In the Pet Shop (Warning: Snakes and Spiders!)

[eraserhead]

in the wild - california kingsnakes eat other snakes as their main source of food.

 

[LaFoto]

Yes, the pet show owner told us that.
And thus warned us not to keep one like the one I photographed (and my daughter handled in his shop) together with baby snakes (that he also showed us, one was vicous and kept snapping at us ) ... we would then not have the babies for long, he said.

 

[davlin47]

Hello to all

Before owing a snake please read this out

Ask yourself why you really want a snake. A snake is not a pet?you cant cuddle it and it won?t learn to come to your voice. It?s not even that interesting a pet to have, they don?t move or do much except when eating?and attacking. They may come to tolerate being handled, but likely they will never enjoy it. If you want a friendly reptile then choose a gecko, skink or bearded dragon, I can give you no better advice. There are hundreds of very unusual, interesting creatures that also make much better pets?frogs, salamanders, hedgehogs, degu's, ferrets, sugar gliders, chinchillas?all these creatures make curious, fascinating pets that love being cuddled (well, except frogs and salamanders) and won?t mistake you for breakfast. If you are dead set on a pet snake, take into consideration these factors-

-Snakes, no matter what size, are not to be trusted. They cannot be tamed fully like mammals. Even if they do not intend to hurt you, their poor eyesight can result in them mistaking your hand for a mouse or rat. For this reason you should not have a snake of any size in the house with a young child.

-Snakes won?t get along with other pets. An eight-foot snake could easily devour a cat or small dog, so bear this in mind, keep your snake away from other animals.

-Respect that many people are terrified of snakes. Never use your pet to frighten another person. If you do you are the reason people think snakes are evil, and its OK to stone rattlesnakes to death in roundups and skin snakes alive to make purses.

-You are responsible for your snake?s welfare for its entire life. Just to let you know, this can be twenty years or more. What happens if you outgrow that cool reptile you bought in your teens? What do you do with it? What about if you go on holiday?

-You must provide enough room for your snake. The recommendation is to never keep a snake in a tank less than its full length
. I think that?s very cruel?I would never keep a snake in a tank less than twice its full length, and much more if I could provide it.

-Snakes require heated vivarium set-ups. This will not be easy on your electric bill.

-The size of snake you can reasonably keep as a pet , will require frozen mice, rats, chicks and baby rabbits as food. Do you have the heart to feed your pet things like this? If not, you could always get a fish-eating snake like a garter or water snake, but without exception, they stink to high heaven, and egg-eating snakes are too delicate for beginners.

Thanks for reading

 

[LaFoto]

Whoa, this old thread of mine has been dug out?

Well, to tell you this: We've now had two Taiwanese Beauty Snakes for over 2 years and they are thriving. You might even find photos of them floating about on this very forum site.