What So Great about SnakesSnakes -> Top Snake Articles -> Whats so great about snakes Trying to convince your wife, girlfriend or mother to let you have a pet snake? You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last! The best advice I can offer you is to divorce the wife, dump the girlfriend and knock off your mother... Alternatively, if that seems too extreme you might like to consider letting them know about the following points. Here, then, for your benefit are 10 of the best reasons why snakes are such great pets for you to print out and begin your propoganda campaign! 1) Easy To Keep Contrary to popular belief, most commonly-kept snakes such as corn snakes and king snakes are actually pretty easy to look after. Once you have their habitat set up very little effort is required to keep them happy and healthy. There is also lots of free information available on the Internet that will tell you virtually everything you need to know - such as the wonderful website you're reading now! 2) Little Time Required Because they're so easy to keep, don't need exercising like a dog, together with the way they only eat once or twice a week and are very clean animals so only need occassional cleaning, their care takes up very little time so you'll still be able to fit a job and social life around your new snake. You might even have time to help out with the washing up once every few months! 3) Low Maintenance Costs Unlike other pets where you can spend hundreds of dollars each month on vet bills, food and more, snakes require very little ongoing expense once initially set up. I calculated a few years ago that the heating would cost less than 5c a day for example. Lighting is optional but a reptile strip light uses very little electicity and only eating once or twice a week keeps food bills down. So apart from the occassional new bottle of disinfectant or bag of substrate you should be able to keep a small snake on no more than $5-10 a month. Quite impressive I think you'll agree! 4) No Smell Because snakes feed so seldom, they also defecate only occassionally. If these movements are gently removed with a doggie bag as soon as they've passed, and the keeper is careful to ensure uneaten food doesn't remain in the cage snakes are virtually scent free. Infact they're so scent free that the most you're likely to smell is the pleasant odour of the substrate - such as bark chippings gently warmed by the cage heater. 5) No Noise Snakes, apart from a hiss or ruddle if annoyed, make no noise. The most you may hear is some quiet scratching as they investigate their cage and dig in the substrate. This combination of no smell and no sound means that they are virtually unable to cause any annoyance no matter what room of the house they're kept in. 6) Little Space Required A 90cm long cage will easily house 1 or 2 adult corn snakes and younger snakes can be housed in even smaller quarters as they grow. This means that virtually home has the space to accommodate a pet snake. 7) Your Life Is Not At Risk! In contrast to popular opinion, commonly-kept snakes such as corn snakes and king snakes can be safely handled, are not cold and slimy and at no point is there any risk of them attacking you and eating you for breakfast! Let's imagine the worst case scenario - you forget to close the cage properly (and cage locks are available to prevent this happening now) and a member of your family finds your snake crawling acorss the bedroom floor. If the snake has been regularly handled in the past it is perfectly safe to just scoop it up and put it back in it's cage. No harm will come to anyone - so don't be afraid. And remember that if they really were dangerous - like rattlesnakes - the authorities wouldn't let you buy them. 8) A Fantastic Display A snake cage makes a fantastic display in the living room much as a fish tank does - just a little more unusual. I spend lots of time watching my exotic pets and there really is a lot that you can learn from them. 9) A Fantastic Talking Point Snakes are still unusual enough to arouse real curiosity from the uninitiated. It's a great icebreaker when you meet nmew people and very easy to make new friends - even if they do all think you're a little bit odd! You'd be surprised the number of people who'll casually invite themselves back to your home to see your new pet snake! 10) Fantastic Community More than discussions with your friends is that you'll be joining a great community of like-minded, friendly and helpful fellow snake keepers. There are talks, clubs, shows, field trips, websites, magazines and more to help you gain knowledge and meet others. And they're such a great bunch it's a real pleasure to be part of the reptile community. |
- For the doubters - what's so great about snakes? - Advice for those wanting a giant snake - What is the best snake for a beginner? - What should I do if a snake bites me? |