Instructions
Select a suitable species. A young boa constrictor raised from infancy is probably the best choice as most wild-caught adults prove difficult to tame. Be sure to prepare for the adult size requirements. Refer to your care sheet for specific instructions on care.
Choose the housing. An enclosure of glass or Plexiglas is the best choice because this will allow the snake to be seen and makes it easy to control the temperature and humidity. The top should be kept secure because snakes are consummate escape artists.
Line the cage with butcher paper or any other paper without ink for easy cleanup. Gravel, kitty litter or wood shavings should never be used because they trap moisture and waste. These materials also provide hiding places for parasites.
Keep tropical snakes at 80 to 85 degrees during the day. This may require a heating pad or shielded heat lamps. Other snakes can tolerate 70 to 80 degrees.
Feed your snake dead or incapacitated prey if at all possible. Frozen rats which have been thawed to room temperature are the most convenient for the hobbyist. It is essential that your snake be trained to feed this way as a healthy rat is quite capable of seriously injuring even a large snake.
How to Keep a Pet Snake
Snakes are reptiles in the suborder Serpentes within the order Squamata. They are largely legless and have elongated bodies, although primitive snakes such as boas and pythons still have vestigial hind limbs. Some snakes are venomous and should never be kept by the average hobbyists. However, many other species can make good pets with the proper care. The following steps will show how to keep a pet snake.