snakes

Snakes for Kids

~ BackwaterReptiles

Are you thinking of getting your child a pet snake? Are you unsure which species would do well with children? Well, look no further – this article was created specifically to list the top four species of pet snakes for kids.

1. Ball Python (Python regius)

Ball pythons are at the top of our list for a few reasons, but mainly because they have been captive bred for many generations and are essentially the most popular pet snakes on the market. Captive breeding produces snakes that are not only healthier and more beautiful, but far more docile as well. In fact, captive bred ball pythons rarely bite or strike.

Pet snake for kids
Ball pythons are readily available pet snakes with a long history of healthy captive breeding. We highly recommend them for kids.

Hatchling ball pythons are about 10 inches long and will mature into snakes that can be up to five feet long, although most will average three feet long. If properly cared for, your ball python can live up to 30 years.

In general, ball pythons are somewhat thick snakes with hefty bodies, despite their relatively small size. We think this is great for kids because children can  move quickly around them and the snake will not get upset. In fact, unless they are preparing to strike at feeding time, your  ball python’s movements should be slow and calculated.

2. Corn Snake (Elaphe g. guttata)

Like ball pythons, corn snakes are readily available at pet stores and through breeders. They have been bred long enough in captivity to be extremely healthy and hardy snakes that are born to be many different colors or morphs. If your child wants a purple, red, or even black and white snake, there’s a morph out there that will make him or her happy.

albino corn snake hatchling
This is an albino corn snake hatchling. This snake can grow to be five to six feet long if properly cared for.

Corn snakes are medium-sized snakes and will require a medium-sized enclosure once they are grown. They are small enough as hatchlings to be kept in a home as small as a shoe box, but once they do grow up, they are still a size that a child could handle them without being intimidated.

If you want to educate your child about reptile breeding, corn snakes can give great lessons on genealogy as well as reproductive habits of reptiles. They procreate easily in captivity and also make excellent classroom pets.

3. King Snake (Lampropeltis g. californiae)

King snakes are very common throughout the U.S. in the wild. However, because these snakes have been bred successfully in captivity for so long, we recommend purchasing one through a breeder since it will be healthier and friendlier.

Like corn snakes and ball pythons, king snakes are available in a seemingly endless number of morphs or color variations. Their patterns will vary greatly and you can obtain a snake with patterns and colors as common or rare as you’d like.

Normal CA king snake
This is a “normal” morph California king snake. It has not been bred to express any special coloring or patterns.

King snakes can grow rather large, although it will take many years for them to reach their full potential. Hatchlings will be eight to twelve inches long and adults can reach more than six feet in length, although three to four feet is a far more common size. A king snake’s lifespan can surpass twenty years!

Mature king snakes should be kept in a 20 gallon enclosure (at the least), but babies are perfectly content in a shoe box. Whatever type of home you provide your king snake, we highly recommend that it has a secure lid since king snakes can be escape artists.

4. Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx c. loveridgei)

Kenyan San Boas are also known as East African Sand Boas, but both names refer to the same animal. These snakes are very round with heavy bodies and relatively small heads. They have extremely smooth scales and are slow-moving, which we think makes them wonderful snakes for children to handle.

In addition to being available in many morphs like all the other snakes on our list, Kenyan sand boas are small snakes with simple care requirements. Even the largest sand boa will not usually surpass two feet in length and their cage need not be larger than a ten gallon tank.

Kenyan sand boa
Kenyan sand boas are small snakes with simple care requirements.

You can also keep Kenyan sand boas communally, so long as two males are not housed in the same enclosure. In other words, two female boas cohabitating is fine, and a male and female boa will also do fine together.

5. Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis)

Garter snakes are great for kids because they’re harmless, a very manageable size, slow, and easy to keep and feed. Growing up a child in the Midwest, I used to catch “Garters” in the woods and on prairies with my good friend. The best place to find them was under a rotting log, tire, or plywood.

They usually only reach 24″-36″ or thereabouts, although once in a while they’re a little bigger. Garter snakes probably have the largest distribution of any snake in the United States, and are found in every single state except Alaska and Hawaii.

garter snake for kids
Garter snakes are a perennial favorite snake for children.

This species can comfortably be kept in a 10 or 20-gallon tank with a water dish, hide spot, and heat pad (although some believe heat is optional). They can have long lifespans.

These snakes are carnivores but can be fed crickets, nightcrawlers, slugs, amphibians, minnows, and baby mice (called “pinkies”).

One piece of trivia is that many people think these snakes are called “Gardner” snakes, but that’s incorrect. The correct word is “Garter.”

Snakes for kids – Conclusion

Each of the snakes on this list has very simple care requirements. All you really need to keep any of these species happy is a modest-sized enclosure, a simple heat source, and a water dish. Other cage accessories are optional.

We also feel that each of these snake species has a good history of captive breeding which makes them all healthy, tamer snake species overall. Over many years, we’ve also found that the above listed species are very hesitant to strike (if ever), which is another reason we consider them the absolute best pet snakes for kids.

If you’re interested in purchasing a snake for a child, we’ve got all of the above species listed on our snakes landing page.

Is My Pet Snake Going to Shed Its Skin?

~ BackwaterReptiles

Maybe you’ve never owned a pet snake before but you’re considering it. Well, we’re all about education and potential owners making informed decisions about the animals we sell, so this blog article is dedicated to explaining the process of how snakes shed their skin.

In this article, we’ll answer four important questions regarding snake shedding:

-Why do snakes shed their skin?
-How can I tell if my snake is going to shed?
-What do I do when my snake sheds?
-How often will my snake shed?

Bullsnake Prior to Shed
This is a bullsnake (P. sayi) prior to shedding its skin.

Why do snakes shed their skin?

Snakes are reptiles and as such possess scales instead of elastic, stretchy skin like mammals. A mammal’s skin grows and expands as the mammal grows, but a snake’s skin doesn’t actually grow along with it, so the snake must shed the skin in order to comfortably grow. This process of shedding skin is also called ecdysis.

In truth, the snake doesn’t actually shed its entire skin. Once the top layer of cells has accommodated as much growth as it can, the snake will slough it off in one single, hollow, sheath leaving behind a shiny, iridescent, and much more vibrant outer layer.

In addition to allowing for growth, getting rid of the top layer of old skin allows the snake to shed any unwanted skin parasites that may have attached themselves. This is not a common reason for captive pet snakes to shed due to human interference and prevention of parasites, but in the wild, this is a huge advantage to the animal.

How can I tell if my snake is going to shed?

When your snake is preparing to shed its skin, both it behavior and its physical appearance will change.

Your snake’s scales will acquire a grey sort of tone to them and lose iridescence. The snake will also appear to get cloudy, milky, or grey eyes. You might think your pet snake has developed cataracts, but in truth, eye clouding is 100% normal and you only need to be concerned if your snake has shed its entire skin and its eyes still appear cloudy afterwards.

Bullsnake Pre-Shed
This bullsnake will shed its skin in a day or two. A great indicator of this is that its eyes are clouded over.

Don’t be surprised if your pet snake also becomes lethargic, more secretive, or even more aggressive. Snakes, like people, have different dispositions and some will go through the shedding process smoother than others.

Some pet snakes might strike out more if you attempt to remove them from their enclosure and others might hide and not come out until they are ready to actually slough off their skin.

It is also very common for snakes to refuse food a week or so prior to shedding. Do not be alarmed if your snake is just not hungry. This is normal.

What do I do when my snake sheds?

More often than not, snakes will shed their skin in secret. The entire process could occur in under an hour and you might not even realize it has happened until you discover the skin in the enclosure.

If you happen to come upon your snake in the physical process of shedding, do not disturb it. You could injure the snake and the snake could become stressed and injure you unintentionally too. 

Once you can see that the entire skin has been detached from the snake in one piece, remove it from the cage and dispose of it. 

Pay close attention to your snake’s eyes in this time as you want to be sure that the shedding process occurred without any issues. Sometimes, particularly in instances where the humidity level in the cage is not high enough, snakes can have trouble ridding themselves of the skin cap that protects their eyes.

How often will my snake shed?

Snakes will shed their skin as long as they are growing, even if they grow at a much slower rate as they advance in years.

Young snakes who are growing rapidly will shed as often as every two weeks. Adult snakes who are considered mature will shed far less frequently – usually around two to three times per year.

Cornsnake Prior to Shedding
This baby blood red corn snake (Elaphe guttata) hs dull skin and clouded eyes. It will shed its skin soon.

Conclusion

Snakes make great pets for people who are educated and aware of the care requirements for these slithering reptiles.

If you are prepared to deal with an animal that wears a new skin every few months, then feel free to check out Backwater Reptiles’ many species of snakes for sale.

 

How to Feed Your Pet Snake

~ BackwaterReptiles

At Backwater Reptiles, we sell snakes of all sizes ranging from tiny Ringneck Snakes to giant Green Anacondas, so we have lots of experience feeding and maintaining the health of these animals.

In this blog article, we’ll answer these three commonly asked questions regarding snake feeding habits:

-What do I feed my pet snake?
-How do I feed my pet snake?
-Should I feed my snake live rodents or use frozen/thawed ones?

What do I feed my pet snake?

First off, we should mention that nearly all snakes eat mice, rats, or other small vertebrates in captivity. The smaller the snake, the smaller the prey item.

Most hatchlings will start off with pinkie mice and eventually grow into being able to eat fuzzies. Only the larger species of snakes such as anacondas, pythons, and boas to name a few, will get large enough to the point that they require full-grown mice as meals. We recommend doing your research if you don’t want to have to handle full-grown feeder animals.

Snake Food
We feed our snakes using tongs because not all snakes have great aim. Using tongs is a great way to avoid an accidental biting.

Some smaller species of snakes will not need to eat rodents. For instance, the Ringneck Snake is so small that it eats night crawlers in captivity. Garter and Ribbon Snakes can eat mice, but will actually do quite well on a diet of minnows or other small feeder fish, and even nightcrawlers.

Feeder rodents of all sizes can be purchased at most pet stores. Backwater Reptiles also offers feeder mice that are conveniently delivered to your door step, as well as nightcrawlers.

How do I feed my pet snake?

If you feed your snake frozen mice, then the first step is to thaw the frozen rodent. After removing the feeder animal from your freezer, place the animal in warm water for a few minutes. Allow it to de-frost and thaw like you would a cut of meat. Because most feeder rodents are very small (especially the pinkie mice), it shouldn’t take more than five to ten minutes to thaw the food.

Thawing Feeder Pinkie Mice
These pinkie mice are floating in warm water to thaw out.

NOTE: Do not EVER put the frozen rodents in the microwave. Not only will you have a mess to clean up, but you will have wasted perfectly good snake food.

Once you are sure your feeder rodent is sufficiently warmed, remove your snake from its enclosure and feed it in a separate, temporary enclosure. This need not be a large or elaborate container – just something tall enough so that the snake won’t climb out during the feeding process.

The reason we advise moving your snake to a separate feeding tub is to prevent your snake from becoming aggressive. If you feed the snake inside its own cage, it will assume that every time the cage is opened, food is coming, which could lead it to “train” itself to strike whenever the cage is opened. In other words, it will associate the cage opening with food instead of bath time, cage cleaning time, or even play time. Moving the snake to a separate feeding area will help counteract this type of behavior.

Once your snake is in its feeding enclosure, simply hold the rodent out for the snake to strike at or drop the rodent into the enclosure in front of the snake. You can also use tongs to hold the prey item in front of the snake’s line of vision.

If you feed your snake live prey, we highly recommend stunning the animal before putting it in the snake’s enclosure. This is because feeder animals can actually scratch and bite the snake before the snake has time to consume it. This can lead to infections or even unsightly scars on the snake’s body.

Should I feed my snake live rodents or use frozen/thawed ones?

We highly recommend using frozen/thawed feeder rodents when it comes to snakes for two main reasons – safety and convenience.

It might not seem like a big deal, but as we previously mentioned, living feeder animals can actually harm snakes. Rodents are sneaky and will do everything they can to outsmart a snake. They will bite and claw the snake if it hesitates at all. This can be a problem is your pet snake is a slow eater or if it is not hungry when you feed it. Again, you don’t want your snake to be injured by its food.

We also think that it’s safer for you, the snake’s owner, to feed it frozen food. It has been said that snakes becomes more aggressive when fed live food and we agree. While there’s not really any definitive proof that this is true, it does seem to be the case in our experience.

Snakes that are given live food have to strike to kill and usually will have to strike more than once to catch the animal they’re eating. It just makes sense that the snake will be more likely to strike if it is practicing this behavior on a regular basis.

We also feel that feeding frozen animals to your snake is more convenient. If you opt for feeding frozen/thawed, you can simply keep the food in your freezer until your snake’s meal time. On the other hand, if you feed your snake live food, you either have to keep living feeder rodents at your home or go to the pet store once per week to obtain them.

Hungry Savu Python
This Savu Python is prepared to strike. It is his mealtime and he is aiming at a pinkie mouse.

Conclusion

Feeding your pet snake is a fairly simple process, whether you opt for frozen meals or live prey. It’s honestly as simple as thawing your feeder mice or stunning your live prey and offering it to your snake. Nature does the rest.

Best Pet Snakes for Beginners

~ BackwaterReptiles

If you’re wondering what the best pet snakes are for beginners, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got decades of experience keeping and breeding reptiles of all sizes, and we’ve put together an easy-to-read list for you.

If you’re ready to add a snake to your family, or are buying one as a gift for someone else, but are unsure what species is most recommended, read on to find out which pet snakes we think are best for beginners.

Best Pet Snakes for Beginners

4. Ball Python (Python regius)

Ball Pythons are the most popular pet pythons in the reptile world. They are bred to be available in many morphs ranging from the “normal” coloration to pure white. They are also very docile snakes that take to human handling well.

pet Ball Python
A juvenile ball python. This is a regular morph animal, but ball pythons are bred to be many different colors.

They’ll start out around ten inches in length and the females will max out at around three to five feet long. Males, on the other hand, will be slightly smaller at approximately three feet long. And they grow quickly!

We’ve put them at number four on our list because beginners will have to upgrade their python’s enclosure as it grows…or alternatively, start out with a cage that’s very large for the hatchling.

3. Boa Constrictor (Boa c. constrictor or Boa c. imperator)

There are actually two species of boa constrictor that are common in the reptile pet world. They look very similar, behave very similarly, and have nearly identical care requirements. In fact, we wrote a whole separate blog article about the differences between Columbian red-tail boas and Central American boas.

Boa Constrictor Comparison
Here is a visual comparison of the two most common boa species in the pet trade. They are both extremely similar.

Both species of boa are great for beginners because of their easy-going temperaments and basic care requirements. Like all snakes, boas will eat mice – frozen/thawed being the preferred option. They will need a heat source and a light can be provided as well.

Pet Boa constrictor eating a mouse
This is a boa eating a fuzzie.

They will grow to be around five to seven feet in length, although sometimes they can be longer. This means that they can start out with a home as simple as a plastic shoebox when young, but will need to have a larger home with lots of horizontal space as they mature and grow.

2. King Snake (Lampropeltis g. californiae)

We recommend king snakes for beginners because they are so wide spread in the wild. This means that they are very hardy snakes with adaptable living requirements and will generally do very well in captivity. They can even thrive in areas that receive yearly snowfall.

King snakes can be purchased from reptile breeders in a multitude of colorful morphs. If you’re interested in exploring king snake morphs in more depth, we have written an entire article on the most popular kingsnake morphs. There is pretty much a morph for all aesthetic preferences.

Pet California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae)
This is a chocolate morph king snake. There are many morphs to choose from.

King snakes will grow to be an average of three to four feet in length, although they can actually get over six feet long when fed well and given the space to grow.

Keep in mind that king snakes are rather “thin” snakes, unlike their bulkier python and boa cousins. This means that even though they might be the same length or longer than a boa or python, they will weigh significantly less and be easier to handle.

And the best pet snake for beginners is…

1. Corn Snake

The corn snake is our top snake for beginners because it’s a very well-rounded pet reptile. They come in a seemingly endless variety of morphs and color schemes (read our in-depth article on popular corn snake morphs), they’re well mannered and docile, they have simple care requirements, and are a hardy animal that will live a long life when provided with proper care.

Corn snake hatchlings begin life at approximately eight to twelve inches long and will be around the diameter of a pencil. They are fast little snakes, but have really calm demeanors and are generally not nippy towards their handlers/owners. Hatchlings don’t need fancy enclosures – a plastic shoe box with a heat source, water dish, and a hide space will suffice.

best pet corn snake
This is a normal morph corn snake, but these fun snakes are available in many different morphs.

As corn snakes grow, they do become escape artists (this is actually true of almost any species of snake) and so you will need to get a bigger enclosure with a secure lid. Adults around four to five feet long should have at least a twenty gallon tank to slither around in.

Conclusion

We hope you learned something from our list of the best pet snakes for beginners. Backwater Reptiles would absolutely recommend any of these species to a first-time snake owner.

Backwater Reptiles offers all of these species of snakes for sale on our website, so check us out today!

Top Five Snake Myths Debunked

~ BackwaterReptiles

Ever wondered about snake myths–what’s true, what’s not? We know that reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates are not animals that all people would see as suitable pets for many reasons. Maybe these animals are perceived as too dangerous,  too tricky to care for, or even just downright scary to some people.

In this blog article, we’ll lay out the top five most common snake myths we’ve heard and simply debunk them.

Myth #5 – Snakes are slimy

We hear this one a lot, mostly from people who have never handled a snake in real life or have never known anyone who has owned or handled a snake.

snake myths debunked
Baby ball python – definitely not a slimy animal. :)

The truth is, snakes have rather dry skin ranging from rough and semi-serrated in texture like a rattlesnake’s skin or smooth and iridescent like a python or boa. Their skin is definitely NOT slimy.

Myth #4 – A large constrictor snake will gladly eat your infant or small dog

While there have been tales of infants being snatched from cradles or small dogs going missing in wild Floridian neighborhoods, overall the idea that snakes want to seek out and eat our small loved ones (and pets) is just bogus.

boa constrictor eats pet
One of our baby boa constrictors eating a pinkie mouse.

While it is true that certain species of snakes grow large enough to easily consume a baby or chihuahua, if you keep a snake that large in your home, odds are it’s being fed well. Most people keeping snakes that large have plenty of experience with them and know how to handle and maintain them. These animals are offered food regularly and therefore have no reason to escape from their enclosure to terrorize and consume small mammals or people.

Myth #3 – Snakes drink milk

This is a myth that’s been popularized due to images and videos seen from the Indian festival of Nag Panchami where snakes and images of snakes are worshipped.

Snakes are not mammals and therefore have never possessed the ability to digest milk, even at infancy. The reason snakes, often cobras, are seen drinking milk at Nag Panchami is because they are stressed and dehydrated for 30 to 45 days prior to the festival. Wouldn’t you drink milk too if you were that thirsty?

snake drink milk
Don’t give your snake milk to drink.

Another reason this myth might’ve come into existence is because snakes are often times found in barns where cows live. Naturally, people assumed that the snakes were hanging out in the barns to be near where the food/milk was. This is partially true. While snakes are attracted to food in the barn, the food for them is not the milk – it’s the mice, rats, and other small mammals that might take refuge inside the barn. The cows are of no interest to them.

Myth #2 – Snakes can hypnotize

We think the origin of this myth probably has a lot to do with Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book and its various iterations. In the novel, the snake Kaa can hypnotize his prey into his waiting jaws and this is especially highlighted in the animated Walt Disney adaptation where Kaa’s eyes go all spirally and he tries to eat Mowgli. But remember – it is just a story and that Disney movie is just a cartoon. :)

snake hypnotize
Image of Kaa the snake hypnotizing Mowgli in Disney’s “The Jungle Book.”

Snakes also don’t possess eyelids and certain species will sway gently, so it’s easy to see how this behavior could be interpreted as hypnosis. However, just because an animal can’t blink doesn’t mean its trying to coerce you into  being eaten.

Myth #1 – Snakes are scary

This is the only myth that is actually somewhat open to interpretation. While we try to show people the good side of snakes and what cool and interesting creatures they are, some people just have snake phobias, which are, by definition, irrational fears.

scary snakes
Leucistic ball python in a heart shape.

While it is very true that snakes should be respected as predators in the wild, most kept in captivity are no threat to people. Most people are far too big for even an anaconda to eat. And most snakes that are kept as pets are not venomous and don’t even have large fangs to bite with.

By no means are we saying that there aren’t dangerous species of snakes out there, particularly in the wild. But the ones that are commonly kept as pets aren’t out to get you – they won’t chase you or seek you out in your sleep or try to hypnotize you into feeding yourself to them. They’re happy to eat their mice/rats, bask in their heat lamps, be taken out of their cage from time to time, and take refuge in their hidey holes when they don’t feel like being social.

snake myths explained

What did you think of the snake myths we debunked? What snake myths have you heard that we didn’t address?