My teenager wants a pet snake because he says everyon he knows has one. Is this true? How do u take care of it

Answer 1

I have 3 teenage sons and none of them have a snake, and only one wanted one. I don't know about every teenager having a snake, but they are getting more popular. Instead of a snake my son has 3 lepord gecko lizards. These I really like! Just make sure before you get your son the snake that he will be able to care for it properly. There is always a certain amout of maintance will all animals. Thats why I like the gecko's. They make great pets, my son's crawl around on his bed when he takes it out of the tank. The nicest thing is clean-up of the tank isn't bad. They eat crickets which is easier and not so gross to feed, unlike snake which eat baby mice, regular mice and other things depending on their size.

Answer 2

I know alot of people that have snakes. I would stick with a corn snake for a starter. I figure he probally wants a big one but stay small till he shows responsebility. A 12 inch redtail boa will reach 5 feet in a little over a year if fed right.
For a corn get a baby, you need a ten gallon tank,secure screen top (an I mean secure they are escape artist), a suitable sized under tank heater, A hide box for inside, water bowl, I use a coconut husk earth replacement for bedding. Newspaper when they are small.
They will eat from pinky mice to small rats depending on their size. Check out www.cornutopia.com for more info.
If he just must have a large snake stick with a redtail boa. Steer way away from pythons, they are finicky eaters and tend to get really large except for the ball python which only reaches about 4 feet but are usually nippy and not for a begginer. Same applies for them just on a larger scale.

Answer 3

Please DO NOT let him get a snake!!!!!! That is the worst reason for getting any pet. Thats like saying I want a baby because all of my friends have one. Talk about stupid. Snakes require a lot of care and attention. They can also cause danger, if the owner is not expierienced. I would definately hold off on the snake idea.

Answer 4

We don't know your son...how would we know if everyone he knows has a snake??? Depending on the snake, really depends on how to take care of them. They all need a heat lamp, and they eat mice, rats, and rabbits..so if you want to get into all that, be my guests. Some snakes can get really big, so check into that before getting one. It would suck if you got a baby snake and it got too big and you had no idea what to do with it!!!

Answer 5

i dont know anything about snakes but would say that if you are just getting one to appease your son, You are going to be taking care of a snake pretty soon. Make your son work to get the snake and all of the supplies to make sure he is entirely committed to getting one .

Answer 6

Get him the snake and with it give him a book on how to care for it and money to buy the stuff he needs.If he wants it he has to care for it. Oh! and make him buy it if he wants the snake so much.

Answer 7

I have no clue how u take care of them but not everyone has one and that is a fact so tell who every to lay off the lies

Answer 8

Beginner's Guide to Choosing a Pet Snake
Snakes are fascinating, and with regular handling can be quite tame. However, snakes are obviously not for everyone. They have unique care and handling requirements and should only be kept by those with the commitment to understand and meet their needs. Also, some grow very large and can be dangerous, so any potential snake owner needs to carefully research snakes before acquiring one.
There are several snake species which can be found as pets - but some are more suitable than others. The types kept range from the common garter snake to huge pythons. Different species have different diet and environment requirements. No matter which type of snake, a secure escape proof enclosure will be necessary. Snakes can be quite persistent in trying to get out of an enclosure, so make sure it closes securely with no gaps, or prepare to become an expert at tracking snakes in your house.

If at all possible, pet snakes should be captive bred by reputable breeders. Wild caught snakes tend to be more stressed and prone to parasites and disease, and more difficult to tame. All snakes are carnivores and you will have to feed your pet snake mice or rats. The prey can be pre-killed, and this is preferable in most cases to prevent injury to the snake.

For new owners that are inexperienced with snake, corn snakes, king snakes, or ball pythons are the best choice for pet snakes. These types of snakes tend to be gentle, and meeting their diet and environmental needs is not as difficult as for some other species. These are relatively small snakes, ranging from 4-5 feet adult length (up to 7 feet for some King snakes). All these snakes represent a commitment to long term care, though, with life spans of about 10 years for Corn Snakes, 20 years for King Snakes, and perhaps 40 or more years for a Ball Python (record is 48 years). Ball pythons have a reputation as being difficult to feed due to their tendency to sometimes stop eating for months at a time. If choosing a ball python, make sure it is captive bred and used to being fed killed prey. You may even want to ask for a feeding demonstration to ensure the snake readily takes pre-killed mice.

With any snake, feeding pre-killed prey is recommended. A live rodent can inflict some serious wounds on a snake in self defense. If a snake hesitates or is not hungry when you put a live prey animal in the cage, the snake is the one who might end up injured. Of course, it is also more conventient to keep a supply of frozen food in your freezer rather than raising or buying live animals for feeding.

Beginners should avoid snakes such as Burmese pythons, red-tailed boas, any tree boa or python, water snakes, or any wild caught snakes. Burmese pythons have been involved in cases of human fatalities (mainly due to improper housing or handling) and need careful handling. It is generally recommended to have extra people around when handling or feeding large Burmese pythons due to their size and strength (can reach 20 feet and 200+ pounds). Red-tailed boas (also known as boa constrictors) aren't quite as large (10 feet, 50+ pounds) but are more work to care for than smaller snakes and may require assistance for handling (experts say any snake larger than 8 feet requires two people to handle safely). Tree boas and pythons tend to have very strict temperature and humidity requirements, and water snakes have very specific care requirements too. Wild caught snakes tend to be nervous, prone to illness, and difficult to feed in captivity.

Snakes that are huge, have poor temperaments, and are potentially dangerous include anacondas and reticulated pythons. These snakes aren't recommended as pets. Also, venomous snakes are poor pet choices, not only for the obvious risk to the owner but for the danger to others (and liability to owner) if the pet should escape.

Whatever snake is chosen, the owner should be familiar with the proper care and feeding, the behavioral characteristics, and the commitment required to keep the pet.

Answer 9

I had a pet snake. the best are Kingsnake, gardensnake, boa (make sure it is small!) and ratsnake feed it samll white MICE (yuou can make sure they are mice by looking at their tail, if it is pink its a mouse) the mice are usually 2 dollars. feed it once twice every month

Answer 10

Worst reason for getting ANY pet:
Everyone has one.

My brother had two hamsters. Everyone had them...after a week of neglect he had 1.5 hamsters... no not 15.