You are thinking of buying your first snake...........

Ok, so why do you want one?

To be different?

Out of curiousity?

To impress people?

An unexplainable fascination?

An allergy to fur and feathers?

People buy snakes for any (or a combination) of the above reasons.

Snakes are still relatively unusual as pets but they are rapidly becoming more common. I use the word ‘pets’ but I wouldn’t put them in the same league as the more traditional pets such as cats, dogs, rabbits, etc.

I would put them somewhere between a traditional pet and a fish. Many people keep fish in an aquarium and get a lot of enjoyment out of simply watching them. The difference with a snake is that you can also take it out and handle it but realistically it is going to spend more time in the vivarium.

I’ve been asked why I called this site Petsnakes when I don’t actually see snakes as true pets but snakeswhicharekeptincapivity.co.uk is a bit of a mouthful.  ;o)

You often hear owners saying that their snake ‘loves’ to be handled. I’m not sure what this is based on as given half a chance that snake would ‘love’ to disappear down behind the sofa, squeeze under furniture or vanish into the first hidey hole it can find. Usually being extremely difficult to get back out!

Snakes ‘tolerate’ being handled and some species tolerate it better than others.

If you are looking for a companion animal, please don’t buy a snake.

If you are buying a snake for the ‘wow’ factor I have some bad news. Once people know what size it will grow to and if it’s ‘poisonous’ they’ll quickly lose interest. The wow factor might last for 30 minutes but the snake could live for 30 years (Depending on species).

A dog may be for life but a snake is usually for longer!