Snake Purchasing And Care

Snake Index

The purpose of this site is to guide the beginning snake owner to purchasing a non-venomous snake and to give some basic information about snake care. Many people consider snakes ugly and dangerous and on this page we will attempt to convince you that snakes can make wonderful pets and if you do your research and purchase properly you will find hours of enjoyment with your snake.

We all know the snake has no limbs but the snake's body has also given him certain advantages. The sea snake has
been able to adapt completely to life in the sea including the laying of eggs. He can climb trees, moves rapidly across many different types of land and all snakes seem to be able to swim.

Snakes will usually try to get away from a bad situation. He can get into places that other animals cannot such as in rock piles, into holes and under things such as wood piles or logs. But, as with a wild animal, if trapped he will hiss, flatten his head, and strike. Although some species will strike without biting, others will bite. If you manage to catch a snake he could emit an odor from what is called the musk gland.

Snakes are cold blooded creatures and their heat source is
external. His temperature will be the same as his environment. Because they have a very small temperature range they try to control their body temperature by being in the warmth of the sun or rocks when they are cold and finding shade or moisture when they are hot.

Snakes are generally nearsighted. They have transparent
eyelids and the colored lens helps to filter out strong light.
Their focus is limited due to the muscles that move the lens itself which is fixed. They do have a wide field of vision and detect motion well. It is presumed they can see color.
Snakes do not have an outer ear. They do not hear what we hear but rely more on ground vibrations. It could be said that they hear what humans cannot.

A snake smells with its tongue. The tongue is forked so
that it fits into two pockets in the mouth called the Jacobson's organ which is the taste-smell organ. When the tongue is outside the mouth it picks up molecules which go into the sensitive organ when the forked tongue is reinserted into its pockets. It does, however, have nostrils which function well.
But it is the tongue that provides the best taste and smell.
Snakes that hunt warm blooded prey at night have special
organs that detect heat. The pit viper is one such snake that has the heat organ. It is located between the eye and the nostril on each side of the head. There are other snakes such as the boas, pythons and anacondas that have the heat sensing organ but they are located on the lips and jaws.

Snakes can not cry out or make noise from the mouth but they do feel pain. They respond to pain by either biting or trying to get away.

Snakes For Dummies