This is not a guide for handling wild snakes. It is not a good idea to handle wild snakes unless it is absolutely necessary. These tips are intended to help pet owners handle adopted snakes that, through abuse, neglect, or nature, have become aggressive.
Wild Pets
There are several reasons that wild animals make bad pets, and this is true of wild snakes as much as any other animal. Even those that are not poisonous could carry contaminants on their skin that will sicken a human being. Many reptiles and amphibians can, though it is not common, carry salmonella and other diseases, which can be passed to humans, but which will not effect the reptile.
This is true of both pets and wild snakes, but the chances of contamination from a pet are reduced. Still, it is important to wash your hands after handling a pet snake or any surfaces the snake has been in contact with.
Abused and Neglected Pets
The bad news is that a snake learns pretty much everything it's ever going to learn in the first few months of its life. That is not to say that an adult snake cannot learn different behaviors, but it is a much slower process. What this means is that if a snake was abused or neglected from a very young age, it is likely that the animal will never be docile enough to handle. If this is the case, the best course of action may be to seek out a shelter or refuge in the area, where professionals can take care of the snake. It is an unlikely case, though, because a responsible breeder will not allow a snake to be purchased until it is at least an adolescent.
For snakes made aggressive through abuse or neglect in their adulthood, the first step an owner will want to take is to change what and how it is fed, if that is at all possible. Frozen mice or rats that have been thawed discourage aggressive behavior. Feeding them in a separate enclosure also helps train the snake not to strike at every thing that comes into its own enclosure, like its owner's hands. These two measures will teach the snake that it does not need to compete or hunt for food.
The second step is to house the snake in a place where it can relax. It is a myth that snakes cannot hear, but it is not a myth that they are extremely sensitive to ground vibrations. Even disturbances like the casual footsteps of a family through a high traffic area like the living area or a hallway can be unsettling to an already nervous snake. The owner's bedroom can be a great place to house the snake. Not only is it low traffic, in most cases, but it will also help the snake become accustomed to the smell of its owner.
Naturally Aggressive Snakes
Some breeds, especially venomous breeds, are just naturally aggressive animals, and the most a pet owner can hope for is to get the snake comfortable enough that he or she can handle the animal when necessary. Here are a couple of tips to maximize a snake's docility. These can also be useful for helping tame, abused, and neglected snakes, just as the tips above can be helpful for naturally aggressive snakes. Naturally aggressive snakes, though, will probably always feel the need to hunt and may always be protective of their enclosure.
A snake is less likely to strike at its environment than it is to strike at stuff in its environment. Draping a towel or small blanket over the snake so that it is completely enveloped will usually help keep it calm while it is picked up. This is a trick used by breeders for acclimating snakes to being handled.
It is also a myth that snakes cannot see or cannot see in color. Most snakes can see in color. They just see a more narrow spectrum than we can. The owner of an aggressive snake may wish to research his or her specific breed of snake to determine what, if any, colors the snake can see. A pair of gloves in a color that the snake can see can be a useful indicator during feeding time.
The gloves may prevent the snake from biting through to the skin, if they are thick or tough enough, and the snake will begin to associate the sight of them with feeding time and submit to being picked up and moved into its feeding enclosure. It is best if these gloves are of a color that the snake does not see all the time, and that they are only worn for moving the snake during feeding time. Over time, the snake will begin to associate the act of being picked up, alone, with being fed, and the gloves can be put away.
Make Smart Pet Choices
Generally speaking, naturally aggressive snakes are not the best choice in pets. Some are beautiful display pieces, though, so it is understandable that some people are going to want them regardless of their natural tendencies. The CDC recommends that families with young children not keep reptiles or amphibians, at all. With proper hygiene, the real chances of any kind of infection spreading are slim, but an aggressive pet is aggressive without regard to the age of its handlers. Anybody in the market for a pet snake should understand that aggressive animals and families do not mix. If an aggressive animal is going to be kept in a house with children, steps should be taken to encourage the animal to be as docile as possible, and it should be secured in such a way that it cannot escape and that the children cannot, whether by accident or intent, access the animal.
Sources
- Reptiles, Amphibians and Salmonella. CDC Features. July 20, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/salmonellafrogturtle/
Beau Harmon - Beau is a Mensan and graduate of Oklahoma State University. His interests range from balloon animals and robots to the depths of ...
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