When I was a child, my father brought home a variety of unusual animals. At one point, we had over 22 different birds in large cages in an atrium area of our den. We had a couple of cute, fluffy rabbits, one name Mr. Rabbit and the other named Mr. Bunny, and we had a Mr. and Mrs. Duck (we weren’t great with names). Yes, we even had a ‘normal’ pet: Blackie, our black poodle. However, none of these animals sparked as much conversation and eyebrow raises as our pet boa constrictor, yes, a snake, whom we named Bal Boa.
When my father brought him home, he was about the size of a large worm, not much bigger around then an adult’s index finger, and was rather cute, believe it or not. Within a couple of years though, Bal, our pet snake, was as big around in the center as an average dinner plate and stretched out to about six feet long!
It’s things such as size like this that people should consider when purchasing a snake as a pet, and particularly when purchasing a snake as a pet for a child. A four foot child is no match for a six foot snake! There are a wide variety of snakes from which to choose, but owning an exotic pet such as a pet snake, is not quite the same as buying a puppy.
Is a Pet Snake Right for My Family?
When my father purchased the small pet snake, a constrictor class snake, the man at the pet store was very adamant that he should not purchase a pet snake that constricts if we had small dogs, gerbils, hamsters, or small children under the age of about five years old.
Constrictor snakes move slowly, wrap themselves around their prey (especially sleeping prey), and then slowly squeeze the life out of them before attempting to digest the prey. A gerbil, hamster or other small rodent or even a small dog, could easily become prey to a 6 foot plus long pet snake, and that would be devastating to anyone, but especially a child.
Also, a pet constrictor snake when it senses danger, such as the rapid and often uncontrolled movements of a small child, can move very quickly to wrap around the child and squeeze them out of fear and protectiveness. Small children and constrictor snakes simply do not mix. In fact, it’s probably best, with the exotic nature of a pet snake, that small children and pet snakes don’t mix at all, and pet snakes be left to older children and teens.
Can I Care for a Pet Snake?
Not all, but most pet snakes will eat rodents for their food. Granted, pet snakes will likely only need to be fed once or twice per month, but it is important to consider whether you or your child will be able to feed a live rodent to your snake. While some advocate using humanely killed rodents to feed their pet snakes, one local reptile vet informed me that part of the digestion process for a pet snake is to ‘hunt’ the prey and kill it themselves, and the snake will be healthier if he eats live prey.
When I was a child, the small boa constrictor we first had as a pet snake ate small bugs, but within six months of daddy bringing him home, he was eating small mice, and by the time he was full grown, our pet snake was eating whole rats purchased from the pet store. As interesting as I thought our pet snake was, the first time I saw him eat a mouse, I was traumatized, and I couldn’t even bear to watch him eat the rats. Not only that, but the rodent ‘shape’ stays around the midsection of the pet snake like a bulge for several days while the pet snake digests the prey.
If your child is sensitive or you are, feeding a pet snake could be traumatic and should be discussed and considered before purchasing a snake as a pet for a child.
Is There a Reptile Veterinarian in my Area?
Snakes aren’t typical pets, so caring for one will take some reading and research, and if something happens to your pet snake, you will need to know that there is a qualified veterinarian in your are who can treat and diagnose a problem with a pet snake.
Do I Have Room For a Pet Snake?
While pet snakes as babies may only be as long as a ruler and as big around as a finger, remember my snake became a six foot long adult, and the terrarium we had for him was no longer sufficient. Most snakes like to climb and wrap around branches and other things, and some snakes like to burrow or crawl into holes. You should be able to provide for the growing size of your snake and have the room and a habitat to accommodate what the pet store where you buy your pet snake tells you what the full grown size of your snake may be.
So What’s the Best Pet Snake for My Family?
Okay, so you’ve decided you do want to purchase a snake. Which one do you want to purchase? For a first reptile pet, and a first pet snake, the two best choices are: Corn Snakes and captive bred Kingsnakes.
Corn snakes are good because they are small, with their maximum size being around 4 foot long at full grown, and their head is about the size of an adult man’s thumb. They are curious snakes that seem to interact well with humans. They are a bit skittish around small children, but as mentioned earlier, a pet snake is probably not the best choice for a small child.
Captive bred Kingsnakes are a nice starter snake for a pet, and pet owners like the fact that Kingsnakes come in a variety of colors and tend to stay smaller in size when full grown, easily able to stay in a 20-30 gallon terrarium enclosure. Kingsnakes are also more likely than other snakes to be trained to eat pre-killed prey, instead of live.
What Kind of Snake is Not a Good Choice for a Pet?
Boas and other constrictor snakes are not a good choice for a first snake, but they do make good pets for experienced reptile and pet owners. They tend to grow larger in overall size, and they have certain habitat requirements that may be hard to accommodate, such as temperature, humidity, etc.
Pythons and Anacondas are both poor choices for a pet snake, even for the experienced snake or reptile owner. These snakes tend to have ugly temperaments, don’t take well to humans, and are difficult to domesticate, particularly if they are wild caught or wild egg hatched.
When it comes down to it, a pet snake is a great conversation starter, but the reality of owning a pet snake may not be as much fun as it seems. All these things should be taken into consideration and you should discuss them with your child before making a final decision.
Our pet snake frequently managed to get out of his habitat, and let me tell you, they are very difficult to find unless they want to be found. Imagine having a snake, even a pet one, running around your house, unsure of where he is.
Still, I really liked holding and playing with our pet snake when I was a kid, and I loved watching his tongue flicker, as well as reading about how to care for him and how he lived in the wild.
The last thing to consider before you make your choice to buy a pet snake is how long the snake will live. Most snakes will live in captivity between 10-25 years, depending in which snake you purchase. Twenty five years is a long time to invest in a pet for a child who will be going off to college or moving out of the house in 10-15 years.
Pet snakes are unique, and can be a lot of fun, but purchasing one as a pet is a choice that should not be made without considering all the options. For more information about purchasing a pet snake for your child, be sure to talk to your local pet store that sells snakes and to the local reptile veterinarian before you make your choice.
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Reference:
- Corn Snakes – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Snake
