Taking sneks outside?

[Bogertophis]

I agree with all the above, plus, I live in the south & with all the ticks, chiggers & other insects, I will NEVER put my snakes on the ground. I do take them out for some sunshine occasionally, temps permitting, but they stay in my hands. A few times I allowed one to chill in a small tree, but my trees are all too big now...most are 50' tall+and that's WAY more than I can climb, lol... Don't forget the invisible dangers too- various pathogens, fungal & other diseases that local reptiles might carry & share.
>>> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5095536/ As our climate warms, some previously unknown pathogens may become prevalent too.

There's another angle too: one reason that Fish & Game considers reptiles to be un-releasable once in captivity is that there is a danger of them carrying exotic pathogensto the local wildlife that they have no previous exposure to...that can result in unintentionally wiping out native species. We sure don't want that either. Say for example you have a new snake & you have no idea it has a few mites or ticks*, but you take it outside & some of your snake's parasites go wandering off...next thing you know, maybe our native species get decimated if those mites or ticks happen to carry IBD or some other exotic diseases that spread.

*I once took in a large w/c imported ball python that had a countless number of ticks: the inexperienced & disinterested owners had her for a year & thought those were just some of her scales! They broke her hot rock- yes, "one of those!" and they finally decided to re-home her at that point. Had they taken her outside though, they might have inadvertently released some foreign ticks.

If your snake/reptile is a creature of the night or the shady forest, the sun may in fact be too intense & hurt their eyes...so don't over-do it, even when holding them.

Also, remember your own body heat is added to the outside temperatures...be careful not to over-heat your pets in the sun...they can & have died from sun strokes. There was a local guy here that used to walk all around town with his boa on his shoulders. I saw him once, as I drove by, but didn't know him...I was very sad to later find out from a vet tech friend that his snake died from a heat stroke. He enjoyed the attention & he meant well, but he killed his snake not realizing the danger he put her in.

[littlemaxbigworld]

That was super informative thanks!! If I take her outside it sounds like it'll be in my hands for like five minutes haha it seems like the safest bet for me and my noodle!

[EL-Ziggy]

I want to take my snakes outside for a few pics too. I believe every animal deserves some fresh air and sunshine. Have you seen how the sunlight magnifies their colors? It's gotta be good for them. Even though my snakes are being raised in captivity I want them to feel the sun, wind, and boundless world around them. My plan is to only take out one critter at a time, stay close to protect them from lurking birds of prey, make it a quick event, like 5-10 minutes max and just enjoy.

[littlemaxbigworld]

I want to take my snakes outside for a few pics too. I believe every animal deserves some fresh air and sunshine. Have you seen how the sunlight magnifies their colors? It's gotta be good for them. Even though my snakes are being raised in captivity I want them to feel the sun, wind, and boundless world around them. My plan is to only take out one critter at a time, stay close to protect them from lurking birds of prey, make it a quick event, like 5-10 minutes max and just enjoy.

Yup that’s how I feel too! And essentially exactly how I want to go about it. I have a Sphynx cat and he loves the sun and outdoors but he’s prone to sunburn, has to keep his claws trimmed so he doesn’t cut himself, and he’s essentially biologically helpless and useless hahahah so I carry him to the mailbox and take him for little walks to get him outside and that’s probably essentially what I’ll do with my snek. Mini, closely chaperoned adventures.

[Bogertophis]

I want to take my snakes outside for a few pics too. I believe every animal deserves some fresh air and sunshine. Have you seen how the sunlight magnifies their colors? It's gotta be good for them...

I believe it IS good for them too...it tends to improve the appetite of poor feeders. As long as it's not over-done, & as long as you don't cross-
contaminate between native & non-native wildlife. Snakes perk up outside with all the smells in the air, and they look awesome in the sunshine-
especially if they have some iridescence. It's cool seeing our snakes react to being outside...mine always "periscope" trying to climb trees, lol.

[Craiga 01453]

Sounds like you've gotten some good advice, so I'm just going to piggy back on a few replies...

Make sure you don't live in an area known for predatory birds. I have tons of falcons, hawks, crows and owls where I live - I'm not comfortable at all letting my snake out of my hands outside.

Very true!!! The area I live in is well known for hawks, the golf course nearby is even named Red Tail.
There are a few neighborhood cats and my neighbor has two chickens that all like to hang out in our yard too, so I'm always on the lookout and never more than a half-step away.

Make sure there are no pesticides wherever you put them!

Great point!!! I only take my snakes outside in my yard, and I don't treat it (as my pics probably show, hahaha).

We have predatory birds so I stay very close (practically straddling) the smaller snakes if they are on the lawn. OTOH I don't see an adult retic getting carried off by a hawk or owl.

Also bear in mind that if the snake is outside and you haven't touched it for a few minutes, it may forget that you're around. I take a hook out and if the snake has been in the grass exploring for a while, I touch it with the hook first as an unexpected touch can get treated as an attack, and they'll nip.

Yup, I stay right on top of them too.
...and good advice about the reminder tap!

I want to take my snakes outside for a few pics too. I believe every animal deserves some fresh air and sunshine. Have you seen how the sunlight magnifies their colors? It's gotta be good for them. Even though my snakes are being raised in captivity I want them to feel the sun, wind, and boundless world around them. My plan is to only take out one critter at a time, stay close to protect them from lurking birds of prey, make it a quick event, like 5-10 minutes max and just enjoy.

Exactly how I see it. And 5-10 minutes is about my max too.

[GreenTea]

That was super informative thanks!! If I take her outside it sounds like it'll be in my hands for like five minutes haha it seems like the safest bet for me and my noodle!

I am also in Portland, Oregon and we have hawks everywhere here, just maybe not as many as in downtown PDX proper, but we have eagles, hawks, even some big nasty crows. I keep mine in my hands or in a contained area with a covered pen.

[bcr229]

There's another angle too: one reason that Fish & Game considers reptiles to be un-releasable once in captivity is that there is a danger of them carrying exotic pathogensto the local wildlife that they have no previous exposure to...that can result in unintentionally wiping out native species. We sure don't want that either. Say for example you have a new snake & you have no idea it has a few mites or ticks*, but you take it outside & some of your snake's parasites go wandering off...next thing you know, maybe our native species get decimated if those mites or ticks happen to carry IBD or some other exotic diseases that spread.

That's a good point; a snake shouldn't be taken outside for sun & exercise until it's cleared QT and free of internal and external parasites.

[Slicercrush]

I always stay close to mine if I decide to take him out for a photo shoot, and make sure to check him for any parasites after. I also check to make sure that there isn't any predatory birds in the area, and only keep it to a few minutes. Other than that, have fun with it! A word of warning, when Paarthurnax felt grass for the first time, he was actually sort of afraid of it, and got really stressed out when it poked him. Took a few tries but after a while he got used to it and stretched out to explore. Just keep a close eye on them and you should be fine, though, and don't over stress them in the sunlight.

[SDA]

Avoid outside areas with stagnant water especially if you live in an area with high parasite loads (almost the entire USA outside deserts). Other than that taking a snake outside is not a terrible thing. I would avoid too hot days and peak sunlight but you should be able to do it without issue.

I am not an advocate of letting a snake loose on the ground but that is just my personal preference.