Snake owners?

Any current or former snake owners here? My almost 6 y.o. son recently discovered that people keep snakes as pets. He thinks it's the coolest thing he's ever heard of and wants one. My initial thought was NFW, but after doing some reading it sounds like they are incredibly low maintenance. Set them up in a simple ~20-gal terrarium with some indoor/outdoor carpet, a couple branches and hides, water bowl and a heating pad under one end, then toss in a mouse from the freezer every 7-10 days. Apparently they defecate so little you only need to clean the enclosure every 6-12 months.

Is that more or less correct? I'm thinking the species of choice would be a corn snake or rat snake since they sound super docile and don't get too big. Even the inexpensive morphs are super cool looking.

I would get a King Cobra, just so I could say, "Whats up Cobra?"

I say go for it. I've had a few over the years and they are very easy to take care of, and not expensive unless you want to buy something really fancy. Corn snake a is a good choice - super chill and nice to look at.

Just don't let him grow up to be that guy rollerblading in the park with the python on his shoulders and no shirt trying to use it as a conversation starter. Herp people can be weird.

Had an albino Burmese Python in college named Tony Montana. I power fed him giant rats every week, human sized shits. He got big fast and just kept breaking out of his tank, even with cinder blocks on top. Tony curled up to strike my cat and luckily kicked the cat out of way. Anywho, long story short I gave him away and now he performs in Brittany spears videos.

So don't get anything that grows bigger than you can handle.

Babysat a boa for 2 weeks. Owner told me to get him a mouse to eat from the pet store. Buy mouse, bring home in paper bag and dump mouse in cage. Nothing. Mouse crawls all over snake. Snake is not hungry. Started feeling sorry for the mouse after a couple of days so I took him out of the cage and let him go outside. I'm sure some other, hungrier snake got him. I left the top slightly off on the snake's tank though, and he got out. Looked for him for a whole day. Finally saw his tail hanging from the bottom of the couch, flipped the couch over and removed that black sheeting from the bottom and pulled him out. Boa's are very hard to remove once they wind themselves around couch springs. Gave boa back. I would not want to do this again.

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Originally Posted by AK47bp

So don't get anything that grows bigger than you can handle.

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Yeah, definitely won't be getting any kind of big constrictor. The rat and corn snakes max out at about 3-4 ft. Apparently king snakes are also a popular species that grow to a similar size. They're beautiful, but it sounds like they aren't as docile and don't care for handling. Whereas a corn/rat snake will curl up in your lap.

If you want them chill keep them cold. If they are warm they are active.

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Originally Posted by Timberridge

I left the top slightly off on the snake's tank though, and he got out.

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Hah! Even with the limited reading I've done so far, the top 3 rules of snake ownership seem pretty clear:

1. Secure the enclosure.
2. Secure the shit out of the enclosure.
3. Secure the fucking shit out of the enclosure.

4. 6-year-old proof the enclosure. Not easy I bet.

5. The only good snake is a dead snake.

6. The one eyed snakes spit

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Originally Posted by AK47bp

Had an albino Burmese Python in college named Tony Montana. I power fed him giant rats every week, human sized shits. He got big fast and just kept breaking out of his tank, even with cinder blocks on top. Tony curled up to strike my cat and luckily kicked the cat out of way. Anywho, long story short I gave him away and now he performs in Brittany spears videos.

So don't get anything that grows bigger than you can handle.

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College buddy had a burmese, Monty. Cool snake, got huge. Never forget using the bathroom and Monty rising up out of his soak in the tub to check me out. Monty outgrew rats and had to get bunnies to eat. Was terribly hard to keep enclosed, and was way too affectionate for his size. Once they get that big they're hard to rehome.

Rat snakes can be major assholes. Corn snakes are mellow and friendly. Better yet get a couple of lizards, way more fun.

Your son is six:eek: . . . how did that happen so quick!!!! . . . guess like how Owen grew so fast!!!!;)

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Originally Posted by iceman

4. 6-year-old proof the enclosure. Not easy I bet.

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powdercords and a rivet gun.

I met a guy that breeds King Snakes. All sorts of crazy patterns and recessive genes going on. They sound like awesome snakes. Not sure how they are as pets. They go for some nuts $$ though.

My sister dated this dbag who owned ten snakes...most of the time they were all in their cages in their house stacked up in a closet. Often one or more would escape and things would get weird.

My two cents, they're boring and they when they escape they can be annoyingly hard to find.

For mites just cover them in olive oil to suffocate them. Works great, don't need any fancy medication. Also, club the bigger rats or rabbits so they are half dead because the teeth can puncture the snake while its contracting them, they will bite the snake while being squeezed to death.

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Originally Posted by Adolf Allerbush

My two cents, they're boring and they when they escape they can be annoyingly hard to find.

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My daughter had a snake when she was young and ya, fucking boring, really disgusting when they eventually shit on you and feeding them mice/rats always bummed me out, but not her. Actually, I fucking hate reptiles, but YRMV.

The g/f's work colleague used to have a pet snake. Thought it was cute when the snake lay along side her in bed a couple times....until someone told her that the snake was sizing her up to see if she was of eating size.

Also snake shit smells real bad.

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Any current or former snake owners here? My almost 6 y.o. son recently discovered that people keep snakes as pets. He thinks it's the coolest thing he's ever heard of and wants one. My initial thought was NFW, but after doing some reading it sounds like they are incredibly low maintenance. Set them up in a simple ~20-gal terrarium with some indoor/outdoor carpet, a couple branches and hides, water bowl and a heating pad under one end, then toss in a mouse from the freezer every 7-10 days. Apparently they defecate so little you only need to clean the enclosure every 6-12 months.

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I had a corn snake when I was younger, and this is pretty accurate. He was easy going (by snake standards) and very low maintenance. They generally live a long time in captivity (often 10 - 20 years), so, while they're easy to take care of, it's still a commitment.

I have kept lots of snakes, ran the college vivarium, treated them for the last too many years, so know a thing or two. What you report is pretty accurate. My only concern is that I think six is too young to own reptiles. They can carry some nasty things that you don't want your six year old to get. Once they are a bit older and have better concept of hygiene and are bit more responsible then they make good pets. Corn/rat/king/gopher are all good first snakes.

If you do get one, husbandry is the key. Most snakes are pretty healthy if kept right, but some species can be a lot more challenging then others, hence the corn, rat, et al recommendation.

I have a friend who once had all except one subspecies of cobras, even back then illegal, all subspecies of beaded lizard/gila monsters, and all kinds of other weird reptiles. There is a very odd underworld of reptile people out there. I don't hang with those types much any more. Even today, some of my reptile clients are a bit strange.

Pet snakes are like one notch above pet rocks. Or any aquarium pet. And right there with pet birds.

I'm trying to remember one snake owner I've ever met who wasn't creppy af.

Can't do it.

We (my wife while I was out skiing) got my now 8 year old son a corn snake for Christmas last year. He loves wild snakes and seems to catch a few a year but only has mild interest in the snake a year later. I do think they are a decent low maintenance pet - only need to be feed once a week, keep water bowl filled, ect. We do have a nice benefit that our neighbor runs a lab with lots of mice that keeps our snake fed for free. We have wood shavings/bedding instead of carpet which make cleaning relatively easy since we just dump out the shavings about once a month and add new shavings. I do like that fact that we can go away for a week and not really worry about having someone take care of it except to add some water to the bowl.

My opinion is if he is REALLY into and you think that the interest will continue it is a good low maintenance pet but I doubt it will last more than a year or so. Gets me thinking, you want ours (not that my son would let me give it away)? :)

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Originally Posted by hutash

I have a friend who once had all except one subspecies of cobras, even back then illegal, all subspecies of beaded lizard/gila monsters, and all kinds of other weird reptiles. There is a very odd underworld of reptile people out there. I don't hang with those types much any more. Even today, some of my reptile clients are a bit strange.

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Yep.
Went to middle school with a snake boy named "Meemo". Later lost his right arm to one of his rattlesnakes. Later went to Parchman for robbing a 7/11 with a .45 in his left hand.
A few years later, I had a hapkido instructor who was bitten by his gila monster. 6 months in the hospital. Too much for his ballerina wife, a DP freak who couldn't get off unless she had something jammed up her ass...