Basic Information on All Snakes:
Housing:
A secure cage is vitally important - king snakes are notorious for testing their enclosures and escaping from the smallest of spaces. Any enclosure requires a secure, latched top, and while it may be more expensive to set up a cage like this it will be worth it. Keep in mind that snakes can get through spaces that are so small it doesn't seem possible. Placing plastic tubing (like aquarium air line tubing) between the rim of the tank and the lid may also help prevent escapes.
Substrate:
For a substrate in the tank, a variety of materials can be used. For new snakes, paper towels or butcher paper are ideal to facilitate cleaning allow monitoring of feces until certain the snake is free of parasites. Various substrates that can be used include indoor-outdoor carpeting, reptile bark, mulch, or aspen shavings (never use cedar, redwood or pine). If shavings are used, it is important to make sure it isn't ingested with the snake's food. Indoor-outdoor carpeting (e.g. Astroturf) is nice in that you can have two or more pieces ready cut for the cage, and can just remove the dirty flooring, replace it with a clean one (then clean the soiled piece for the next time the cage needs cleaning). Whatever is used, cleanliness is very important so choose something that you will be able to clean as often as necessary. The soiled pieces can be soaked in a solution of one gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of bleach, rinsed well, dried and then used again.
Temperature and Humidity:
As with other reptiles, providing the appropriate heat gradients is of utmost importance to the health and well being of your snake. Generally, milk and king snakes need a gradient of about 76-86 F (24-30C) in their cage during the day, with a drop to about 70-74 F (21-23 C) at night (there may be more exact temperatures for different species). The gradient should be horizontal as well as vertical, and hides should be provided at least at each end of the gradient.
Most owners prefer under tank heaters (place under half the tank) to provide the heat. Under no circumstances should hot rocks be used. If overhead heating used, radiant heat sources (e.g. ceramic elements, available at pet stores) are preferred to incandescent bulbs especially for nocturnal species.
For humidity, providing a shallow dish of water in the cage should be sufficient. Since snakes will often defecate in the water it should be cleaned out daily. King and milk snakes do not need high humidity levels - 40-60% is sufficient, although sometimes during shedding they may benefit from added humidity. If your snake is having a hard time with a shed, try misting the cage lightly, or provide a humidity box (take a covered plastic container, cut a hole in the lid just large enough for the snake to climb in, and line with moistened sphagnum moss).
Handling:
After giving a new snake a couple of days to settle in, you can start handling your snake. Be gentle and persistent, with daily short sessions at first to build trust. At first the snake will probably try to get away, and may even excrete a musky scent from its anal glands (smelly but not harmful). It shouldn't take too long for the snake to get comfortable and settle on your hand/arm. Remember these snakes are constrictors so they may try to wrap themselves around your arm (also not dangerous) - unwrap them from the tail end (their head end tends to be stronger).
Hide:
Hiding spots should be provided - a hide box (any closed in container like a cardboard box will do) should be provided that is just large enough for the snake to curl up in (if it is too large the snake will not feel as secure). Pieced of bark can also provide hiding spots if on a substrate that allows them to burrow under them. Ideally, a hiding place should be available in both the cooler and warmer ends of the enclosure. A branch should also be provided for climbing.
Water:
A water dish will also be necessary, and the water should be kept meticulously clean. Snakes often defecate in their water, in which case it should be immediately cleaned. A heavy dish several inches in diameter makes a good water source. You may find you snake soaking in the dish, particularly before a shed.
Feeding:
As a general rule, feed the snake the size of mouse that is roughly equal to the width of the snake at its widest part (excluding the head). Young snakes should be fed twice a week. Regurgitation is relatively common in these snakes, and can result from handling them too soon after a meal. Other causes can be food that is too large, an enclosure that is too cool, or illness. If regurgitation is recurring after correcting the environmental and feeding causes, check with a vet. They will eat, and should only be fed, killed prey. A snake that is not hungry when the live prey is introduced into the enclosure often finds itself becoming the meal, especially if the prey is a rat. To economize, buy in bulk. Contact your local herpetology society; many member’s breed mice and rats, and most will pre-kill them for you. Remove the prey item from the freezer and allow defrosting at room temperature. When defrosted, use forceps or tongs to pick up the rodent by the tail, and place it in the tank. Once you get to know your snake, you can hold the prey in front of the snake for the snake to strike at. Make sure you wash your hands after handling prey, or other animals, before putting your hand in the snake's enclosure. Smell overrides all other senses when it comes to food; even if your hand does not look remotely rodent-like, it smells like one, ergo it must be one.
Snake Bite:
There is generally two types of bites: a strike, and a feeding bite. A strike is a warning that you have exceeded the bounds of what the snake will tolerate. It will shoot out, mouth open, and then retract just as quickly, leaving you with a series of teeth marks. A feeding bite is just that: they think they have prey, and are not going to let go; the more you move around, the more they try to "kill" your hand. The easiest and fastest way to disengage a snake's mouth from your body with grain (not rubbing) alcohol; in a school setting, you can use Listerine or, if none is available, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The latter can be toxic, so you must make sure that the snake's mouth is not flooded with it. Always tilt the snake's head downwards so that the fluid does not run up into its nose; from there it can get into its respiratory tract, causing infections. Wash bites thoroughly with soap and water. Apply povidone-iodine (Beta dine) or hydrogen peroxide, and let dry. Then apply a topical broad-spectrum antibiotic ointment. Do not bandage. It should be noted that a snake will always signal when it is going to strike or bite; you just need to learn new body language. Once you see the snake stiffen and slowly retract, head held slightly above the ground or body, be alert and ready to more. Snakebites do not particularly hurt, especially with a snake the size of a gopher. It is the atavistic fear of the bite that makes the experience frightening.
Choosing a Snake:
Milk and king snakes breed quite readily in captivity, so it should be relatively easy to find a captive bred specimen.
Things to look for in a healthy snake (any kind of snake):
• Firm rounded body
• Clear eyes (may be a little cloudy if about to shed), no discharge from eyes
• No signs of mites (check especially around head/eyes, look for dusty specks on body, check hands after handling snake)
• No open mouth breathing or gasping for breath
• Inside of mouth uniformly pink (reddened areas or cheesy looking matter may indicate mouth rot)
• Shiny smooth skin with no scabs or sores
• Clean vent with no swelling in area
• Should move smoothly with no tremors
A new snake may not be all that tame, but should settle down fairly well with gentle handling. A snake that is distressed will wave its body in the air trying to escape. Most king and milk snakes will settle down after a bit and wrap itself gently around your hands.
King Snake
Eat: King snakes are fed mice or baby rats. Adults can be fed adult mice small rats once or twice a week. Start with once a week, and if the snake is too lean, body not rounded, can see ribs or back bone, feed twice a week. Many king and milk snakes tend eat less in the fall and winter.
Environment: King snakes do not need high humidity levels - 40-60% is sufficient, although sometimes during shedding they may benefit from added humidity.
Physical characteristics:
Size: These snakes do reach fairly large sizes, with some specimens reaching 6-7 feet in length.
Venomous: Some subspecies utilize a natural defense of mimicking the appearance of the venomous coral snakes, with bands of red, black and yellow. Coral snakes have yellow bands touching the red bands, while the king and milk snakes have black touching the red bands. But they are not venomous.
Life Length: They are also pretty long lived, with ages of 15-20 years reached.
Caring For Your Snake: King snakes should be kept one to cage/enclosure. These snakes will not hesitate to make a meal out of a cage mate. While hatchlings can be started out in a small cage (e.g. 10 gallon tank), medium sized snakes need a 20 gallon tank and full grown snakes will need an even larger enclosure, such as a 60 gallon tank. King and milk snakes are quite active and need the room. Giving them room to stretch out is also thought to reduce the incidence of respiratory infections.
Corn Snake
Corn snakes make an excellent choice as a pet snake. Pet corn snakes are generally docile, relatively easy to care for, and do not get too large. They are excellent escape artists, however, so care must be taken when planning their housing.
Corn snakes do make a good choice for beginners since they are easy to handle and care for. However, they are also favorites with experienced keepers due to the vast array of beautiful colors and patterns selective breeding has produced.
Eat: Corn snakes should be fed pre-killed mice or small rats (small rats are only suitable for larger corn snakes). Hatchlings are started out on pinkie mice for feedings and the size of the prey is increased as the snake grows. The prey item can be as wide or a little wider than the snakes’ head. Young growing snakes should be fed a couple of times a week, while adults need only be fed one appropriately sized prey item every week or 10 days.
Environment: Corn snakes are native to the southeastern United States and are mainly land dwelling. They are active mainly at night or at dusk and dawn.
Physical Characteristics:
Size: 3-5 feet (occasionally up to 6 feet)
Venomous: Non-venomous constrictors.
Life Length: Around 15-20 years, sometimes longer.
Caring For Your Snake: corn snakes do not have elaborate housing needs, but must be in an escape-proof enclosure. Picking a solid cage is a necessity for proper corn snake care. A 20-gallon long (i.e. longer, shallower version) makes a good-sized cage for a corn snake. The most important part is to get a secure fitting lid that can be clamped down. Corn snakes will push at the lid with their noses looking for weaknesses so the fit of the lid is very important.
Ball Python
Eat: Ball pythons can be fed exclusively mice or small to medium sized rats (as appropriate for the size of the snake), and only need to be fed every week or two. Young snakes should be fed fuzzy mice every 5-7 days; older snakes should be fed increasingly larger prey and can go a little longer (i.e. 10 - 14 days). Use pre-killed prey as live mice can injure a snake - dangling the prey in front of the snake with forceps usually gets the snake interested.
Moving the snake out of its cage into a separate enclosure for feeding is a good idea and will help in the taming process. The snake will associate eating with the other enclosure, and is less likely to confuse your hand for prey when you put your hand into the cage. This will make it easier to reach into the cage to get the ball python out for handling.
Even captive bred ball pythons sometimes refuse to eat, fasting for a couple of months. As long as body weight and condition are maintained, this is not problematic. If your snake stops eating, carefully examine the husbandry, handling, health, and environment of the snake to make sure stress isn't the culprit. Consult a knowledgeable vet or experienced keeper for help if the fast is prolonged or causing weight loss. If necessary, some tricks to entice a python to eat include dipping the prey in chicken broth, trying different colors of mice, exposing the brain of the prey before feeding it, feeding at night, covering the cage with towels after offering a mouse. You may even want to try feeding a hamster or gerbil, although this may make your snake more likely to refuse mice if it develops a preference for hamsters and gerbils.
Environment: Provide sturdy branches and a dark hiding place. 80 - 85 F (27 - 29 C) during the day, with a basking spot of around 90 F (32 C). Nighttime temperatures can fall to around 75 F (23 -24 C) as long as an area of 80 F is maintained. Ball Pythons are nocturnal, so have no special lighting requirements. However, they are nocturnal, so incandescent bulbs should not be used at night (to preserve the light/dark cycle the snake needs) - instead use red, blue or black bulbs. Provide a dish large enough for the snake to soak in. Soaking is especially important during sheds. Some owners like to provide a covered dish (e.g. plastic storage container) with a hole in the lid, to provide security for the snake so it will soak longer if necessary. Another alternative is to provide a humidity retreat, which similarly uses a covered container with an access hole lined with damp sphagnum moss to provide the moisture (a water dish is still provided outside the retreat).
Physical Characteristics:
Size: maximum size of 3-5 feet
Venomous: Non-venomous constrictor.
Life Length: They can live for a long time with proper care - up to about 50 years, although 20-30 appears to be more typical.
Caring For your Snake: If you already have a constricting snake at home, any new python (or boa) should be quarantined due to the risk of inclusion body disease. Experts vary on the length of quarantine, but 3-6 months is not extreme. In addition, a vet check is in order, especially for internal (take a recent stool sample) and external parasites.
Gopher Snake
Eat: An active gopher snake will happily eat every 10 days. They will eat, and should only be fed, killed prey. For a change of pace, offer a quail egg. If the snake eats it, offer it one every couple of weeks in addition to its regular feeding.
Environment: If the snake is going to be handled and allowed out into an exercise/basking area for most of the day, it can be housed in a 10-gallon tank. Otherwise, it must be housed in at least a 20-gallon tank. The tank must have a secured top; a determined snake can push against screen or glass till it finds an opening big enough for its head; where its head goes, so goes its body. A hide box must be provided. In the wild, gophers spend a lot of time in rocky fissures, under fallen trees, or in burrows. A gopher who cannot hide away when he wants to will become stressed and may become ill. If you obtain a tall 20 gal tank, place some clean branches inside for climbing. Gopher snakes will often burrow under the chips or soil if it is deep enough; in this case, you will not have to provide a hide box. Gopher snakes have the same temperature requirements as corn snakes. A heating pad (purchased at the drug store) set at medium or low (depending upon the ambient air temperature) is placed under one-half of the tank; this leaves one side cooler, so that the snake can regulate its body temperature as needed. To maintain health, the snake must be kept at 75-85 F, the higher temperature being necessary to digest its food. Temperatures can fall to the lower range at night.
Physical Characteristics:
Size: Average 4.5-6 feet.
Venomous: A gopher snake, although non-poisonous, will strike like a rattler to fend off danger.
Life Length: Usually 10-20 years
Caring for your Snake: Gophers do not wrap around your arm like pythons or kings. They tend to pick a direction and go for it. Though they are relatively small in body mass, they are quite strong. Always support the body and give free rein to the head. If the head starts going somewhere you don't want it to go, gently guide it into another direction. Many snakes are nervous when introduced into a new situation with new people. Give them a couple of days to settle down before letting new people handle them.
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