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1 Frequently Asked Questions-- MISCELLANEOUS You will find the answers to some basic snake keeping questions by reading these communications. Obviously, my answers were directed to the person asking the question, so my response to them may or may not give you all the details that you need. I recommend that you save yourself and your snake lots of trouble by making sure that you have a complete understanding of snake keeping requirements "up front" so you can prevent common problems before they happen. non-rodent eaters handling, cool temps adult boa yawns rainbow boa spurs feeding, defecating snake wiggling tail what's caudal luring royal pythons eating each other handling frequency ultimate adult size when is full grown rubbing nose on cage fast tail vibration is boa gravid or not corn snake eating question and cage humidity regulation 10 foot long python with an eye problem and the woman who sleeps with it uncaged in her waterbed!

2 I was thinking about getting a snake. Are there any snakes that stay small, are easily handled and eat insects their entire life? There may be some snakes (not many) that fit that description, but most snakes commonly kept as pets eat rodents. If you insist on an insect-eater, that would severely limit your choices. I suspect you aren't comfortable with feeding rodents to a snake and that's why you'd rather have a snake that eats insects. I can understand where you're coming from, but what you may not realize is that you can feed frozen/thawed rodents to a snake, and as a result you never have to see a rodent die. They are quickly and humanely sacrificed by someone else, and you buy them already frozen in a zip-lock bag. Just put the zip-lock inside a brown, paper bag if you care about what other people may think, and nobody will even know they are there. And if the idea of dead rodents in the freezer freaks you out initially, just remember, if you're like most people, you already have meat in your freezer from dead chickens, cows, pigs, etc. However, if you continue to feel strongly about this issue, you can always check out the garter/ribbon snakes, green snakes, brown snakes, red-bellied snakes, etc. Many of these will eat insects, earthworms, or goldfish. Unfortunately, you may not be able to get a nice, healthy captive-bred baby of many of these species, and a reliable food source will be more difficult to locate than a source for rodents would be. You should choose a captive-bred baby or juvenile over a wild-caught animal, if possible, because you don't know what health problems a snake from the wild may have and some won't do well in a cage. However, I have kept several of these non-rodent-eating species (wild caught) through the years and most did well in my care. If you do your research, you should be able to find a snake you'll be happy with. I hope you won't let anything stand in the way of experiencing the great joy of snake keeping!

3 Could going from the 84 degree snake room (with a common boa) to the rest of the house, which is about 66 to 68, during handling for an hour or less cause any type of problem respiratory or otherwise? It is common sense that they shouldn't be subjected to large temp changes but would this be considered one? It may seem like a strange question but I will do anything possible to keep them healthy. I would consider that to be a significant temperature change. Whether or not it will adversely affect your snake depends on many factors; including the size of the snake, if you're holding it or putting it on the floor (where temps. would be lower), its overall health status, etc. Occasional handling for short periods of time in the conditions you state should not be a problem for a healthy boa, but you should always have your eyes open for signs of illness when you interact with your snake(s). Do boas "yawn"...my 7 ft boa does this yawning behavior every once in awhile...it will open its mouth to extent that his mouth is open in a T shape position...what does this mean? It's normal for boas to yawn from time to time. Of course, they do it to realign their jaws after consuming a meal, and they may do it at other times, too. Just observe closely and make sure that your snake doesn't rest with its mouth constantly open, and be sure that you don't see any excess mucus bubbling out around its lips or from the nostrils. That would indicate a health problem.

4 My understanding about boas and pythons in general is that they have spurs--males typically having larger ones than females. My Brazilian Rainbow Boa is supposedly a male and has no spurs at all. It's true that both sexes have spurs, but a female's may not be very visible. The male's spurs are usually larger, and in my experience with a small number of BRB males, the spurs have been visible even on very young animals. I mention it because if breeding is your intention, you may want to confirm your animal's sex before purchasing a mate. The "male" that I bought from a very wellknown breeder gave birth three years later! Luckily I had determined the correct sex of that animal and obtained a mate (of the proper sex) from another breeder. My boa constrictor hasn't pooped for 3 weeks (2 mice fed already)and I have tried warm baths etc. Should I keep feeding? For a boa to go three weeks without defecating is not unusual at all. This, in and of itself, definately does not mean that the snake is constipated. Make sure it has the proper habitat (heat, water bowl, hiding places) and keep on feeding. Snakes, boids especially, store waste for periods of time, so don't think that every time you feed your snake it should defecate. Snakes don't have the metabolism of mammals. That's not how their systems operate.

5 I just noticed my male surinam basking under the ceramic heater. He has his head raised slightly and is waggling his tail like a lure. I know that other species of snake do this but never heard of boas. Yes, it does sound like your snake was caudal luring. That behavior has been previously reported for boa constrictors. It is not unusual for them to do this, but it is probably not as well known as it is in some other species, i.e. Green Tree Pythons (and many others). Just curious Barry, what is caudal luring and what causes a snake to do this? "Caudal" refers to the snake's tail, and "luring" (derivative of "lure") is like what someone does when they go fishing, using a lure on the end of a line to attract fish. Some snakes wiggle their tails to attract prey close enough for capture, and that's caudal luring. In fact, numerous species of snakes are born with bright-colored tail tips (i.e. yellow tail tip on an otherwise brownish snake), so the snake can lie camouflaged in leaves, for instance, and the tip of the tail would be the only part of the predator that's visible. However, even snakes that don't possess a light colored tail tip are known to caudal lure. It's an adaption that evolved to help increase the animal's chance of getting food and therefore allowing it to survive long enough to reproduce and pass on its genetic code.

6 We just got my 6 year old son a baby albino cornsnake today, He had bearded dragon, and finally convinced his dad to let him trade it in for a cornsnake, First time we have a snake, please let me know how often he should handle it. The first thing you want to do after you put a new snake into the habitat you've created is let it settle in and get comfortable for a couple of days. After that start feeding. Assuming the snake is feeding well, then you can start handling the snake for short periods of time on a fairly regular basis. You need to take your cues from the snake. If it acts excessively nervous when it's being handled, you should put it back in its cage and not handle it again that day. If the snake starts to refuse meals when you think it should be hungry, stop the regular handling until you get it eating again. In addition, do not handle the snake from the time its skin starts clouding, prior to a shed, until the shed is complete. And it's best to wait at least a day after feeding the snake before you handle it again. You made a good choice for a first snake. Most corn snakes can be handled regularly, and they will continue to eat with no problem as long as you've set up the cage properly. Very often young people can be a bit too rough with a baby snake because they haven't been trained. Instruct your son to use small, slow movements while handling it. The snake should not be waived around or used to chase someone. Think about how you would feel if a "giant" were holding you, and try to think about it from the snake's perspective. I got a cal king from a breeder he probably wasn't feeding her a whole bunch. She eats like a pig and has had good weight and girth now. I hear from many people that their kings and milks are 3 FEET by one year and am wondering if this is true or if many just like exaggerating their snakes'

7 size. How big will she get? You're right, it's common for people to exaggerate the size of their snakes (and other things!). Of course, it's also very difficult for most people to accurately judge the length of a snake that's coiled up, especially if they're excited about growing it up to that size from a neonate (their enthusiasm causes them to exaggerate). It's difficult to predict the ultimate size of your kingsnake. It depends on many factors--genetics being an important one. You could ask the breeder how big the parents are and under what conditions they attained that size, and that may give you some idea. It may be possible for you to monitor the snake's rate of growth as time passes and tell when its growth slows down. I did that once for a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, graphed it out, and published the information. Hi...I have a very simple question. I was just wondering how long it takes a california kingsnake to reach full length. Kingsnakes do most of their growing within the first three years of life, assuming they have the proper habitat and an adequate food supply. They continue to grow after that but at a much slower rate. I have a juvinle California King that I found injuried by a cat in my back

8 yard. He recovered well and I have had him for about 3 months. The only problem is he spends alot of time rubbing the tip of his nose on the glass as if trying to get out. Whats wrong with him? Is there a way to curb this behavior? It sounds like you really helped this injured snake, and I thank you for that. A larger cage may help. Also, it may be that your snake just doesn't understand glass (probably none of them really do), and it actually thinks it can get out if it keeps trying. You can tape a piece of cardboard or something else opaque (not see-thru) over the glass to block the snake's ability to see what's outside its cage. That may help. Also, be sure you've got a proper setup with hide boxes, a thermal gradient, etc. In any case, keep an eye on the snake's nose. Even a small abrasion can turn into a serious infection. Since this is a wild-caught snake, you may eventually have to face the painful truth that you've already done all you can do. It's possible that for the sake of the animal, it would need to be released if it doesn't quit rubbing its nose. Not all wild-caught snakes adapt well to captivity, and in the long run, if you want a pet snake, you're much better off with a knownhealthy, captive-bred animal anyway. Good luck. Why does my albino california king snake shake his tail like a rattle snake when he is nervous? It's normal for many snakes to vibrate their tails like that. Some people believe that this behavior evolved for defensive purposes and to "mimic" rattlesnakes (it does result in a similar sound when they do it in certain substrates, like in dry leaves or against a hard surface like the side of a cage). Others disagree with the "mimic theory". That's not my area of expertise, so I don't want to express an opinion one way or the other. I'm not sure we can ever know for

9 sure why they do it. Some people tap their feet when they get nervous; I don't know why. i have a 7 1/2 foot boa female that was in with a boa male for 2 months. i believe she is gravid. when would the babies be born? she is not eating now for a month. good eater before. male is not with her now. she is getting bigger in last 1/2 of her body. Is this how you tell? It's impossible for me to tell whether or not your boa is gravid based upon the information you've provided, but let me try to give you some help anyway. It sounds like your snake could be in either of two parts of the reproduction cycle. Without getting overly complicated, the important event to look for that separates these two parts of the cycle is called "ovulation". That is when the unfertilized ova are pushed out of the ovaries and into the uterus, where they are eventually fertilized by the sperm present from previous breedings. Just before ovulation happens, a large lump appears near the mid-body of the female. It can look so big that it may be like your snake just had the biggest meal of its life. That lump is present for less than a day, and disappears once the ova are spaced out along the length of the uterus. Your snake may be gravid if ovulation has already taken place. If ovulation has not taken place, you would want to have the male with her now. We're only discussing a relatively small part of the overall process, but assuming that the female is in a reproductive cycle, and is now or will become gravid (from already deposited sperm or from future breedings), then you will want to provide a heating pad large enough for the female to get her entire body onto it. She should be able to maintain a body temperature of about 90 F, and you will probably notice her spending lots of time using the extra heat. If you start counting days from the time of ovulation (and you're providing the proper conditions for the female), the gestation period will be about 4 months. Don't count on getting babies yet because there are a lot of variables that make up a successful breeding and birth, but I wish you luck.

10 I was hoping you could help, I read a lot of the FAQ's on your site and there were extremely helpful in adding to my knowledge but I do have a coupel of quite specific questions. I recently acquired two fully grown cornsnakes (both female), being kept in a 36' viv. They have all the suitable equipment, heat mat during the night and a low watt lamp for a few hours during the day, water bowl and a good heat gradient. The first question is how can I control the humidity in the viv, there is only one vent in the viv and the humidity can vary greatly, sometimes it remains stable but I woke up this morning and the whole tank had steamed up! We keep the water bowl away from all heat and the temperature wasn't that high (85' at the heated end), how can I reduce the humidity in the tank??? The second question is, when I first got the snakes they were handled regularly and straight away by my partner ad I don't believe that this was good for the settling in process at all and I think this has affected them a lot (they were very tame and now they seem extremely wary and shy), I have told him to leave them be and we have decided to give them a break but do you think they've been damaged permanently or will we ever be able to regain their trust and how should we go about it? Your help would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks C. Since you have limited ventilation in the cage, you could reduce humidity by removing the water bowl on some set schedule; for instance, every other day. I suspect what happened in the case you described is that one of the snakes urinated on the warm side and that was being evaporated into the air. There's not much you can do about that, and I question if the humidity should be lowered in the first place. Unless there's always condensation on the sides of the cage and it's causing a problem, I probably wouldn't change anything. Corn snakes come from a fairly humid environment. If they develop skin problems associated with a wet or dirty cage, then you should make some changes. That brings me to question two. There's no way to predict the temperament of a snake. It sounds like you have both snakes in the same cage, and that could be what's causing the problem. That can easily stress two animals that aren't used

11 to being in such close proximity with each other all the time. What if they both want to heat up or cool down at the same time? Do you have multiple hide boxes so they can do that, while hiding at the same time, and not getting in each other's way? I put just one snake into each cage, and that's what I always recommend. Handling can cause stress as well. In general, snakes tolerate handling, but I don't think they really enjoy it most of the time. If the snake seems stressed, it makes sense to reduce the handling so it doesn't get sick (from stress causing a compromised immune system). Also, the way you handle them is important. You don't want to restrain them or hold them behind the head. Just let them crawl through your hands, placing your hands one in front of the other so there's always a hand supporting the front and rear of their body. Use a gentle squeeze to slow them down if they start crawling too fast and may escape. I hope you find some of this helpful. Dear Barry, I had two Ball Pythons now I have one. A couple days ago I thought that my female snake had gotten out but a the next day I found a large smelly mass in the cage!!!!! I think my male ate my female. They are 6 mos old I have them in a 20 gallon long soon to move to a 40 gall. I have a big bowl of water, reptile rocks for them to climb which they like and a hide rock. A heating pad under one side with a 75 watt bulb and at night a red bulb mostly for night viewing for my son. My snakes have been totally fine till then...eating pooping shedding hanging out together My friend has a male and female for 10 years no problems and he is even lax in care of them and they are healthy happy and never ate each other!!!! I was told at scales and tails where I got them that they would do fine together!!! I loved the female her name was medusa and she was bigger, prettier and mellower. I know that they are Snakes and they are still wild and have territory issues and all that. I am a vet assist. tech so I am an animal lover and I will keep my male and eventually get another feamle and house them seperate. But am I doing something wrong I have read up on them and have tried to do all the right things for them like I do with all my animals.

12 It was hard to look at that mass and think it could be her. it almost made me puke truthfully...i will have to leave the male alone for awhile because he ate my friend...although I sort of understand why. but still did he have to eat her and then puke her up? Yuk what a way to go so I try not to think too much about it. Can you put a different light on this time of saddness, shock and question. Thankyou. Sincerely C In memory of her I am going to be Medusa for Halloween. Hi, C. I'm sorry to hear what about that. Ball Pythons don't eat each other often, but it can happen. Normally it's when a bunch of imported babies are all housed in a crowded cage, literally on top of each other and with little or no food, that this happens. Is there any chance that your snake did escape? You didn't provide much detail on the security of the cage. The "mass" would have to have been quite large -- roughly the size of the eaten snake -- since not much digestion would have taken place in just a couple of days. If it wasn't that big, is it possible that it was a very large feces? Have you been feeding the male heavily? (I'm just pointing out different possibilities since you seemed to be at least a bit unsure of exactly what happened.) I do always recommend that snakes are housed separately, and I state that in my book. However, many people do keep ball pythons together without noticeable problems. I doubt you did anything that many other people don't do, and you probably give them great care. You just got unlucky, so please don't blame yourself too much. On a positive note, many times when ball pythons that are roughly the same size eat each other both snakes die, and you still have one left, so it could be worse. Always try to look at the bright side, right? Again, I m sorry for your loss. Good luck in future endeavors.

13 Hello, I've scoured several websites looking for an answer to my problem, but so far haven't found one yet. You seem well informed, so I thought you may be the best person to ask. My mother has an albino, approximately 3 years old. She weights 25 lbs and is 10 ft long. It seems the "cover" on one of her eyes has popped out, so when she sleeps, she can only close one eye. Do you know what has caused this and if it is a matter the vet needs to address? My mom said it isn't the same as when she sheds. Another question I have for you is what type of temperament changes can my mom expect as "Eve" gets older? I've heard this type of snake can become more aggressive and eventually owners are unable to handle such a large creature. That many of them end up in zoo's due to this problem. Neither of us are types to go on speculation, and we do as much research as possible on any given subject. I, myself don't know a ton on snakes, although I love them. I worry for both my mother and my little sisters (age 7) safety. My mom sleeps with Eve in her waterbed. Eve loves it! She did escape a few weeks ago out my moms window, but was found three days later. If you deem this a safe way to cage her, do you have any suggestions I could offer forth to my mother? Thanks so much for any help you can offer. It is much appreciated! Sincerely, N Hi, N. From the size of the snake you're writing about, it must be a Burmese Python, which I'm very familiar with. However, I'm not sure what you're trying to say about the eye covering since snakes are not able to close their eyes. Normally the problem is that the clear eye scale doesn't come off during a shed and remains stuck on. This usually rectifies itself at the next shedding cycle. If the eye looks infected at all (swelling, redness, draining fluid), your mother should bring it to a qualified reptile veterinarian as soon as possible, but I can't tell what's going on without seeing the snake. It's impossible to predict the temperament of a snake since they are WILD ANIMALS. Even at the snake's present size, your mother and sister are in

14 danger if the snake is not properly caged in something from which it cannot escape. Most of the time when Burmese Pythons kill people it happens during feeding time, but since they are wild animals, there is no way to know what may cause a snake to get spooked and strike out. Sleeping with such a snake is just asking for trouble. It's an accident waiting to happen. At best, if your mother continues to sleep with the snake uncaged in her bed, it will escape one day, never to be found again. At worst, the snake could easily harm or kill someone (or someone's pet dog or cat). I love snakes, too, but there is NO EXCUSE for having such an animal improperly caged, and if something happens, your mother could be held criminally liable and possibly be fined or go to jail. How would she feel if her snake killed your sister? What if one night the snake was roaming around while your mother slept, and your little sister got up to go to the bathroom and stepped on the snake? That could easily cause the snake to become afraid and defend itself. If your mother can't properly cage her snake, she should not own it. Unless your mother wants a tragedy on her hands and to be the focus of a national media spotlight, she needs to change her behavior right away. Good luck.