I said back in June that I would write a post about the cons of owning a snake in an attempt to be more objective and give views from both sides of the fence. Some of the cons are obvious.
That snake doesn't love you!
Simply put, your snake doesn’t love you. That cute little flicking tongue, the way your snake ‘bumps’ your nose with his are not signs of affection. Your snake is simply examining his or her environment in the best way he/she knows how. The way they wrap around your arm or neck is not to cuddle with you, but rather an attempt to feel safe and secure. This is especially true with ball pythons, which are used to small, tight dark spaces.
Husbandry can be complicated.
Caring for your dog or cat is easy. Feed and walk, bathe and brush, play and love. These are basic components of caring for a furry four-legged friend. Snakes are different. Snakes require precise temperature and humidity levels and very specific habitats. Ball pythons require hides (hide-boxes, caves, etc) that are almost too small, to the point where they touch the snake on all sides. Their enclosures should have a hot side and a cool side, with temperatures ranging from roughly 90 degrees on the hot side to 80 degrees on the cool side.
Feeding can be messy!
Snakes eat live prey. For popular snakes like ball pythons, boas, corn snakes, and the like, this means rats and mice. There are three options for feeding your snakes. Live prey, frozen/thawed prey (prey that has been frozen, and then thawed and warmed to a temperature the snake can sense), or pre-killed (prey that has recently been killed specifically for the purpose of feeding a snake). This is generally not for the faint of heart, regardless of the method. Live prey can be uncomfortable for keeper and snake, as well as the rodent. Rodents will sometimes make quite a bit of noise when being killed by a snake, and they will do anything they can to escape, including injuring the snake. If a snake is injured, it is up to the snake’s keeper to provide proper care of any wounds or if severe enough, arrange a visit with a qualified veterinarian. Frozen/thawed prey has been known to ‘pop’ or explode upon constriction if heated unevenly or too much prior to feeding.
Snakes don’t want to be held.
Your snake might curl around your neck while you watch T.V and poke his head down your shirt as if he’s checking out your incredible physique, but he’s not cuddling with you, and he really doesn’t care that you are holding him. Generally, snakes enjoy being left alone in their enclosure. Ball pythons for example are content to hide and sleep all day, while roaming their enclosure at night. They tolerate us holding them, but it doesn’t matter to them if you are holding them or not.
They live in their bathrooms.
Some people are lucky and have snakes that seem to be relatively considerate when disposing of bodily wastes. They’ll find a corner somewhere and leave a stinky present far away from where they sleep. Other people are not so lucky. Horror stories abound of people discovering that their snake has decided to ‘body paint’ their enclosure with a foul-smelling substance. Other owners have discovered that their snakes prefer to defecate while being held, leaving a mess down the front, back, or inside of one’s shirt. This is something you will generally not see with your furry dog or cat.
This is all the cons I can think of right now, but feel free to leave more in the comments and I’ll address them in a later post!
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