Unique Cages for Unique Pets
Posts tagged Snakes
Ball Python Heat Gradients
May 23rd
Read more at Ball Python Care.
This article discusses ball python care in general but we particularly liked how it reinforced the importance of maintaining a satisifactory heat gradient. To that end, we’ve derived a special UTH window that fits securely in the floor to accomodate under tank heaters where a heat rock is inappropriate. The insulative properities of plywood will not allow heat, or at least a sufficient amount of heat, to radiate through the floor and into the cage to promote digestion and respiratory health. Now pet owners can get the best of both worlds, pairing the benefits of a UTH with the consistent, even temperate gradient of wood.
How To Care For A Ball Python
It’s easier than you think!
Before you ever get a snake of ANY species, consider the following:
1) How big will this snake get, and do I have the room to properly house an animal of that size?
> A ball python does great in a smaller cage considering its size, but a burmese python needs an enclosure at least half its body length – and some burmese get up to 20 feet long! Can you really fit a 10 foot long cage in your house?
2) Can I REALLY afford all the accessories and supplies for the snake?
> For example, for a basic ball python setup, you should budget at least 100 dollars for everything.
3) Am I comfortable feeding mice or rats to the snake?
> Snakes can never be vegetarians; their digestive systems are evolved to live completely on animal proteins. If you have troubles feeding rats to snakes because you had a pet rat once and they’re just so cute… You might want to rethink getting a larger snake. Smaller species such as sandboas and cornsnakes never get large enough to eat rats.
4) Will I still want this snake 20 years from now?
> Most snakes are pretty long lived. Ball pythons easily reach ages of 20 years or even 30 with proper care, and cornsnakes can live up to 25. Are you going to be as fascinated with the snake then as you are now, or are you going to get bored with its care and tire of cleaning the cage? Think realistically – if you’re 20 now and get a baby ball python, when you are 50 years old that snake is very likely to still be going strong!
5) If the snake is for your children… Are you prepared to take over its care?
> Let’s face it, kids are kids, and usually have short attention spans. You as the parent are responsible for the animal’s wellbeing. After a year or so, your child will probably begin to forget to remind you to pick up snakefood on the way home. They might stop cleaning the cage regularly or providing fresh water daily. When that happens, you either need to take over care of the snake, find it a new home with people who will care for it the rest of its life, or start reminding/nagging the child to take care of his or her pet. Unless you have an exceptional child who is mature for his or her age, I don’t recommend snakes for pets for children under 8 years of age.
About The Ball Python Species
Ball Pythons are also known as Royal Pythons in countries outside of the US. That is where they get thier latin name, Python Regius, from. The name Royal Python comes from the myth that Cleopatra wore them as living jewelry around her wrists and neck. The term Ball Python comes from their habit of curling up into a ball as a defense. Ball Pythons are native to the Central Western and Western parts of Africa, with most imported snakes originating in Benin, Ghana, or Togo.
Ball Pythons are constrictors, which puts them in the boid family, along with other pythons and boas. These snakes are also known as “Old World” snakes, because they still have vestigal hips. You can actually see the remnants of legs on either side of the vent, like below. These leg remnants are known as spurs, and ball python males use theirs to “tickle” the female into readiness during courtship. (Pictured is an adult female)
Ball Pythons are exceptionally long lived snakes. The oldest snake on record lived at a zoo, and was reported to have died at the ripe old age of 48 years. Most people who take good care of their animals can expect them to live at least 25 years, if not more.
Ball Pythons are among the smallest python species. Average length of a Ball Python is anywhere from 3 feet to 5 feet, with males generally being smaller than females. Females have been known to get over 5 feet in length, but this is uncommon. There are no obvious visual differences between male and female Ball Pythons! Some might argue that spur length is an indicator of gender, with males having longer spurs, or that a female ball python will always be larger than a male. This is not true. While yes, most females are bigger than most males, there are many, many exceptions to this. The only way to truly know the gender of your adult snake is to probe it. This is when someone who knows what they’re doing (I do NOT recommend you try this without someone showing you how) takes a thin, metal rod and uses it to very gently probe inside the vent back towards the tail. In males, the probe will go deep, because it is following one of the two hemipenes. In females, the probe will barely go past a couple scales. Another method of sexing that is most successful on young snakes is ‘popping’, where the keeper gently pops the hemipenes out. This only works well on younger snakes that do not have strong muscle control over that part of their body yet. I repeat, I do not recommend trying to sex your snake yourself until someone with experience shows you how.
The Setup
First, let us talk about how snakes maintain their body temperature. Snakes are Ectotherms, meaning they get their body heat from their surroundings. This is also known as being “cold-blooded”. Because snakes get their body heat from their environment, that means it is entirely up to you to make sure they have the temperatures they need to thrive. The best way to provide heat for a snake is through a heat gradient; that is, you have a range of temperatures the animal can choose from. For a Ball Python, your ‘hot’ side needs to be around 90 degrees, and your ‘cold’ side needs to be around 80. Keeping a constant temperature of, say, 85 degrees through the entire tank seems like it would be fine, but in reality stresses out your animal. They know what temperature they need to be, and providing a range to choose from allows them to monitor their own body temperature. That is why it is so important to have a heat gradient, and not just one temperature throughout.
Now, the cage! Ball Pythons spend most of their lives in animal burrows in the wild, and so in captivity, spend most of their time hiding in the smallest, darkest, tightest place they can find. On the one hand, that leads to a pretty boring animal to watch, but on the other, they don’t need a large cage. In fact, younger ball pythons do better in smaller cages. A 10 gallon aquarium or something of similar size works well for balls under 1 year of age. For older animals, a 20L tank or something of similar size is adequate.
To heat the cage, a UTH (Under Tank Heater) is by far the best method. Balls need belly heat to digest their food, and a UTH provides this without the drawbacks of a heatrock. Never, EVER use a heatrock. Heatrocks tend to burn animals, and you are best off just staying far, FAR away from them. Back to UTH – I recommend you get a rheostat or some sort of dimmer so you can better control your temperatures. In summer you aren’t going to need to heat things up quite as much as you need to in winter, right?
About winter – if you live in an area that gets very cold, you might want to consider using a heatlamp for that time. UTH’s do not heat the air very well, and so you might find that your snake never moves from where you have it attached to your cage. You can use a low-wattage bulb in a heatlamp to heat up the air in your cage. When you do this, however, you will need to make sure that the heatlamp does not dry out the air too much, which is why I only recommend it when it is cold out.
Ball Pythons require humidity between 40-60%. I recommend you get a digital hygrometer along with digital thermometers to measure your humidity and temperature. You should have something to measure the temperature on both sides of the cage (hot and cold, remember?), with the humidity cage whereever you like. Do not guess at temperatures or humidity, KNOW. There is no excuse for not knowing exactly what temperatures your snake is living at! You might be freezing or cooking your animal without ever knowing it.
As far as cage furniture goes, all you need are two hides (one for each side) and a water bowl big enough for the snake to soak in. My favorite hides are cereal or shoeboxes; they fit my adult snakes perfectly! Just remember that the snakes are looking for the smallest, tightest spot they can fit, so make sure their hides are not too big.
Substrate is what you put on the bottom of the cage, and really depends on your preference. I like to use papertowel, because it’s easy to clean and cheap. Other possibilities are cypress mulch, aspen shavings, or coconut fibers. NEVER, EVER use CEDAR of any kind – it is toxic to just about any kind of animal.
Feeding
Young Ball Pythons should be fed every 7 to 10 days, and adult animals can be dropped to every 10 to 14 days. There are many schools of thought on the “right” way to feed a ball python; basically, if your animal is at a good weight and healthy, then you’re doing it right. Here’s an example of my feeding schedule for my three:
Periscope: 1 small rat every 7 days
Darwin: 1 medium rat every 10-14 days
Cindy: 1 medium rat every 7 days
Periscope is a growing young snake and uses all that energy from regular, frequent feeding to grow. Darwin is at a comfortable weight and healthy, and so he is fed less frequently. Cindy is putting weight back on after laying eggs, and so she is getting small, frequent meals to gain weight. Cindy could easily take jumbo rats; however, she doesn’t need to. Feeder animals are extremely nutritious compared to what these snakes would eat in the wild, and so they do just as well on smaller prey items.
Ball Pythons are notorious for being finicky eaters. Common causes for not eating are stress, breeding season, or too-low temperatures. However, sometimes, balls just don’t eat for whatever reason. If your snake is at a healthy weight, then you have nothing to worry about. The only time you should worry is if it has been over 6 months since the snake last ate AND it is losing weight. Ball Pythons have been known to fast for up to a year with no ill effects, so while it is stressful for you to have a snake refusing to eat, remember that for the snake it is perfectly normal.
Ball Pythons do not “hibernate” during the winter. Wintertime is their breeding season, and it usually begins once temperatures start dropping at night. Many Ball Pythons will not eat during this time, regardless of whether or not there’s a snake of the opposite gender around.
Popular Pet Snakes
Mar 5th
Thoughtful article from Brandon Cornett. Read more of Brandon’s stuff at ReptileKnowledge.com
I’ve chosen what I feel are the best pet snakes based on four important criteria:
Average adult size
Temperament / behavior
Feeding habits
Health in captivity / hardiness
Here’s why I chose these four criteria:
Average Adult Size — For health reasons, a snake should be able to stretch out two-thirds of its body length inside its own cage. So if your pet snake reaches an adult length of six feet, the snake should ideally have a cage that’s around four feet in length. Adult snake size is important when you’re talking about types of pet snakes, because most people have limited space in their home that they can dedicate to snake keeping. The longest snake on my list usually will not exceed six and a half feet in length.
Temperament / Behavior — Experienced snake keepers and breeders will sometimes work with “unruly” snakes. But such snakes don’t make for good pets. So I’ve listed four types of snakes that generally have good temperaments (meaning they are reluctant bite and easy to tame).
Feeding Habits — If you’re going to keep snakes as pets (regardless of the species), you are going to be handling rodents. There’s no way around it. But it sure makes life easier when your pet snake readily eats frozen / thawed rodents, because you can buy them in bulk that way. Three out of the four snakes on my list will readily accept frozen / thawed rodents on a consistent basis. The fourth snake on my list (the ball python) can be a bit more “hit or miss” with regard to the foods they accept — at least in my experience. But they are still an excellent type of pet snake so I’ve included them on my list.
Health in Captivity / Hardiness — Some snakes are difficult to keep in captivity, and are best left to the professionals. So when considering a type of snake to keep as a pet, you’ll want to choose a snake species that does well in captivity from a health and wellness standpoint. The four pet snakes no my list will all thrive in captivity if their basics needs are met (proper temperature, clean cage, fresh water and regular feeding).
Best Types of Snakes to Keep as Pets
So those are the four criteria I used when making my list of best snakes to keep as pets. And now, without further ado, here are the four types of snakes I recommend as pets — especially for the novice snake-keeper.
Pet Snake #1 – The Corn Snake
This snake shows up on a lot of people’s lists of best pet snakes, and with good reason. Corn snakes meet all of the criteria I’ve outlined above: (A) they rarely grow to over six feet long, averaging just over five feet; (B) they have good temperaments and can easily be tamed when handled once a week or so; (C) they will generally accept frozen / thawed mice or rats on a consistent basis; and (D) they will generally live long, healthy lives if their basic needs are met.
On top of all this, corn snakes come in a wide variety of color “morphs” with names such as snow, pewter, blood red, candy cane and creamsicle … just to name a few.
It’s hard to go wrong by choosing the corn snake as your type of pet snake! I put the corn snake on the top of my list of pet snakes — especially for the first-time keeper.
Pet Snake #2 – The Kingsnake
There are actually a wide variety of kingsnake species and sub-species, and many of them make good pets for the reasons outlined above. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) is one of the most common types of pet snakes in general, and one of the most popular kingsnakes among keepers. Other kingsnakes commonly kept as pets include the grey-banded kingsnake, the Florida kingsnake, and the mountain kingsnake varieties.
The kingsnake species mentioned above (and several others) meet the four criteria I’ve outlined for good snakes to keep as pets. Depending on the species, adult kingsnakes will average between four and six feet in length. They can be tamed easily, they eat well, and they do well in captivity.
Also, because of the wide variety of species and sub-species, you can get a pet kingsnake with many different colors. Some are speckled, some are striped, some are banded — but all are interesting in their own way. The kingsnake is truly a great type of pet snake for any level of snake-keeper.
Pet Snake #3 – The Gopher Snake
I have an albino San Diego gopher snake (one of several gopher snake species), and I refer to him as my “ambassador” to the snake world. He is my ambassador because he has the best temperament of all my pet snakes. So he is the snake I get out whenever a curious — but somewhat intimidated — houseguest wants to learn about snakes. I tell them, “Wait right here. I’ve got just the snake for you to meet.”
I’ve shared this story because it’s indicative of gopher snake behavior. When you raise them by hand, they become extremely tame and are very predictable when outside of their enclosures.
Also, in the six+ years that I’ve had him, my gopher snake has only turned down a handful of meals … out of hundreds of meals! Usually, it would be because he was going into shed. So that satisfies another of our pet snake criteria — feeding behavior.
Gopher snakes reach an average adult length of just over six feet (though some species can grow a foot or so longer than that). Gopher snakes are the longest snakes on my list, but they are still a manageable size, and they do well in the 4′ x 2′ cages that you can find everywhere.
In addition to the San Diego gopher snake that I keep as a pet, there are Sonoran gopher snakes and Great Basin gopher snakes. While they don’t come in as wide a variety of colors as corn snakes and kingsnakes, the gopher snakes are still beautiful to behold.
For all of these reasons, gopher snakes are an excellent type of pet snake for the novice and the experienced keeper alike.
Pet Snake #4 – The Ball Python
I’ve put the ball python last on my list of best types of snakes to keep as pets for one reason only. They can be a bit more finicky with their eating.
For example, I currently keep four ball pythons that are the same age and kept in the exact same types of conditions (cages, heat, etc.). Nevertheless, they all have their own eating habits. Two of them will eat frozen / thawed rats on a fairly consistent basis. One will sometimes eat frozen / thawed, and sometimes not. The last one has only eaten frozen / thawed rats once — all the other times I’ve had to offer fresh rats. Yes, that means regular trips to the pet store!
As long as you accept this characteristic about ball pythons, and you’re okay with it, then I would still recommend them as a pet snake. They are very docile and reluctant to bite (I’ve never even had one strike at me). They rarely get longer than five and a half feet. And they do well in captivity if you take care of their basic needs. In fact, they can live for 25 years or more in captivity. So be sure you’re in it for the long haul if you choose a ball python as your type of pet snake.
Ball Python Fact Sheet
Feb 18th
Read more at Wikipedia. Ball Pythons
Description
Adults generally do not grow to more than 90–120 cm (3.0–3.9 ft) in length,[2] although some specimens have reached 152 cm and even 182 cm (5–6 feet), but this is very rare.[4] Females tend to be slightly bigger than males maturing at an average of 4-4.5 feet. Males usually average around 3-3.5 feet.[5] The build is stocky[2] while the head is relatively small. The scales are smooth[4] and both sexes have anal spurs on either side of the vent.[6] Although males tend to have larger spurs, this is not definitive, and sex is best determined via manual eversion of the male hemipenes or inserting a probe into the cloaca to find the inverted hemipenes (if male).[7]
The color pattern is typically black or dark brown with light brown or gold sides and dorsal blotches. The belly is a white or cream that may or may not include scattered black markings.[4] However, those in the pet industries have, through selective breeding, developed many morphs(genetic mutations) with altered colors and patterns.[8]
Common names
Royal python, ball python.[2]
The name ball python refers to the animal’s tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened.[9] The name royal python (from the Latin “regius”) is based in part on the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore the snake around her wrist.
Geographic range
Found in Africa from Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Niger and Nigeria through Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic to Sudan and Uganda. No type locality was given in the original description.[1]
Habitat
Prefers grasslands, savannahs and sparsely wooded areas.[2]
Behavior
This terrestrial species is known for its defense strategy that involves coiling into a tight ball when threatened, with its head and neck tucked away in the middle. In this state, it can literally be rolled around. Favored retreats include mammal burrows and other underground hiding places where they also aestivate. In captivity they are considered good pets, for their relatively small size and placid nature make them easy to handle.[2]
Feeding
In the wild, the diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African soft-furred rats, shrews and striped mice. Younger individuals have also been known to feed on birds. Pythons that are imported from the wild tend to be picky eaters and may not respond to food as well as captive-bred pythons, which usually do well on domestic rats and mice, either live, pre-killed, or frozen-thawed.[4] The size of the prey item given to a python should be equivalent to or slightly larger than the width of the largest part of their body. This python is known for being a picky eater and may not eat for months, particularly during the winter breeding season. While this is not odd, care should be taken to watch that the snake does not experience significant weight loss.[10]
Reproduction
Oviparous, with anywhere from 3-11 rather large, leathery eggs being laid (4-6 being most common).[4] These are incubated by the female under the ground and hatch after 55 to 60 days. Sexual maturity is reached at 6–18 months for males, 12–36 months for females. Age is only one factor in determining sexual maturity and ability to breed – weight is the second factor. Males will breed at 500 grams or less, but in captivity are often not bred until they are 800 grams (1.7 lbs.), and females will breed in the wild at weights as low as 800 grams, though 1200 grams or more is most common–in captivity, breeders generally wait until they are no less than 1500 g (3.3 lbs.). Parental care of the eggs ends once they hatch, and the female leaves the offspring to fend for themselves.[7]
Captivity
Due to their smaller size compared to other pythons and commonly docile temperament, these snakes are bred in captivity and have become popular as pets.[11] Juveniles tend to be more aggressive at first, but typically calm down as they get used to human contact. Wild-caught specimens have greater difficulty adapting to a captive environment, which can result in refusal to feed, and they generally carry internal or external parasites which must be eliminated by administering anti-parasitic drugs. Specimens have survived for over 40 years in captivity.[12] In captivity, most adult Python regius should be kept in a minimum of a 20 US gallons (76 L) long glass tank, as these pythons are ground dwellers and are highly secretive and largely sedentary. Some large females may require cages up to the size of a 40 US gallons (150 L) long tank. Also, at least two hiding places should be provided at different ends of the tank, one should have a thermostat-controlled heating pad under it to allow the animal to regulate its temperature. Be aware that most snakes are escape artists, therefore the tank should have a locking lid. Juveniles in particular may be stressed by overly large cages that do not have sufficient small hiding spaces. Controlled temperatures of 80 °F (27 °C) with a 90 °F (32 °C) basking area on one end of the cage are necessary for proper health. Humidity should be maintained at 60% to 80% with dry substrate.[7]
Beliefs and folklore
This species is particularly revered in the traditional religion of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is considered symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even among many Christian Igbos, these pythons are treated with great care whenever they happen to wander into a village or onto someone’s property; they are allowed to roam freely or are very gently picked up and placed out in a forest or field away from any homes. If one is accidentally killed, many communities in Igboland will still build a coffin for the snake’s remains and give it a short funeral
Cold Snap Killed Many Pythons in Everglades
Feb 15th
Pythons, iguanas, non-native fish died in January freeze
Excerpt from the Sun Sentinel’s Cold snap kills pythons
Vultures circled over Everglades National Park’s Anhinga Trail, where thousands of dead non-native fish floated in the marshes.
About half the Burmese pythons found in the park in the past few weeks were dead.
Dead iguanas have dropped from trees onto patios across South Florida. And in western Miami-Dade County, three African rock pythons — powerful constrictors that can kill people — have turned up dead.
Although South Florida’s warm, moist climate has nurtured a vast range of non-native plants and animals, a cold snap last month reminded these unwanted guests they’re not in Burma or Ecuador anymore.
Temperatures that dropped into the 30s killed Burmese pythons, iguanas and other marquee names in the state’s invasive species zoo.
Although reports so far say the cold has not eliminated any of them, it has sharply reduced their numbers, which some say may indicate South Florida is not as welcoming to invaders as originally thought.
“Anecdotally, we might have lost maybe half of the pythons out there to the cold,” said Scott Hardin, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s exotic species coordinator. “Iguanas definitely. From a collection of observations from people, more than 50 percent fatality on green iguanas. Green iguanas really got hit hard. Lots of freshwater fish died; no way to estimate that.”
The cold snap has played into a highly politicized debate over how to prevent non-native species from colonizing the United States. Reptile dealers and hobbyists strongly oppose a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the import of and interstate trade in Burmese pythons and several other large snakes. They say South Florida’s cold snap shows these species don’t threaten to spread north, as some claim, and a federal crackdown is unnecessary.
“Pythons are tropical animals,” said Andrew Wyatt, president of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers. “When temperatures fall below a certain level, they are unable to survive. It reinforces the idea that the pythons can’t exist more than a short period of time north of Lake Okeechobee. Even the pythons in the Everglades are dying during the cold snap.”
Wyatt said scientists are downplaying the effect of cold weather on the pythons because that would undermine their ability to win grants to study a problem that has received international publicity
Bear Market in Boas
Feb 15th
Premium Python, Once Worth $40,000, Now Sells for Half; ‘It’s Just Like Stocks’
Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal’s Bear Market in Boats
CHICO, Calif.—The stock market is back on track, and bond markets are open for business. But now, another inflated financial market is facing collapse: mutant pythons and boa constrictors.
Early in 2009, “investment grade” big snakes—critters with genetic mutations that create rare colorings—still held their premium values. But since last spring, the mutant-snake bubble has burst.
More photos and interactive graphics Premium pythons that could fetch $40,000 in 2007 now go for half that sum, breeders report. The price for a hypomelanistic boa constrictor, one with a mutation that lightens its skin tone, was $99 on Feb. 1, down from $5,000 in 2007, on Kingsnake.com, a classified-ad site that acts as a market-maker for snakes.
Ron Greenberg, a retired fiberglass-plant manager who keeps 1,000 snakes here in Chico, says demand has disappeared altogether for some boas he breeds. He can’t find buyers anymore for “sunglow” boa constrictors, which sport an unnatural reddish-orange-and-off-white coloration, and fetched $3,000 two years ago.
The turning point: Senate Bill 373, which Florida Democrat Bill Nelson proposed in February 2009 to prevent situations like one in the Everglades, where escaped Burmese pythons have devoured native animals. The bill would ban importation and interstate transport of boa constrictors, anacondas and large pythons. A similar antisnake bill followed in the House.
California Snake Breeder Is Feeling Squeezed
2:02
Federal lawmakers want to ban the interstate sales of boa constrictors and some pythons, to keep escaped snakes from eating native animals. But breeders like Ron Greenberg say the restrictions could bankrupt them. WSJ’s Justin Scheck reports.
Neither bill has passed yet, but “no one is willing to give me $10,000 for a snake when they think they may be added to an injurious-species list,” says Mike Wilbanks, 41 years old, an Oklahoma python breeder.
The boa bear market comes after years of growing demand for constrictors with genetic mutations that result in abnormal colors. A normal ball python today typically sells for under $100; a “piebald” python—white with rare blotches of brown and green—can fetch $3,000.
The rarer the mutation, the more expensive the snake, and investors paid huge sums for snakes that could produce babies that brought big returns. Adam Wysocki, a Maryland computer programmer, sold his house in 2006 and spent $40,000 on a rare “lesser platinum” ball python. He had money to invest, he says, but he “wanted to do something with it that was more than investing in Microsoft or something.” In 2007, he says, three of the prized snake’s young sold for $18,000 each.
Last year, Mr. Wysocki’s most expensive snake sold for just $7,000. While the relatively small ball python isn’t on the Senate bill’s trade-ban list, the market for it has been depressed, he says, because investors are afraid the snake will be added to the list.
The origins of the snake bubble harken back to the early 1980s, by many breeders’ accounts, after Florida reptile breeder Tom Crutchfield recognized a photo of an albino Burmese python in National Geographic magazine.
Mr. Crutchfield, looking to breed the snake, convinced a New York reptile trader to import the albino python and two of its siblings. To pay the $21,000 for the snakes, Mr. Crutchfield took a second mortgage on his house. He rented out one python for a $10,000-a-year stud fee and says he later sold about 40 of the three snakes’ young for $5,000 each.
The mutant-constrictor economy began to resemble the Dutch tulip mania of the 17th century, as snake speculators entered bidding wars for rare specimens, which they began calling “investment grade.” Buyers would then breed their own young mutants, selling them at high prices to other speculators who hoped to breed and sell to still others. “It’s always been a pyramid thing,” says Mr. Crutchfield who, after pleading guilty to charges related to illegal reptile smuggling, is back in business at age 60. “The people at the top make the most money.”
As rare-colored snakes reproduced and the mutation grew more common, sell-offs caused prices to drop. But there were always new mutations that sold for outlandish prices while scarce.
Tom Burke, a 55-year-old former tugboat driver in Long Island, expected his snake investments to be a fallback during the recession. Mr. Burke says his snake sales went up in late 2008, even as the rest of the economy crumbled.
Mr. Burke explains mutant-boa business economics thus: In 2008, an albino male boa and a motley female with an albino gene cost $1,000 for a pair. Within 30 months, the pair would likely produce at least five motley albino young, which sold for $1,500 each, at 2008 prices. Minus $1,000 or so in equipment and rats and mice to feed the snakes, profits would still be greater than 100%. “People who want to diversify their income or get a better income or a higher income, they do this,” Mr. Burke says. “It’s just like stocks.”
Like stocks, the snake market proved susceptible to sentiment. After Sen. Nelson introduced the snake bill, Mr. Burke says, demand dried up. Mike Panichi, a Brooklyn homicide detective who in 2005 borrowed from his retirement fund to invest in boas, says he got frequent inquiries from prospective snake buyers until early 2009. But now, he says, there’s “zero interest.” The snake market took another hit last month, when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar separately proposed adding several constrictor species to the “injurious wildlife” list that cannot be imported or carried across state lines.
Max Whittaker for The Wall Street Journal
Ron Greenberg, who keeps 1,000 snakes in Chico, Calif., says demand has disappeared for some snakes, like this albino Burmese python.
Bryan Gulley, a spokesman for Sen. Nelson, says he feels for the breeders, but says big snakes can be dangerous. He points to a 12-foot anaconda that was found last month in a Florida pond with a goose in its gullet, and a pet Burmese python that allegedly strangled a Florida toddler to death in July.
Snake breeders counter that most pet constrictors are less dangerous than a large dog. Andrew Wyatt, president of the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers, testifying on Capitol Hill against antisnake legislation, said that captive boas and pythons “are not the dangerous killers portrayed by activists in the media.”
Mr. Wysocki, the Maryland breeder, has been selling his collection to fund a lobbying organization he calls the National Pet Association. The NPA is trying to rally people outside the snake community to oppose the Senate snake bill on the grounds that it could be a slippery slope toward restricting dogs and cats.
“What they don’t realize is the economic impact this is going to have,” says Mr. Crutchfield, the albino-python pioneer, who notes that the constrictor crunch will squeeze suppliers of snake food, too. “What about the guy who sells rats? Who’s going to buy jumbo rats?”
Good question, says Bill Parker, owner of Feeder Mice Unlimited in Oroville, Calif. Mr. Parker, 76, raises about 40,000 mice and rats on a former catfish farm. His company brought in almost $300,000 in 2008, he says, mainly from reptile enthusiasts. But last year business was down about 30%, and he had to lay off three employees. If the Senate bill passes, he says, “that will kill us.”
Herpetology Defined
Feb 6th
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including the frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophionae) and of reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras).
Herpetology is concerned with poikilothermic, ectothermic tetrapods. “Herps” (or sometimes “herptiles” or “herpetofauna”) include reptiles and amphibians, but exclude fish. However, it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to “team up”, publishing joint journals and holding conferences in order to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields. One of the most prestigious organizations, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, is an example of this. Many herpetological societies exist today having been formed to promote interest in reptiles and amphibians both captive and wild.
Herpetology offers benefits to humanity in the study of the role of amphibians and reptiles in global ecology, especially because amphibians are often very sensitive to environmental changes, offering a visible warning to humans that significant changes are taking place. Some toxins and venoms produced by reptiles and amphibians are useful in human medicine. Currently, some snake venom has been used to create anti-coagulants that work to treat stroke victims and heart attack cases.
The word “herpetology” is from Greek: ἑρπετόν, herpeton, “creeping animal” and -λογία, -logia. People with an avid interest in herpetology and who keep different reptiles or amphibians, often refer to themselves as “herpers.”
Finding the Right Snake Enclosure
Jan 4th
Article Provided by HowToDoThings.com
Many people find snakes to be the perfect choice when selecting a pet. Snakes require little space, infrequent feeding, and don’t leave hair on your shirt when you hold them. While owning a snake might appear to be a low maintenance pet, potential snake owners need to consider the environment they will provide for their new pet. One of the most important considerations in caring for a snake is how to find the right snake enclosures for the species you are considering.
The overall rule of thumb for sizing a snake enclosure is to have a cage that is at least the length of the snake being housed. Of course, different species of snake have different requirements. Larger, slower-moving snakes require less room to move around in their enclosures. Smaller, “racer” type snakes will require more room to get the exercise that they need. In particular there are some factors to consider when you begin to search for the right snake enclosure for your pet:
Temperature gradient: Snakes, like all reptiles cannot control their own body heat. The only mechanism that a snake has to adjust its body heat is by moving from a hotter area to a cooler one and vice versa. When choosing a snake enclosure, make sure the enclosure is large enough that you can create a temperature gradient inside the enclosure. For example you may have an area heated by a lamp at one end of the enclosure, and a shady den on the other end, so that the snake can choose the correct environment for its own needs at all times.
Humidity: Different snake species have different needs for humidity. Learn all you can about your chosen species before choosing an enclosure for your new snake. Aquariums are generally the best choice for maintaining a more humid environment, while composite or wooden enclosures can work well with species that do not need as much ambient moisture.
Height and depth: Most people look only at floor space when considering what kind of snake enclosure to buy, however for some species of snake, height is just as important as width. Arboreal species of snake like to have tree branches to drape over, and therefore require a taller enclosure than a bottom loving snake. Snakes which require frequent soaking will need a deeper enclosure to ensure enough room for a soaking pool. As always, when you are trying to find the right snake enclosure, ask a professional to make a recommendation for the species of snake that you are considering adding to your family.
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