[Animals] Snakes as pets, how to care for these reptiles so that they are happy

[#Wittels-]

A specimen of corn snake, po[CENSORED]r as pets because they are small, docile and do not have venom.

 

Although it is less common, many people have snakes as pets at home. Just as we can see spiders, iguanas and stick bugs in homes, snakes are an attractive animal for many. But do we really know how to take care of these animals correctly? Exotic animals always pose a special challenge and you have to be extremely responsible when it comes to informing yourself in advance and ensuring an adequate habitat and care.

"Being reptiles, they require very specific conditions to live, that's why they are kept in terrariums, spaces where you can have what we would call climatic factors very controlled," explains Pilar González-Iglesias, veterinarian and founder of the Exovet clinic, belonging to to the Vetersalud network of veterinary clinics.

 

Temperature, light and humidity, the key factors
As the veterinarian explains, first of all we have to control the temperature of our terrarium, according to the species of snake we have, since it turned out what type of reptile it is. "In general, the average ideal temperature is 28 degrees," he says.

"We also have to be especially careful with humidity, especially if it is a tropical species; and finally, the presence of ultraviolet light is essential, although there are different degrees of this light, depending, again, on the species of snake we have," explains González-Iglesias.

 

The veterinarian also mentions that the layout of the terrarium itself will also change, depending on whether it is an arboreal species or not. "In these cases it will have to be vertical instead of horizontal and it will have to have a tree to crawl on it," he details.

"They may also need sand (if they're desert snakes), more or less vegetation... And 90 percent of them need a place to hide, as most will spend a lot of time in caves or under a log," Add. "In short, you have to try to convert the terrarium into its natural ecosystem, as much as possible."

 

As for their diet, the veterinarian explains that the snakes that we have the most at home are carnivorous, so their diet is usually based on mice or rats. "There are also piscivorous snakes, which will have to have a part of the terrarium with water and live fish; and there is another group that feeds on eggs, the oviparous, to which we normally give quail eggs," he details.

"You can also get them used to eating dead mice, which is what many people do who are ashamed to offer them alive, but, for example, when they are little you have to feed them pinkies, newborn mice that we call that because they don't they have hair and they are pink," says González-Iglesias.

 

On the other hand, the big question that we usually ask ourselves when we consider having one of these reptiles at home is: to what extent do we have to interact with them? According to the exotic animal expert, "the stimulus of snakes is feeding, so it is much better to please live mice so that they have to hunt them. Beyond that, they do not need any other entertainment, they are calm animals."

"Another important aspect is that, if we are concerned that they are not healthy or something happens to them, we must know that the main symptom that they present is that they stop eating," says the veterinarian. "Usually they feed once a week, as much as they can and until they defecate they are not given anything again. If they don't eat when you offer them that feed, you should go to the vet."

Are they really adequate and safe?

 

Despite being animals that do not require much effort, beyond keeping the terrarium in the right conditions for them, snakes continue to inspire respect in many. Are they really suitable to have in the home and should we not fear them? According to González-Iglesias, "it depends on the snake."

"When we talk about snakes we talk about a very wide range as there are many species. Obviously, venomous or very large snakes are not suitable to have in the home, either because of the danger involved or because we cannot provide them with adequate space to live," he explains. "But colubrids, which are smaller, non-venomous snakes, are allowed as pets," he concludes.

A dog and a cat in a friendly attitude.

 

Link: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4994188/0/serpientes-como-animal-de-compania-como-cuidar-de-estos-reptiles-para-que-sean-felices/