WHY VENOMOUS SNAKES MAKE HORRIBLE AND TERRIBLE PET

Every single year, emergency rooms have venomous snake owners showing up with a venomous snake bite. Even though the act of owning a venomous snake for a pet is illegal in most areas, the venomous snake is a popular pet in today’s society. Perhaps it is the danger of owning one, or the taboo nature of having one captive, but more and more people are attempting to keep them as pets.

If the thought has ever crossed your mind, I would like you to consider the man that was in the news this past winter. He was bitten in the face by a venomous gaboon viper. A gaboon viper is a large, heavy bodied snake that is actually rather docile by nature. They are not known as overly aggressive snakes, but they are still extremely deadly. Add to this the fact that they have the longest fangs of any venomous snake in the world at over two inches, and you have a recipe for disaster.

This gaboon viper struck the man in the face, and yet he survived. It is said that a gaboon viper bite is one of the most painful snake bites on the planet. One can only imagine how bad it would hurt to be bitten in the face. Since the gaboon viper is native to Africa, the other problem is finding the anti venom to save the man’s life. He was saved, but I bet he was second guessing that decision to keep a venomous snake for a pet.

The gaboon viper story is far from exclusive in the way of venomous bites. People have been bitten by cobras, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, coral snakes, and even black mambas while trying to keep them captive.

Even snake handlers that do this for a living get bitten on occasion, and they know what they are doing. Snake milkers, that extract the venom from venomous snakes for the anti venom are bitten on occasion and they handle venomous snakes on a daily basis. If you are thinking of keeping a venomous snake, then what do you think that your chances of avoiding a venomous snake bite may be?

There is a very good reason that venomous snakes are illegal to keep as pets. You are not qualified to care for them safely, and they are deadly. These two reasons are enough for most people, and the rest are risking grave danger. If you are not a herpetologist, and have great experience with handling dangerous snakes, then please just find a harmless snake to keep for a pet.

Some outstanding choices for harmless snakes as pets include corn snakes, ball pythons, king snakes, garter snakes, and even rat snakes if they are tamed……Or you could always just get a dog.

SHOULD YOU HAVE A SNAKE AS A PET?

So you are thinking about getting a snake for a pet? Snakes make wonderful pets if you are careful and you know what type of snake to get. Some snakes are not a good fit for you and your family, while others are wonderful for most any family. This article will explore the things you need to consider before taking on a snake as a pet, along with what types of snakes make good pets.

One of the first things you must consider when you are getting a snake for a pet is the care of the reptile. A snake is not an animal you can just stick in a cage. Snakes have special needs in captivity, and it goes a bit further than just dietary concerns. For example, did you know that you have to provide a heat source for your snake? Also, you have to provide water, and various other things to allow your snake to feel at home like they do in the wild.

Different species have different needs, so you can not treat all snakes the same. Before you own any snake for a pet, you should research the species and learn about any of these special health needs.
Another concern that many people do not realize is that you often have to feed the snake live prey. Some snakes will eat already dead food, but the vast majority like to eat live prey. That means mice, rats, rabbits (for larger snakes), or other similar mammals. This can be a very troubling experience for some people.

Snakes are very good pets if you get the right kind and you know how to care for them. Where many people mess up with snakes as pets is when they try to keep a venomous snake or larger species of snake. These snakes are very dangerous, and should never be kept as pets unless you are a herpetologist or similar reptile expert. Some of the more dangerous snakes in North America are the coral snake, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths. These snakes are capable of killing a human being, and should never be kept as a pet.

Other snakes are available that are very good pets for most snake owners. Some good examples of types of snakes that are good pets include corn snakes, garter snakes, king snakes, and some of the smaller boas and pythons such as the ball python. Even these smaller pythons and boas can still get fairly large so you should consider this when thinking of owning one as a pet.

Snakes overall make excellent pets. Just be sure that you think it through, and learn your species. Stay away from the larger snakes, as well as the venomous snakes as pets. If you stick to these general principles, you should have a very nice experience owning your new pet snake.

My rug is not a toilet!

Someone sent this to my box and for cat owners, this could be a problem solved for you……My 6 yr. old female cat has begun defecating occasionally on throw rugs within a few feet of her covered litter box! The litter box is not new and she will do this even when the box has been freshly cleaned. HELP!

Your cat is doing one of three things:

• She either objects to something in the litter tray (this may have been something that happened in the past and is now simply an association).
• There is an outside disturbance and your is marking her territory/ relieving anxiety (more likely to be the case if this is happening near a window or door).
• She prefers the carpet substrate.

You need to clean up your rugs thoroughly using an enzymatic cleaner. It might also be preferable to remove the rugs for a while, if possible. If not, use deterrents such as citrus skins laid over the rugs. If you suspect another cat in the vicinity, close all window blinds to prevent your cat seeing the other one and have a word with the cats’ owners.

Replace your litter trays with new ones, preferably of a different size. I like to encourage owners to buy bigger ones than the typical small ones available in most stores. Make sure you are using a deep layer of litter and cleaning it often. When all else fails, some owners have had success in getting their cats back into the litter tray by placing off cut of carpet in there! With time, you can sprinkle litter over the carpet and gradually increase this until the cat learns that this is the best substrate for toileting.