Help the house sitter - Do snakes move much?

[shellfisch]

Thats one of the pluses with snakes. They are very low maintenance.
On the other hand, they won't fetch your slippers for you

 

[SnakeNumpty]

This puppy keeps fetching my shoes and chewing them. Give me the non fetching snake any day!

 

[Fantazmic]

whe the owners get home ask them if they can get the snake out for you to have a hold.....that is when snakes are truely great.....especially if they are the curious sort they get into everything and you can really interact with them
and the best bit is if you are busy they will settle really well and just have a sleep and not mind you arent giving them any attention

I have jungles and i love mine !!

 

[Snakewoman]

I have a Murray Darling, and he's a 'cuddly' snake. He'll be 2 years old next month, I've had him since he was 7 months old. He's always been very placid, I've personally never dealt with a Murray that wasn't. There are some nasty ones out there but you don't hear about many.

 

[Crystal..Discus]

Why rule out getting a snake before your dog dies? Snakes grow slowly (if you don't power feed them), and as long as you remember to put the lid back on its tub, it shouldn't be a problem.

A common problem is though, once you have one you need more...

 

[saximus]

A common problem is though, once you have one you need more...

Haha yeah I bought my "one" snake about five years ago. I now have five and planning the sixth and seventh soon

 

[scorps]

Haha yeah I bought my "one" snake about five years ago. I now have five and planning the sixth and seventh soon

I got 'one' seven years ago and trust me you dont want to see my herp room now

 

[Snakewoman]

Yes... I got my 'one' 2 years ago and now I have 6. I'd have more, but I seem to have run out of room The up side to snakes is the fact that they don't need as much care as a dog or cat, you feed young snakes once a week, and adults once a month. I also appreciate the fact that they don't go to the 'bathroom' as much as dogs or cat, and it doesn't smell as bad (anyone who's ever had cats will probably agree). The initial setup can be costly, but if you go to sites like Ebay or Trading Post you can get second hand enclosures fairly cheap, just make sure they let you see that the heat lights/thermostat/UV all work correctly. Buying a snake from a reputable breeder is cheaper than buying from a pet shop, and you'll get a record of the snake's feeding and shedding history from the time it hatched.

 

[SnakeNumpty]

Yes... I got my 'one' 2 years ago and now I have 6. I'd have more, but I seem to have run out of room The up side to snakes is the fact that they don't need as much care as a dog or cat, you feed young snakes once a week, and adults once a month. I also appreciate the fact that they don't go to the 'bathroom' as much as dogs or cat, and it doesn't smell as bad (anyone who's ever had cats will probably agree). The initial setup can be costly, but if you go to sites like Ebay or Trading Post you can get second hand enclosures fairly cheap, just make sure they let you see that the heat lights/thermostat/UV all work correctly. Buying a snake from a reputable breeder is cheaper than buying from a pet shop, and you'll get a record of the snake's feeding and shedding history from the time it hatched.

This, and the other posts, sounds like good advice. One way or another, I wouldn't get a snake without researching a hell of a lot. I want to answers to the questions and problems before they arise.

An update on the snake: He does move around, I just wasn't watching at the right times. I came home the other day and he was over the other side of the enclosure. I watched him make his way back to his favourite spot. And lots of times now I have seen him outstretched, I guess he's regulating his body temperature by exposing more or less of himself??

 

[Snakewoman]

I read as much information on this site as I could before I got my first snake, and I also have a book called Keeping and breeding Australian pythons. The book is great very detailed. It has information about the diseases and ailments that pythons can get. It seems that most sicknesses in pythons can be avoided if the temperatures in their tank are kept where they should be, and their tank regularly cleaned. I've kept snakes for 2 year (not really a long time) and so far haven't had any problems. My friends have commented on how my tanks are always clean, but since they don't make much mess in the first place it's not difficult.

 

[SnakeNumpty]

Snakey lost his skin! How cool, it all happened today while I was at work.



And now he's hiding.

 

[saximus]

Haha I love your enthusiasm about all of this. Make sure you keep a look out for him in the next few days. They look fantastic straight after a shed

 

[SnakeNumpty]

He's hiding now. I can see him but only just. I was worried when I couldn't see him at first and then I saw the skin. How often do they shed? He looks heaps brighter.

 

[abnrmal91]

He's hiding now. I can see him but only just. I was worried when I couldn't see him at first and then I saw the skin. How often do they shed? He looks heaps brighter.

They normally shed about 6 to 10 weeks depending on how quickly they are growing at the time. You going to be an expert by the time the owners come home. Snakes are great pets, very interesting. I would highly recommend as a pet.

 

[saximus]

Depending on age and feeding it's usually every few months so you're lucky it's happened now. Yeah when he comes out you will see a huge difference. They go very dull when they are about to shed so you've only seen him looking "crap" since you've been there

 

[SnakeNumpty]

Haha, he still looked cool when he was dull.

I'm excited, I've never seen it before. I just wish I was here when it was happening, although maybe it was good for him to have peace and quiet to do it. It's like he just slid right out of it.

 

[cagey]

I can see someone getting a snake sooner than later...... just like I did

 

[SnakeNumpty]

We'll see. I need to stop spending all my money on tattoos first.

 

[abnrmal91]

Its very hard to see them shedding I haven't seen any of mine shed. I normally just find it in the morning.

 

[SnakeNumpty]

Someone was telling me they have a huge snake, like lots of metres long and they have to help it shed.