating and becomes less mobile, you should not immediately take it to the veterinarian. Perhaps she's just getting ready to moult. Proper maintenance of snakes at home is a guarantee that the pet will live a long and happy life.
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Arm yourself with the knowledge on the subject. Find all possible information about the species of snake you have chosen, about their life cycle, the size of the required aquarium and the conditions of detention, and study it very carefully. Be realistic about your options. If you understand that you cannot provide the snake with the necessary conditions, you do not lose anything, on the contrary, you will save the animal from a life that would be unbearable for him.
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Check how good the reputation of your chosen pet store, kennel or snake breeder is. Small shops or nurseries can be just as good as large ones.
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Ask permission to pick up the snake you have chosen. The animal must be strong and muscular, without any signs of tick infestation. The spine should not show through the skin of the snake, this sign indicates a strong emaciation of the reptile.
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Ask as many questions as possible. “Can you guarantee that this is a purebred snake? Can you provide me with an accurate record of how many times the snake has changed its skin? How much does the animal eat, how often, and on what days? Is this a tame snake, and is it accustomed to contact with humans? Where did you get this animal to your store? "
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Buy all the equipment you need. To keep the snake, you will need a terrarium, a bowl of water, a substrate, something the snake can climb onto, a heated mat (it should cover half of the terrarium floor), a light source (optional), a thermometer, a hydrometer and two shelters, in which the snake can hide, one on the warm side of the terrarium, the other on the cold side. If you buy all of your equipment from one store, try asking for a discount for a large purchase.
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Install all hardware and check that it works as expected. The lid or door of the terrarium should be closed and locked. Install all necessary wires and decorative elements and connect the heated rug. It will take at least 3 days for the cage to reach a stable temperature.
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Pick a day when you can go and buy yourself a snake. Make sure there is no one in the room where the snake will live.
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A young snake needs to feed a newborn mouse every 5-7 days, an adult snake needs one mouse every 7-14 days.
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The water needs to be changed regularly as the snake often uses it as a toilet.
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Clean the enclosure at least once a month and rinse thoroughly with hot water.
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Feed your snake in a separate box, not in its regular home. In this case, if you want to take the snake in your hands, it will not think that it is food.
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To pick up the snake, approach it slowly, without fuss, and gently grab the reptile in the middle of the body. Gently lift the snake and hold it in your hands like this. so that her whole body rests on your hands.
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Don't grab the snake if it is hiding in its hideout. This means that at the moment the snake needs time to be alone, and it is unlikely to be happy if you disturb it.
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We hope you will love your new pet!
Domestic snake
At all times, there were enough fans and lovers of keeping exotic pets in their home. However, in recent years, the number of those who simply enjoy the company of a fluffy cat, an intelligent dog (learn about the smartest dog breeds) and a Dzungarian hamster, canary or aquarium fish are rapidly declining. These people are being replaced by fans of collectible insects, house spiders, piranhas and even snakes. The latter are not pet candidates for the faint of heart. Agree, it is much more pleasant to hold a kitten in your arms, rather than a cold and writhing snake, however, there is no dispute about tastes. We will not do this either. Better just tell you about the peculiarities of keeping snakes at home and about which reptiles are better to keep, so as not to fear for your life and for the life of your household ...
What kind of snakes can you keep at home?
First of all, let's decide what kind of reptiles would be appropriate to keep at home. In fact, not only comfortable coexistence with this pet will depend on the correctness of your choice, but also the safety of you and your loved ones. Since, in situations when a cat escapes from the house (how to find a lost cat - read about it here) or a dog - the owners are at a loss, but when your snake escapes, which is also poisonous and aggressive, there is it's time to panic.
It is due to the fact that people have the wrong reptiles in their homes that from time to time we hear messages from TV screens that poisonous snakes have got out of the sewer system and have caused harm to human health and life.So far, more such messages are registered in America and in other European countries, but given that the fashion for exoticism has already reached us, it is quite obvious that messages about escaped cobras and pythons will soon sound on our broadcasts.
Therefore, since you are inspired by a snake, its cold beauty, as well as its graceful and murderous calmness - start a terrarium and choose such a pet. That's just, at home, it is better to refuse from keeping poisonous and dangerous, as well as too large snakes. If you so desire, you can give preference to beautiful, but not poisonous species of snakes, boas, tiger or royal python or albino python. However, even with such non-venomous snakes, you should behave carefully and not lose vigilance, and even more so do not allow your pet to escape ...
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Where to keep a snake at home
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Terrarium for a snake 
Snake terrarium design option
Just in order to reduce the likelihood of escape, and in order for you to provide your exotic reptile with comfortable living conditions, you will need a special reliable and durable terrarium. The choice of its shape and size, as well as the material from which it will be made - all this should depend on the type of snake you are holding, as well as on its size. The terrarium should not be crowded, and the snake should be able to move freely through its space. It is also worth taking care of a reliable cage cover that would allow air to pass through, but would not release the snake.
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Comfortable conditions for the snake
In order for the snake to feel comfortable in the terrarium and not get sick, you will have to take care to create an optimal environment for it to live. That is, choose the appropriate air temperature, the required humidity and the required brightness of the lighting.
As for the temperature, it should be 26-28 degrees above zero Celsius during the day and up to 23 degrees above zero Celsius at night. At the same time, it is better to position the heating source in such a way that, if necessary, the snake can crawl under it and warm up. The maximum temperature is 35 degrees above zero. It is not worth heating the air above it, as this threatens the reptile with overheating and its death. By the way,
if you do not follow the recommendations regarding the temperature regime, your reptile may start to get sick, stop growing and stop reproducing.
For more details on the temperature predilections of a reptile, you should ask the seller of the snake, since, depending on its type, it has its own temperature preferences. So, for example, for tropical snakes, 25-30 degrees will be comfortable, and for snakes living in the subtropics and at measured latitudes, a temperature range of 20-30 degrees above zero is suitable.
As for humidity indicators, snakes love high humidity - up to 90%, and in order to maintain it in the terrarium, you will have to additionally humidify the air in it. This can be done with a sprayer or a special humidifier.
And, about the brightness of the lighting - here, by the way, everything is much simpler - during the day you have to simulate a bright sunny day - using an ultraviolet lamp, thereby you will stimulate the activity of the snake, and at night the light can be removed or dimmed.
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Terrarium accessories
In addition to the fact that you will need to purchase a terrarium of the correct size for your snake, as well as take care of a heating and lighting lamp, and an air humidifier, you will also need special accessories that will make the reptile's life more comfortable. First of all, these are 2 sufficiently capacious tanks, in which warm and fresh water will be poured, in which the snake can swim and which it can drink.If you have a woody reptile, you will need to decorate the terrarium with fragments of trees, artificial branches and rocks on which your pet will crawl (in this case, the walls of the terrarium should be high). If you have a snake that likes to dig in the ground, then as filling the bottom will not be able to use gravel with sharp edges, which can hurt her. You will also need to additionally lay stones, branches, tree roots and plants on the bottom of the terrarium, under which your pet can hide ...
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Terrarium cleaning
In order for your terrarium to look well-groomed, the snake feels comfortable in it and does not get sick, you will need to monitor the hygiene of its home and clean it regularly. When cleaning the terrarium, it is better to place the pet or pet in a container with a lid with holes for ventilation. Every day it will be necessary to change the water for drinking, remove food debris after feeding, change the water in the bathing tank as soon as reptile excrement appears there. The soil should also be periodically changed, and all decorative accessories - stones, tree roots, branches - all of this should be periodically disinfected or replaced with new accessories that you pre-scald with boiling water.
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How to feed your snakes at home
Mice are a snake's favorite treat
If you have forgotten, reptiles are predators that hunt and kill small animals in Nature. Therefore, you will have to provide your domestic snake with an appropriate diet, which should include live mice, rats, frogs, fish ... Think in advance about where you will get all these "dishes" and whether you can feed a live mouse to a hungry snake ... As for the frequency of feeding, adult snakes eat 1 time in 5 days, but they can live without food for several months.
There are cases when reptiles were on a diet for up to 2 years, however, we would not recommend that you put such gastronomic experiments on your pet.
But, during the molting period, your snake may refuse food altogether - this is a natural phenomenon and you should not worry about this. She will also refuse food during hibernation, which lasts for 2-4 months at a temperature of 2-15 degrees (more precisely, the temperature regime must be specified for each type of reptile). Whereas the fact that the snake does not digest food, but regurgitates it, should alert you. A little tip for you in this case is to check the temperature in the terrarium, most likely it is not warm enough for your pet.
As for vitamins, first of all, snakes need calcium. In order for the reptile to receive it, you will have to add this vitamin to its food or include foods that contain it in its diet.
The reptile should always have access to clean drinking water. Even if she doesn't eat, she drinks water.
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Snake behavior at home
How the snake behaves
Snakes are not pets that will faithfully look you in the eye, accompany you on your morning run (more on walking dogs) and purr curled up in your arms (find out why and how cats purr). They are reptiles, and that says it all. So, you can not count on an ardent demonstration of devotion and love. You will take care of the snake, and she will let you do it. The maximum you can count on is her cold embrace, but even at this moment you should not lose your vigilance, since your pet is one of the most insidious and dangerous predators. Therefore, it is better to observe the snake through the glass of the terrarium, so you are calmer, and the risk of injuring the snake with your inept handling is the smallest.
If you suddenly noticed that your already sedentary snake suddenly fell into a state of apathy, began to move less and refuses to eat, lies curled up in a ring and listens to internal sensations - do not panic. The snake is preparing for hibernation, or very soon it will shed its skin. Before molting, her appearance also changes - the skin becomes dull and faded, wrinkles and folds appear on it, and it seems to dry out. It won't be long before your pet just slips out of his skin in a new outfit ...
What I would like to draw your attention to is walking around the apartment. Even if your snake is not poisonous, not aggressive and not very large, you should not let it out of the terrarium and leave it unattended. She can easily slip into a hard-to-reach gap and visit your neighbors, who are unlikely to be happy with such a guest. In addition, during its travels, the snake can injure itself or damage its skin, and the climatic conditions outside its terrarium do not always correspond to the conditions necessary for it. So, it is better to refuse walks.
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Health and disease of snakes at home
Despite the fact that snakes are not too demanding of themselves in terms of care and maintenance, they also get sick. And, your task, as the owner, is to try to prevent their illnesses. To do this, monitor the diet of the reptile, create comfortable living conditions for it, and you will be able to avoid common diseases of snakes, which include metabolic and digestive system disorders, respiratory system diseases (their symptoms include cloudy and swollen eyes of a reptile, the appearance of secretions from the nose, wheezing and breathing through the mouth), infectious diseases, calcium deficiency, skin diseases (most often they occur due to improper conditions of detention).
If you notice that your snake is behaving inactive, it has nasal discharge, it wheezes, spots or thickened on its skin, it refuses food, its eyes are cloudy and swollen - do not postpone your visit to the veterinarian with a pet until tomorrow ... It might be too late tomorrow ...
Video about keeping snakes at home
Today we examined the main points of keeping snakes at home, and also talked about which reptiles you can start at home, and which species it is better to refuse. We hope that after reading our article, you will be able to make the final decision for yourself whether to have such a pet in your home. And, if the decision is positive, you will know how to properly take care of it.
We will be interested to know about your experience of keeping snakes at home, if you have one. Share your stories and observations with us. We are waiting for your comments.
Read also about keeping lizards at home.
