The world is full of reptile lovers. One of the most popular pet choices among those that are fascinated with reptiles is snakes. Many would agree that snakes are fascinating pets and are simply misunderstood by those that fear their appearance.
Before purchasing a snake for a pet, one must thoroughly research the breeds, their health requirements, their average lifespan, and the proper housing for the creature.
While purchasing and owning a snake for a pet is perfectly legal, it is not advised. Here you will be introduced to three reasons why you should not opt for a pet snake.
REASON #1: THE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS OF A SNAKE
Many individuals that elect to purchase a snake as a pet are not educated on their unique needs.
These reptiles require a specific type of diet, specialized lighting that has the ability to replicate both daytime lighting and nighttime lighting, different temperature requirements based on the time of day it is, and special substrate (bedding).
If the correct environmental needs are not provided, the reptile could suffer from an injury, develop an illness, or become irritable- which could result in aggression.
REASON #2: SNAKES REQUIRE LIVE FOODS
A snake’s diet consists of many different types of live animals. These include crickets, mice, rabbits, and similar types of animals. While these foods may be easily purchased through pet stores, you must feed these items to the snake.
In some instances, the snake may become so aggressive during feedings that it accidentally bites you. While it is true that most snakes that are kept as pets are not venomous, their bite could still result in an unforeseen reaction and/or infection.
Why cage such a wild creature? Simply bypass on the pet snake idea and you bypass all of the expenses and complications that may go into feeding them the live foods that they crave.
REASON #3: SNAKES REALLY DO NOT LIKE YOU
Despite the fact that many pet snake owners claim that their snakes like them, this simply is not true – whatsoever. In fact, snakes do not like people at all. It is in their nature to shy away from people. They especially do not enjoy being handled.
It does not matter if you just hold the snake, pet the snakes, or pass it around and let other handle it, these activities result in a high level of stress on the snake and could result in accidental injury.
In some instances, the stress from being handled could result in sickness. Snakes have no one to inform their owners that they are hurt or injured, so they may suffer needlessly.
CONCLUSION
If you have a passion for reptiles, simply observe them in their natural habitat or in a controlled environment. If you have wild snakes in or around your property, you should never attempt to handle them or transform them into a pet.
In fact, you should get the snake infestation removed as quickly as possible. For snake removal in South Carolina, contact us at Palmetto Wildlife today by calling: 855-465-1088