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Care of Snakes
Although many people fear them, snakes are a popular pet and be quite tame with proper care. Ask questions here about the habitat, diet and behavior of pet snakes.
813 Questions
Why is the copperbelly water snake a threatened species?
Because - as usual - the human race is destroyingthe snakes natural habitat !
How do you tell a ball pythons age?
you can tell by its length, a heathly 1 yr old snake should be between 4-7ft.
Why has your snakes skin gone dull and eyes misty?
I have a snake myself and when my snake sheds it means it is ready to shed but try not to handle them and my snake doesn't eat for a few weeks before it sheds, make sure you have rough surfaces in the tank so it can rub its skin off !
A snow corn snake is a corn snake that is recessive in both Amelanism and Anerythrism. This causes both the black pigments (amelanistic), as well as the red and orange (anerythristic) colors to be absent. Some traces of yellow are sometimes previlant especially near the head of the animal.
How can you tell if a snake is a boy or a girl?
Unless you plan on breeding them, there's no reason to, just pick a gender to call it.
If you really need to know, there are several methods. The only method I would recommend without veterinary assistance is not very accurate unless you've had allot of practice, and that is to compare then length of the tail past the cloaca, males usually have longer, more slender tails. The other methods are 'popping' and 'probing', but unless you are experienced this is best left to a breeder or vet.
Spitting Cobras are well known for their ability to spit venom at their predators and prey.
Where are poisonous snakes are usually found?
There are no "poisonous" snakes. The appropriate word to use is "venomous", not "poisonous", because venom refers to a toxin that is injected by the animal, whereas poisonous animals are those who spread their toxin by being ingested or through contact with the skin.
Venomous snakes can be found in nearly all the same places that nonvenomous snakes can be found, with just a few exceptions is some of the cooler regions.
How many mice should i give a snake a week?
A neonate ( baby ) ball python needs to eat every 3 to 4 days until it is at least 200 grams. It is best to feed it pinky rats rather than mice if it will accept them.
For a ball python being raised as a pet rather than a breeder it can be fed ever 5 to 7 days once it is in the juvinile stages.
Is the corn snake nocturnal or diurnal?
nocturnal cause it wouldn`t be diurnal cause the anaconda wouldn`t be active
How do you keep your snake tank humid?
No, I'm told they can get fungal infections under their scales, but it's never happened to my snake and I live in the troppics. Mind you my snake likes to hang in his branches rather than lie in the water. I think it only realy happens when your snake lies in water too much. Some people I know have to give their snake a very small water dish to stop this happening. I think snakes also like to bath in their water before shedding their skin.
What does an African snake eat?
it can eat from a rat to an antelope.
It can also be seen eating alligators.
How much should year old corn snake weigh?
Corn Snake
Moderate adult size, 3.9-5.9 ft
For the source and more detailed information concerning your request, click under the related links section (Wikipedia) indicated directly below this answer section.
How long does it take for corn snake eggs to lay?
Depending on feeding, time of year, how many generations removed from wild caught will determine how often a snake will shed. As to how long it takes for them to shed, this can be based on a few factors as well. First sign is usually a glossing of the eyes as the "eyecaps" form. From there depending on factors such as, humidity in the air, access to water, rough edge rock or wood to rub against , it can take 1 day or more. More if the things listed above are missing from enclosure. Providing right habitat furniture and regulating heat and air moisture will help you snake live longer, shed quicker and easier and can improve the visual effect of the enclosure.
My Corn Snake Is Taking Like 5 Days HELP ME!
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My baby corn snake is taking ages to shed, the vet said if it went on for more that a week- WEEK AND a half to put him in a box of damp moss. But he has reduced his shed cycle to 5 days now so that's normal
How do you tell if male or female snake?
Some of the below folks had the right idea, but not completely correct. There are two correct and accurate ways to sex snakes. The first and best method would be probing while the second method is popping.
With probing, you use special probing tools and insert them into the cloaca. Depending on the species, a certain scale depth will tell you if it is male or female. Generally the depth is further for male and shorter for female. DO NOT do this unless you have been taught by an experienced reptile breeder or vet, as you can damage the snake if done improperly.
With popping you apply pressure on the outside of the cloaca. Again, if you do this the wrong way you can damage the snake. This is best done on hatchlings and young snakes, adults are much harder to successfully do this on.
Appearance is not a good method for sexing. Someone mentioned males having spurs - this is also not the best way because females of many species of pythons and boas also have spurs, and can even have larger spurs than some males. Some species of snakes can be spur sexed but for MOST species this is not a good way to do it. Also, some species of either sex do not have spurs.
-Abi21491
Answer by Stuckinthe80s:
First let me say, If you are unsure of the answer please DO NOT REPLY!!
The idea that you can tell the sex of a snake by the colour is absolutely ridiculous.
ked arctic has it right, but I will had that in most cases you dont even need to "pop" the snake. Males will have spurs that stick out slightly in order to "hold" the female in position while mating.
Answer by ked arcticIt's possible to detect sex of snake only by inspecting the sex organ..The male carries bifurcated penis (may be thorny) whìch could be seen by applying a gentle pressure around the anal region.But not in females. Color definitely is not a guide to detect.
The Difference Between Snake's SexI believe that you can tell the difference between snakes by their color & size (yet size depends on the species of the snake). I've tend to notice that the male snakes seem to be lighter in color & the females usually darker in color. For this reason I do not know. But that's just what I've notcied.
Females=Darker Color
Males=Lighter Color
Now, depending on the species of the snake, size will matter. But most of the time, the female is bigger because she is the one producing the offspring when the male is more active & engaged in hunting & chasing the female. So I hope that helped.
-Jimmy
How can you tell if your corn snake is sick?
Excessive soaking in their water dish outside of shed is a sign of external parasites like ticks or mites, snakes with URI (Upper-Respitory Infection) will actually sneeze and quite often at that. Have your vet check fecal matter for internal parasites or other issues. Gaping of the mouth and excess drooling is a sign of Mouth-Rot (open-sore or cut in the mouth that becomes infected during feeding usually causes some type of necrosis). Retained eye-caps can cause blindness, also any irregular weaving, bobbing, or unnatural "slithering" indicates neurological problems. Check the snakes vent for blockage, examine the body for wounds or irregular bumps and missing scales. Retained skin should be removed promptly but CORRECTLY. Humidity between 45-55% with a warm side temperature of 82-87 degrees (F) is what I personally keep my tank at, I feed my juvenile twice a week and she's quite active at night, doesn't retain skin or eye caps and has never regurgitated a meal. Pythons natural "star-gaze" now and then but excess "star-gazing" is an early warning of some neurological issues. If your snake stops feeding and has shown symptoms, take her to a Qualified Reptile Vet, only a a Vet can diagnose and appropiately treat your snake. Reptile books and magazines list many Vets willing and able to treat snakes, local pet shops and specialty stores can point you in the right direction too. Mites will look like sprinkled pepper crawling around the habitat and on your snake. Typically near the eyes and nose, if your snake gets mites (it happens) discard bedding. Remove your snake and place in a separate container. I use a solution of one part bleach to three parts water to soak the wash the ornments, hide boxes and tank. After using the bleach ornaments, tank and hideboxes must then be washed and soaked with water and a water dechlorinator before replacing the snake. Larger pet stores usually carry an over-the-counter mite and tick treatment from Jurassipet that works well. Until you are positive your snake is mite free. DO NOT replace it in it's habitat, or all your washing will be undone. Keep in a different enclose with white dye-free paper towels as bedding, with a tip-proof water dish too small to for your snake to soak in, and a small hidebox. White paper towels make it easy to identify mites. Excess humidity may cause a blister disease, too little dehydration, a temperature too low will cause regurgitation. Snakes need heat to digest, if the enclosure does not have an area of at least 78 degrees (F) a Ball can't digest it's prey and thus may not eat or if it does the prey will rot in the snakes stomach causing regurgitation. If regurgitation does occur, correct temperature and humidity and wait at least 7 days before feeding your snake again. Your snake will need to replenish it's digestive acids and feeding too soon causes a second regurgitation. Most likely she'll be "edgy" during this week, regurgitation can be painful to a snake and deprives them of a meal. Add a 7 day fast to a snake who's eating constantly, she'll be touchy. Hope this helps
I should start off my answer by saying that i am not a snake breeder, but have had pet snakes all my life. For the best answer, u should consult ur local snake breeder (not a major pet store such as petsmart or petco. The people there know very little about animals). There are many local snakeries(if that is even a word :]) that should be able to answer this question very thoroughly. Most king snakes do not reach adulthood until around the age of 3 or 4. From what i know about snakes, a pet snake should not be bred with a mate if under the age of 2, and even then the chances of a successful fertilization of the majority of the eggs are not as high as they should be. For the best possible results, it is best to start breeding a snake when they reach adulthood.
Corn snakes live mostly in North American territorys. They prefer overgrown fields, forest openings, and abandoned buildings and farms. Have any more qeustions about corn snakes? I know a lot about them. I also have a lot of them.
The snake may hiss, slither or in the case of a rattlesnake, rattle.
What does a baby corn snake eat?
Corn snakes eat generally mice, or possibly rats if they are large enough.
I suggest the frozen variety. My reasons being, feeding live can increase the aggressiveness in the snake, it can also be potentially harmful to the snake if the mouse decides to fight back.
Frozen mice are also a lot easier to store, and to feed.
Make sure you are feeding outside of the actual cage, because feeding inside can also increase aggressiveness. Also if you feed frozen, make sure the mouse is completely defrosted, and warm (not hot) to the touch.
How can you see how old your snake is?
By the number of rattles on his tail and the size of the snake.
You can not tell how old a rattlesnake is by the number or size of the rattle, you actually need tissue and blood samples to tell how old they are. I have done a lot of research on this and have found a bunch of different ideas but the only real way to tell how old one is is to get tissue and blood samples, you can get pretty close by estimating most of the time.
How big should the cage be for 2 baby corn snakes?
It should be big enough for them to move around, stretch out, and/or curl up.
Edit: To expand on the previous answer - It should be at least the length of the adult snake, and a minimum of half the adult snake's length front to back. You should also take into account any height requirements for arboreal species.
Yes, several different species. The African rock python, the angolan python, and the ball python. There are also several species of sand boas, and some larger boas on Madagascar
I am not sure it has a specif name it is usually just a phase someone goes through, but if it gets serious it might be because whoever might have had a allergic reaction towards a food. (usually being peanut butter).
Do California king snakes see color?
In nature, king snakes can be a variety of colors, such as the all-black Mexican king snake and the black-and-white striped/banded king snake commonly found in america. In captivity, there are many more colors not found in nature. One variation, the Albino kingsnake, is very rare in the wild because a) the genetic combination necessary for this coloring is rare by itself and b) albino kingsnakes have poor vision and cannot camoflouge very well and are, therefore, killed by predators faster than the average kingsnake. The albino kingsnake is very common as a pet because of its beautiful coloring. I, myself, have an albino kingsnake, and they truly are beautiful!
How is shedding good for snakes?
Because when a snake is shedding it's skin it means that it's too tight for it and therefore it helps the snake by feeling more comfortable and gives it more space to grow. (It is a need more than a help)
