Owning a Snake is a fun and rewarding hobby. Due to the longevity of a snakes’ life it is also a long term hobby. Most snakes will live anywhere from 15 to 25 years and in that lifetime will grow anywhere from 4 to 25 feet depending on the variety.
The fear involved in owning a snake is a common misconception; they are not the slimy monsters they are made out to be. In fact, if handled and taken care of correctly, they can be safer then a dog or cat. (And they are not slimy at all.) I have personally been hospitalized by a cat in the one year I owned one and have owned snakes for 20 years and have never even had to call a doctor. The myth that snakes are man-eaters is completely false. In fact it is next to impossible for a snake to get its mouth around human’s shoulders regardless of the size of the snake. That being said, snakes do have mouths just like all animals and do have the ability to bite. They do have teeth (not fangs in the constrictors) and they are sharp. I have been bitten numerous times but have never had more than a couple of scratches. I might add most of the times I have been bit were my own fault. Not washing my hands after handling food, handling my snakes while shedding (they don’t like that) or not paying attention to the warning signs like hissing. Hissing would be the equivalent to a dog growling. When a dog growls you don’t pet it, when a snake hisses you don’t handle it. Now that I have debunked the myths here are some of the joys of owning a snake.
They are very low maintenance. A growing snake will only need to eat once every one to two weeks depending on how fast you want your snake to grow. The more you feed your snake the faster it grows. Average monthly cost of feeding a 1 to 2 year old snake 15 to 20 dollars! All you have to do is keep a fresh bowl of water in the cage at all times, cost to you, zip! Spot clean the cage periodically as needed, time wasted for you, two minutes! So basically for two minutes a week and for about 15 to 20 dollars a month you have a very cool, low maintenance pet. And it only gets easier. As your snake matures and the food gets a little bigger, they will only have to eat once a month as long as what you are feeding is large enough.
Have you ever walked a dog in the park? Did you get some attention? Now imagine walking down the trail with a beautifully colored, fat, 12 foot snake. People stop what they are doing and all the attention is on you…if you like that kind of thing. Snakes love to be outside and would really appreciate a walk in the hot sun every now and again.
Now imagine your kids have show and tell. Can you think of a better way to make your kids the talk of the school than by bringing your (or their) snake to the classroom? I have done this several times for my kids. Not only did the kids love it, a lot of times they even got extra credit for it.
And if you’re really feeling the snake bug, you can buy two. With a little bit of reading and studying, snakes are relatively easy to breed. Consider this; snakes are the largest growing pet population in the country today. If you breed a snake and are successful you can have a clutch of up to 60 at a time. Average price for a snake, 100 dollars! You could feasibly pocket $6000.00! This not the norm though, most snakes have an average of 15 to 30 babies at a time.
I hope I have done my job convincing you that snakes are fun and safe and you are ready to start enjoying your own. If so, or if you have any other questions, check out my website exoticreptiles.org . There are care sheets for specific snakes and other reptiles, there are cheap but functional cages for sale and if you are interested in buying a snake, I have access to just about anything you want. If you have any specific questions I would love to hear from you.
