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Snake Purchasing And Care
Pet Snake Information
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.
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