In the decade that I've been in this hobby, I often see many of the same questions over and over again. I made this FAQ to try and help new hobbyists. I'll try to update it as often as possible as I think of more questions that are commonly asked. If you have any suggestions feel free to email me!
Q: Should I feed live prey or frozen/thawed (f/t)?
A: It's really a personal preference. For me, it's more convenient at the time to feed f/t. Once your collection grows, breeding your own rats can be beneficial and more convenient. Pros to feeding f/t: no risk of injury to your snake, no parasites on the prey, cheaper to buy in bulk quantities, sizes more readily available. However, this is not to say that you cannot feed live. If you do decide to feed live, you must be sure to keep an eye on your snake and the mouse/rat at all times until the prey is dead. If the snake doesn’t attack within 20 minutes, than chances are your snake isn’t going to eat it so remove the prey. Pros to feeding live: no thawing out time, sometimes a stronger feeding response. There are some picky snakes out there!
Q: What do the numbers like 1.0.0 mean?
A: This is a way to tell others the quantity of snakes you own and their gender. Example: 2.1.3 Ball Pythons: The first slot is the male, thus this person has 2 male Ball Pythons. The next slot is female, thus this person has 1 female Ball Python. The last slot is unsexed or unknown, thus this person has 3 unknown gendered Ball Pythons.
Q: What substrates can I use for my snake?
A: Aspen, cypress mulch, Reptibark, coconut fiber, newspaper, and paper towl. No cedar, pine, gravel, dirt, or sand. No calci-sand or desert sand. Just be sure that if you have a loose substrate that you be careful of impaction (snake ingesting the substrate when it eats).
Q: My snake’s shed is incomplete: in pieces and/or didn’t come off all the way! What can I do and why did this happen?
A: Humidity is the problem. If you don’t have a hygrometer, invest in one now. You can get a cheap, digital one at Wal-Mart for $5. Those stick on ones are largely accepted as inaccurate. The desired humidity level for your snake is dependent on the species. A Ball Python should have at least 50% ambient humidity. A Brazilian Rainbow Boa likes its humidity at least 85%. Too low a humidity can cause a bad shed and too high of humidity can cause a Respiratory Infection!
To remedy this problem, you’ll need some warm water and maybe a spray bottle. Let your snake soak in WARM water, not hot water, for about 10-15 minutes. Try gently rubbing off the extra skin. If it doesn’t come off, just try again the next night. Try adding something rough to the enclosure, like a brick or PVC pipe. Mist the enclosure if you need to get your humidity up. At this point, you should have a hygrometer to measure this.
Q: How do I raise humidity?
A: Misting lightly, depending on what kind of snake you have. If you have a screen top and are using an overhead light for heat, try covering half of the screen with a damp towel. This will inevitably raise the humidity. However, this can be a breeding ground for bacteria if you don’t change it regularly.
Q: Why won’t my snake eat?
A: There can be many reasons why a snake won't eat and it's usually related to husbandry issues:
-Check your temperatures and humidity. Fix any discrepancies and try feeding again in a week. If you are using sticker or dial style thermometers or hygrometers, trash them and get digital ones. Accurite's from Walmart are digital thermometers with a probe for the basking site and hygrometer for $12.
-Is it the winter months? Many snakes like Ball Pythons go on fasts during the winter. As long as he/she isn't losing any weight than it is fine. Losing significant weight would cause folds of skin and the backbone to be highly visible. I recommend investing in a cheap digital scale to keep track of your snake's weight. Any significant weight loss and a trip to the vet will be in order.
- Only offer food once every week. If they refuse one week, try again in another week. Don't try to feed everyday after they refuse one meal. The constant offering of food can actually stress the snake out and add to the fasting problem.
-If none of this solves the problem and your snake is losing weight, take your snake to the vet to get a fecal exam done. Also be sure to check for any diseases such as a Respiratory Infection, Mouth Rot, Parasites etc. Internal parasites can cause a snake to not eat. Keep in mind that many females of breeding size can go off feed during the breeding season (Fall and Winter).
Q: Why is my snake aggressive?
A: Depends. Some snakes are more inclined to be aggressive than others. Some examples include Emerald Tree Boas and Blood Pythons. If you know that your snake is a breed that is usually docile, than it is an easy problem to fix. Regular handling is the answer. 15 to 20 minutes a few times a week to get the snake acclimated to you. Handling immediately after feeding is not recommended. Also just check over your temps and such to rule out any unnecessary stress. Keep in mind some snakes can show a feeding response when they mistake your hand in their enclosure for food!
Q: Can I keep two or more snakes together in one enclosure?
A: No, I really do not recommend this. The only time snakes should be together is when breeding. Snakes aren’t sociable creatures. Even though it may seem like they are “sleeping” together, they aren’t. They are competing for warm or cool spots in the enclosure and eventually one of them will become more dominant. Sometimes one will eat the other. This has happen with Ball Pythons and Ball Pythons, Boas and Ball Pythons, and obviously King snakes who are cannibalistic naturally. Don’t do it, if you can’t afford two enclosures ($5 Rubbermaid container from WalMart), then don’t get two snakes.
Q: What’s a good beginner snake?
A: Ball Pythons, Corn Snakes, Rosy Boas, Garter and Rat snakes, and King or Milk snakes. Some boas and larger snakes aren’t beginner snakes. It is better to start off with something a bit smaller and then work your way up.
Q: What aren’t good beginner snakes?
A: I wouldn’t recommend a boa as a first snake unless it’s a Rosy Boa. Anything that gets very big: Reticulated Pythons, Anacondas, Burmese Pythons, BCCs, African Rock Pythons, and Indian Pythons. Also snakes that just need intermediate or advanced care: Blood Pythons, Brazilian Rainbow Boas, Emerald Tree Boas, Green Tree Pythons, Amazon Tree Pythons, and some species of Carpet Pythons.
Q: Okay, I started out small, but now am looking for something bigger! What are some good beginner larger snakes?
A: Some boas are good beginner large snakes. Such species include Colombian Boas aka RTBs or BCIs (not BCCs), Dumerils Boas, and Hogg Island Boas. Just make sure you realize how big the boa is that you’re getting. Hoggs stay small: around 4-6 feet, Dumerils are about 5-7 feet while RTBs can get up to 6-8 feet. I would suggest starting out with a male because they do not get as large as females.
You can also get a few different species of Carpet Python. They have beginner to intermediate care. Coastal Carpet Pythons get quite large (10 feet), but are relatively slim. Jungle Carpet Pythons, Irian Jaya Carpet Pythons, or Diamond Carpet Pythons are also good.
Q: What’s the difference between a BCI and a BCC?
A: To clarify: BCI: Boa constrictor imperator and BCC: Boa constrictor constrictor. BCCs are considered “true” red-tails. Their tails generally keep the bright red appearance for their entire lives. BCIs tails are red, but sometimes dull to a more brownish red as they age. BCIs are smaller with the males getting from 4-6 feet and the females 6-8 feet and more. BCC males are about 7-9 feet while females are 7-10 feet and sometimes 12 feet.
Physical differences include saddle shape and number. The “ovals” in between the dark brown “saddles” on their back are big determiners. BCIs usually have the ovals while BCCs often have skewed ovals that look like candy wrappers. Also, BCCs are said to have 22 saddles, whereas BCIs have somewhere around 18-20 saddles.
Q: Where can I find a breeder online?
A: www.faunaclassifieds.com and www.kingsnakes.com are great places to start. Also, on faunaclassifieds, check out the Board of Inquiry or BOI to see if the breeder you plan to buy from is reputable and won’t rip you off! Check my links section for people I’ve dealt with that were either excellent or could’ve been better!
Q: How long do I have to wait before I can handle my new snake?
A: If received from a breeder through the mail, then wait at least a week if not two. Shipping is very stressful and further stress is not good. If received from a pet store or reptile show give a week maximum to let it get used to its new enclosure.
Q: Ok, how long do I wait to feed after I get my new snake?
A: At least 1 week. Trying to feed any earlier could be stressful and will more than likely end up in an unsuccessful attempt.
Q: How can I tell if my snake is a male or a female?
A: Unfortunately, there is no way to sex a snake by looking at them. There are two ways to sex a snake: probing and popping. Probing is when a probe is placed in the cloaca towards the base of the tail. The probe is then measured against subcaudal scales to determine the sex. Females tend to probe shorter and males longer with the presence of hemipenes. Each snake species has different probe levels. I do no recommend probing your snake unless shown how to do so properly by a vet or experienced keeper. You can damage your snake's sex organs.
Popping is another way to sex a snake and usually works better on juvenile snakes. Popping is when the fingers are used to manipulate the hemipenes to invert out. In the case of a female, no hemipenes would be visible. I'm providing the video on the bottom of this page that taught me how to do it. It was really easy!
Q: My snake’s making a wheezing/popping sound, is drooling, or open mouth breathing, what’s wrong?
A: It could be a Respiratory Infection. This can be the result of stress, high humidity, or low temperatures for prolonged amounts of time. To help, raise temperatures a few degrees and lower the humidity. For snakes that don’t have special humidity requirements, keep humidity at about 30-40%. If you use any kind of wood substrate, change it to newspaper or paper towel. Sometimes these substrates can make humidity get a little out of control. If your snake doesn’t improve, a trip to the vet is a must. RIs can kill your snake if not treated quickly enough.
Q: There are little black dots on my snake and in its enclosure, what are they?
A: I pity you. These are mites— little black, red, or white parasites that munch on your poor snake. There are several ways you can eradicate the problem.
-Prevent-A-Mite is a commercial way to get rid of them. Follow the instructions on the can very carefully and be sure not to kill your snake with the fumes.
-If you are hardcore (like I was) you’ll run around your house and grab some simple products: Betadine, Mineral Oil, Q-Tips, and warm water. Place your snake in warm water and add Betadine. Make the water a coffee color. Let your snake soak for a bit. This will heal any bites and drown some mites. Swoop in with the Q-Tips and start scooping the mites from your snake’s head. They will try to hide in their eye sockets, mouth, and heat pits if applicable. Get as many off as you can. After, take your snake out, rinse it off, and apply a thin layer of Mineral Oil to every inch of their body including eyes.
-Getting the snake clean is the first part, now on to the enclosure. Throw all substrate away (if using any kind of aspen or cypress mulch, check the unused stuff because this could be the cause of the mites). If you use Kleenex boxes or cereal boxes for hides, toss them out. If you have plants or drift wood, etc. follow the same instructions I’m about to give you for the enclosure. You need very hot water, with a 1:10 bleach solution. Give a good scrub-a-dub-dub to every inch and crevice in the enclosure. Rinse very, very thoroughly. Do the same for any plants or decorative stuff. Rinse very well and let them air dry or you can bake them in the oven.
-Dry the enclosure as best you can and get a vacuum. Vacuum around all the corners and edges in the enclosure, if using a plastic enclosure this is a little difficult but do your best. This sucks up any mite eggs that might still be lingering.
-If you keep more than one snake, then the snake that was infested should be quarantined. I suggest keeping it in a different room on either newspaper or paper towel for at least 30 days. If no mites rear up in this time, then you can move them back. Be sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling the quarantined snake (which you should be doing anyways.) You may also want to consider having your vet do a fecal exam on your snake to make sure it doesn’t have any internal parasites. If so they may prescribe some antibiotics that will take care of the problem easily.
Please feel free to e-mail with any suggestions to the FAQ!
Q: Should I feed live prey or frozen/thawed (f/t)?
A: It's really a personal preference. For me, it's more convenient at the time to feed f/t. Once your collection grows, breeding your own rats can be beneficial and more convenient. Pros to feeding f/t: no risk of injury to your snake, no parasites on the prey, cheaper to buy in bulk quantities, sizes more readily available. However, this is not to say that you cannot feed live. If you do decide to feed live, you must be sure to keep an eye on your snake and the mouse/rat at all times until the prey is dead. If the snake doesn’t attack within 20 minutes, than chances are your snake isn’t going to eat it so remove the prey. Pros to feeding live: no thawing out time, sometimes a stronger feeding response. There are some picky snakes out there!
Q: What do the numbers like 1.0.0 mean?
A: This is a way to tell others the quantity of snakes you own and their gender. Example: 2.1.3 Ball Pythons: The first slot is the male, thus this person has 2 male Ball Pythons. The next slot is female, thus this person has 1 female Ball Python. The last slot is unsexed or unknown, thus this person has 3 unknown gendered Ball Pythons.
Q: What substrates can I use for my snake?
A: Aspen, cypress mulch, Reptibark, coconut fiber, newspaper, and paper towl. No cedar, pine, gravel, dirt, or sand. No calci-sand or desert sand. Just be sure that if you have a loose substrate that you be careful of impaction (snake ingesting the substrate when it eats).
Q: My snake’s shed is incomplete: in pieces and/or didn’t come off all the way! What can I do and why did this happen?
A: Humidity is the problem. If you don’t have a hygrometer, invest in one now. You can get a cheap, digital one at Wal-Mart for $5. Those stick on ones are largely accepted as inaccurate. The desired humidity level for your snake is dependent on the species. A Ball Python should have at least 50% ambient humidity. A Brazilian Rainbow Boa likes its humidity at least 85%. Too low a humidity can cause a bad shed and too high of humidity can cause a Respiratory Infection!
To remedy this problem, you’ll need some warm water and maybe a spray bottle. Let your snake soak in WARM water, not hot water, for about 10-15 minutes. Try gently rubbing off the extra skin. If it doesn’t come off, just try again the next night. Try adding something rough to the enclosure, like a brick or PVC pipe. Mist the enclosure if you need to get your humidity up. At this point, you should have a hygrometer to measure this.
Q: How do I raise humidity?
A: Misting lightly, depending on what kind of snake you have. If you have a screen top and are using an overhead light for heat, try covering half of the screen with a damp towel. This will inevitably raise the humidity. However, this can be a breeding ground for bacteria if you don’t change it regularly.
Q: Why won’t my snake eat?
A: There can be many reasons why a snake won't eat and it's usually related to husbandry issues:
-Check your temperatures and humidity. Fix any discrepancies and try feeding again in a week. If you are using sticker or dial style thermometers or hygrometers, trash them and get digital ones. Accurite's from Walmart are digital thermometers with a probe for the basking site and hygrometer for $12.
-Is it the winter months? Many snakes like Ball Pythons go on fasts during the winter. As long as he/she isn't losing any weight than it is fine. Losing significant weight would cause folds of skin and the backbone to be highly visible. I recommend investing in a cheap digital scale to keep track of your snake's weight. Any significant weight loss and a trip to the vet will be in order.
- Only offer food once every week. If they refuse one week, try again in another week. Don't try to feed everyday after they refuse one meal. The constant offering of food can actually stress the snake out and add to the fasting problem.
-If none of this solves the problem and your snake is losing weight, take your snake to the vet to get a fecal exam done. Also be sure to check for any diseases such as a Respiratory Infection, Mouth Rot, Parasites etc. Internal parasites can cause a snake to not eat. Keep in mind that many females of breeding size can go off feed during the breeding season (Fall and Winter).
Q: Why is my snake aggressive?
A: Depends. Some snakes are more inclined to be aggressive than others. Some examples include Emerald Tree Boas and Blood Pythons. If you know that your snake is a breed that is usually docile, than it is an easy problem to fix. Regular handling is the answer. 15 to 20 minutes a few times a week to get the snake acclimated to you. Handling immediately after feeding is not recommended. Also just check over your temps and such to rule out any unnecessary stress. Keep in mind some snakes can show a feeding response when they mistake your hand in their enclosure for food!
Q: Can I keep two or more snakes together in one enclosure?
A: No, I really do not recommend this. The only time snakes should be together is when breeding. Snakes aren’t sociable creatures. Even though it may seem like they are “sleeping” together, they aren’t. They are competing for warm or cool spots in the enclosure and eventually one of them will become more dominant. Sometimes one will eat the other. This has happen with Ball Pythons and Ball Pythons, Boas and Ball Pythons, and obviously King snakes who are cannibalistic naturally. Don’t do it, if you can’t afford two enclosures ($5 Rubbermaid container from WalMart), then don’t get two snakes.
Q: What’s a good beginner snake?
A: Ball Pythons, Corn Snakes, Rosy Boas, Garter and Rat snakes, and King or Milk snakes. Some boas and larger snakes aren’t beginner snakes. It is better to start off with something a bit smaller and then work your way up.
Q: What aren’t good beginner snakes?
A: I wouldn’t recommend a boa as a first snake unless it’s a Rosy Boa. Anything that gets very big: Reticulated Pythons, Anacondas, Burmese Pythons, BCCs, African Rock Pythons, and Indian Pythons. Also snakes that just need intermediate or advanced care: Blood Pythons, Brazilian Rainbow Boas, Emerald Tree Boas, Green Tree Pythons, Amazon Tree Pythons, and some species of Carpet Pythons.
Q: Okay, I started out small, but now am looking for something bigger! What are some good beginner larger snakes?
A: Some boas are good beginner large snakes. Such species include Colombian Boas aka RTBs or BCIs (not BCCs), Dumerils Boas, and Hogg Island Boas. Just make sure you realize how big the boa is that you’re getting. Hoggs stay small: around 4-6 feet, Dumerils are about 5-7 feet while RTBs can get up to 6-8 feet. I would suggest starting out with a male because they do not get as large as females.
You can also get a few different species of Carpet Python. They have beginner to intermediate care. Coastal Carpet Pythons get quite large (10 feet), but are relatively slim. Jungle Carpet Pythons, Irian Jaya Carpet Pythons, or Diamond Carpet Pythons are also good.
Q: What’s the difference between a BCI and a BCC?
A: To clarify: BCI: Boa constrictor imperator and BCC: Boa constrictor constrictor. BCCs are considered “true” red-tails. Their tails generally keep the bright red appearance for their entire lives. BCIs tails are red, but sometimes dull to a more brownish red as they age. BCIs are smaller with the males getting from 4-6 feet and the females 6-8 feet and more. BCC males are about 7-9 feet while females are 7-10 feet and sometimes 12 feet.
Physical differences include saddle shape and number. The “ovals” in between the dark brown “saddles” on their back are big determiners. BCIs usually have the ovals while BCCs often have skewed ovals that look like candy wrappers. Also, BCCs are said to have 22 saddles, whereas BCIs have somewhere around 18-20 saddles.
Q: Where can I find a breeder online?
A: www.faunaclassifieds.com and www.kingsnakes.com are great places to start. Also, on faunaclassifieds, check out the Board of Inquiry or BOI to see if the breeder you plan to buy from is reputable and won’t rip you off! Check my links section for people I’ve dealt with that were either excellent or could’ve been better!
Q: How long do I have to wait before I can handle my new snake?
A: If received from a breeder through the mail, then wait at least a week if not two. Shipping is very stressful and further stress is not good. If received from a pet store or reptile show give a week maximum to let it get used to its new enclosure.
Q: Ok, how long do I wait to feed after I get my new snake?
A: At least 1 week. Trying to feed any earlier could be stressful and will more than likely end up in an unsuccessful attempt.
Q: How can I tell if my snake is a male or a female?
A: Unfortunately, there is no way to sex a snake by looking at them. There are two ways to sex a snake: probing and popping. Probing is when a probe is placed in the cloaca towards the base of the tail. The probe is then measured against subcaudal scales to determine the sex. Females tend to probe shorter and males longer with the presence of hemipenes. Each snake species has different probe levels. I do no recommend probing your snake unless shown how to do so properly by a vet or experienced keeper. You can damage your snake's sex organs.
Popping is another way to sex a snake and usually works better on juvenile snakes. Popping is when the fingers are used to manipulate the hemipenes to invert out. In the case of a female, no hemipenes would be visible. I'm providing the video on the bottom of this page that taught me how to do it. It was really easy!
Q: My snake’s making a wheezing/popping sound, is drooling, or open mouth breathing, what’s wrong?
A: It could be a Respiratory Infection. This can be the result of stress, high humidity, or low temperatures for prolonged amounts of time. To help, raise temperatures a few degrees and lower the humidity. For snakes that don’t have special humidity requirements, keep humidity at about 30-40%. If you use any kind of wood substrate, change it to newspaper or paper towel. Sometimes these substrates can make humidity get a little out of control. If your snake doesn’t improve, a trip to the vet is a must. RIs can kill your snake if not treated quickly enough.
Q: There are little black dots on my snake and in its enclosure, what are they?
A: I pity you. These are mites— little black, red, or white parasites that munch on your poor snake. There are several ways you can eradicate the problem.
-Prevent-A-Mite is a commercial way to get rid of them. Follow the instructions on the can very carefully and be sure not to kill your snake with the fumes.
-If you are hardcore (like I was) you’ll run around your house and grab some simple products: Betadine, Mineral Oil, Q-Tips, and warm water. Place your snake in warm water and add Betadine. Make the water a coffee color. Let your snake soak for a bit. This will heal any bites and drown some mites. Swoop in with the Q-Tips and start scooping the mites from your snake’s head. They will try to hide in their eye sockets, mouth, and heat pits if applicable. Get as many off as you can. After, take your snake out, rinse it off, and apply a thin layer of Mineral Oil to every inch of their body including eyes.
-Getting the snake clean is the first part, now on to the enclosure. Throw all substrate away (if using any kind of aspen or cypress mulch, check the unused stuff because this could be the cause of the mites). If you use Kleenex boxes or cereal boxes for hides, toss them out. If you have plants or drift wood, etc. follow the same instructions I’m about to give you for the enclosure. You need very hot water, with a 1:10 bleach solution. Give a good scrub-a-dub-dub to every inch and crevice in the enclosure. Rinse very, very thoroughly. Do the same for any plants or decorative stuff. Rinse very well and let them air dry or you can bake them in the oven.
-Dry the enclosure as best you can and get a vacuum. Vacuum around all the corners and edges in the enclosure, if using a plastic enclosure this is a little difficult but do your best. This sucks up any mite eggs that might still be lingering.
-If you keep more than one snake, then the snake that was infested should be quarantined. I suggest keeping it in a different room on either newspaper or paper towel for at least 30 days. If no mites rear up in this time, then you can move them back. Be sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling the quarantined snake (which you should be doing anyways.) You may also want to consider having your vet do a fecal exam on your snake to make sure it doesn’t have any internal parasites. If so they may prescribe some antibiotics that will take care of the problem easily.
Please feel free to e-mail with any suggestions to the FAQ!