General Herp FAQs

[JLC]

1. What is a good beginner snake?

2. Is it ok to keep an animal I found in the wild?

3. Can I keep different species in the same enclosure?

4. Are snakes dangerous?

5. Does it hurt to get bit?

6. Can I take my pet outside?
7. Is it legal to take my pet reptile into public places?

8. Why won’t my snake eat?

9. My snake hasn’t eaten in months. Will he be ok?

10. Is it true that all reptiles need UVB light?

11. What is quarantine? Is it really necessary?

12. What is acclimation? Do I really need to do this?

13. Can I use live plants in my pet’s cage?

14. What are mites and how do I get rid of them?

15. Is it true that reptiles carry Salmonella?

16. How do I find a good herp vet in my area?

17. Why do they need hides?

18. Can my snake be tamed?

19. What is Daytona?

20. My snake escaped! What should I do?

21. How should I transport my snake for moving across town?

22. How should I transport for moving across the country?

23. Can I keep two ore more snakes in one tank?

24. Where can I buy a rack?

25. Where can I find blueprints to build my own racks?

26. What does CH, CB, and WC mean?

27. Does my snake need a vitamin supplement?

28. What does reptile poop and/or urine look like?

29. I see white chalky stuff in her tank. What is it?

30. What’s the best way to thaw prey?

31. Is it dangerous to feed live rodents?

32. What are some common ailments I should watch for?

33. What do those numbers mean that I see when someone lists animals? 1.0 albinos or 2.3.1 normals or whatever?


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1. What is a good beginner snake?

There are many species that make a good first snake. Obviously, ball pythons are a good choice if you're aware of their husbandry requirements and their sometimes less than perfect appetite.

Other great first snakes are:
Corn snakes

Most species of king snake (california king, speckled king, mexican black king etc)

Most species of milk snake (pueblan milk, sinaloan milk, honduran milk etc)

Rat snakes, gopher snakes, pine snakes and bull snakes

Sand boas (kenyan and roughscaled)

Hognose Snakes

There are others as well, do some research to find out what is best for you!


2. Is it ok to keep an animal I found in the wild?

Generally it is not a good idea. Wild caught animals are likely to harbor internal parasites that can be costly to eliminate. It can be difficult to provide the exact same prey they are used to eating in the wild. And there are often local laws that prohibit the collection and keeping of indigenous wild animals.


3. Can I keep different species in the same enclosure?

It is a bad idea to house different species in the same enclosure. Disease and/or parasites would be shared between animals. Canabalism is possible with many snake species. And different species have different husbandry requirements, which would make it very tricky, at best, to set up a proper environment for all the critters involved.

4. Are snakes dangerous?

This is a very broad question that doesn't have a simple answer. Yes, some snakes are potentially dangerous. People die from venomous snake bite every year. Most are bites from wild snakes, not captive animals. An experienced keeper knows how to stay safe and minimize risk. Rarely, people are attacked by large constrictors such as reticulated pythons, burmese pythons, green anacondas etc. In captive situations, the vast majority of these attacks are caused by keeper error (smelling like snake food being the number one cause of a bite or constriction) In reality, these attacks are exceedingly rare. The media loves to exaggerate these stories out of proportion, feeding fuel to the snake-phobic’s fire.


5. Does it hurt to get bit?

This depends on the snake, and the kind of bite. There are two kinds of bite, feeding response, and defense bite. A defense bite is a quick tag and release caused by a snake trying to defend itself. A feeding response bite involves the snake holding on and often constricting because it mistook you for food. Defense bites may cause minor pain if anything at all. A baby snake may not even be able to draw blood. A snake doesn't have terribly strong jaws, so the damage comes from the sharp teeth which in most snakes are quite small. The pain is often less than that of a paper cut and subsides very quickly. A feeding response bite is more likely to cause more pain, but your average small to medium sized snake will not cause you any real damage. Remember, don't smell like a rodent when you handle your snakes!