Pro's and con's for owning a snake?

Question

because i might get one soon so i want to know pro's and con's for owning them and what is the best type of snake to own?

Answer 1

Pros:

Depending on the breed and your expertise they are very easy to take care of.

They don't eat a lot.

They usually don't cost an arm and a leg to take care of.

No fur to shed.

Easy to clean up after.

Many people are afraid of them.

Easy to contain.

They live a long time.

Cons:

If you aren't comfortable with feeding live or pre-frozen, don't get a snake.

Many are more prone to biting.

They are escape artists.

If they regurgitate food for whatever reason, it smells like h**l and isn't a pretty site.

They have lots of babies.

They need bigger tanks often as they grow.

Overall I think owning a snake is a great experience and very rewarding. The snake type you should always start out with is a corn snake because they very, very rarely bite or show aggression, they are beautiful, and they don't get as big as some other breeds. Every snake expert will tell a new owner to start with a corn snake.

Answer 2

Well, if you're looking for the safest and a friendly snake to own, may I suggest the green tree snake. These are known to be quite kind, and they basically never bite. Plus, they're really pretty. I had one. It was so cute. He would wrap around my wrist & I seriously wore him as a bracelet! People wouldn't even notice. He just liked doing that for some odd reason.  Corn snakes are also known to be very friendly. You also have the option of getting an albino corn snake. I was going to get a black kingsnake. They are just so kewl looking!

Pros: Probably not the hardest pet to take care of. Feeding and such won't cost you much.  Getting a skinny/small snake (that won't grow that big), will definitely conserve space in your room. If you get a friendly one you won't have to worry about it harming you or others.

Cons: If you get a snake that will grow large, such as a boa, you may have to worry about it constricting your arm or even getting out and killing another small pet that you have. It will die if you don't get it all its necessities (don't listen to petco people, they don't know how to take care of them effectively). If you don't have a tank or padding for its cage, you may spend a good amount the first time you buy it. And if you get a snake that will grow large you'll have to feed it mice (if you're not ok with this sort of thing this will be a con). Oh, and they can get mites or little bugs if they aren't cleaned properly. My sister's python got it!

Make sure you have proper lighting for it if you decide to get one. Also, always make sure there's no way for it to get out. So always remember to close the cage after you play with him or feed him.

Answer 3

I'd say the best type is a ball python.

Pro: It's extremely calm, very very extremely rare for it to bite, and doesn't get too big. Eats about once every one or two weeks.

Cons: If it doesn't eat when you first put your rat in DO NOT keep the rat in the cage if that happens. It will try and eat the snake, and it won't fight back. Very hard to breed, never tried myself.

I've had mine for about 3-4 years now, and I still enjoy having him.

Answer 4

Pro's:

They are low maintenance

They are clean

No shedding

They can be very tame

They feel nice

They are cute and beautiful

Other people are scared of them

Con's

Cleaning their astroturf

Sometimes they don't eat their mice

You can't potty train them (so you'll get shat on)

Ratsnakes and cornsnakes are nice if you don't want to go too big

Kingsnakes eat other snakes so keep them solitary

Answer 5

Depending upon the species you get, the pros and cons could change.  

Common pros:

Easy to care for and don't require daily maintenance.  

Don't care if you don't have time to handle it.

Only eat once a week.

Cons:

Will not show affection to you

Sometimes can bite

If you were to get a ball python as a first animal-something I don't recommend- you may be dealing with a snake that won't eat, or won't take frozen/thawed.

Large boids/pythons: Can be dangerous when they reach full size-or anything over 6 ft.  These snakes should be kept by more experienced keepers.

Answer 6

the pros:

snakes are unique creatures that can be an enjoyable attention grabbing pets

they dont make messes around your house

they CAN be easy to care for

the cons:

depending on what kind of snake you get you may have to feed it live food

they have a bad reputation and can scare people easily

some snakes produce a foul musk that can make you want to run for cover

they require specific conditions in order to live

some need heat lamps, running water, humidifiers, and misters

and some can out grow your house!

but it ALL depends on what snake you get...

personally i would suggest a king snake

Answer 7

You'll probably learn more about animal care than you ever wanted to know when you own a snake. If you're like 95% of the rest of snake owners you'll find yourself becoming addicted to them and just adding more and more to your collection. You'll impress (and alienate) many friends and associates. Family too.

There is no "best type" to own. It's an individual choice so read up on them.

Answer 8

pros:  

they dont bark and keep the neighbours up all night

they are really fun

they can be a learning experience

they are cute

they dont p**p or tinkle on the carpet when guests are there

you can go away for a week at a time and not worry about them since they only eat every 7 - 10 days

cons:

hmmm...thinking

still thinking

hmmm...

seriously though...they do bite...some snakes are more docile than others but any snake can bite...i've been bitten 3 times by my ball python and 2 times by one of my kingsnakes both of which are docile snakes

you will have to learn really quickly things to do for snakes when they get sick such as what to do for impaction, bad sheds, the possibility of force feeding a snake because sometimes it is hard to find a reptile vet...snake owners have to do a lot of their own treatment

all snakes are escape artists we have had 24 snakes at one time and one snake or another was always breaking out of their tank...we have always found them but escapes do happen

as far as the best to own for a first time snake owner kingsnakes, cornsnakes, and milksnakes all make good pets.  a lot of people think that ball pythons make good first time snakes but they really don’t…ball pythons take specific humidity requirements and ball pythons can go on really long hunger strikes (like for a year) which by the end of it both snake and owner are stressed out.  kings, corns, and milks can tolerate handling and don’t need a whole lot of humidity.  and they are usually docile snakes.  and if a bite does happen it dosent hurt at all...when my kingsnake bit me the first time i didnt even know he had bitten me...i just felt something on my finger and i looked down and he was latched onto my thumb.

good luck!

Answer 9

Pros: They can eat only once a week, or once a month, depending on what type of snake it is.

They're more "durable" then a pet like,say, a hamster.

They tend to have a long life span.

Since they don't eat everyday, they don't make as much of a mess.

Cons: You have to keep the temperature at a certain area, as well as humidity.

Some do tend to get large.

Because of their long life spans, their a long term commitment.

Some will bite.

I suggest a corn snake. They get up to about 5 feet, so they'll be somewhat large, but not big enough to where they could actually strangle you. Also, they usually get as wide as a quarter, so the most you'll have to feed them is a rat.

Answer 10

Pros: You can scare your mom with it (LOL, who doesn't get enjoyment out of that); you only need to feed them like once-a-month or just every few weeks; their very clean; and their cool to have since their sort of exoctic.

Cons: They could bite you if you're not careful and/or choke you/wrap around you and cut off your circulation.

I would start with a small snake to begin with - larger ones are high-maintenance.

May I suggest checking out other reptiles too? Such as iguanas - their cool too.