First Time Reptile Parent Guide

Getting yourself a legless buddy isn’t like getting a puppy or a kitten where you can get essentially any breed and rely on generic care guides that are accurate across all breeds. Reptiles are a little trickier. Snakes come from all different corners of the globe so one may need slightly different care to another. They come from different climates and live in entirely different environments. Some snakes spend their whole lives on the ground while others climb trees and some burrow into the ground. Not only do you need the basics but you’ll also need to research some information on the individual species you want to adopt.

Some of the most common snakes for first time guardians include:

They all require a slightly different setup when it comes to their care. All snakes will need some extra heat source as the UK can get quite chilly for our scaly friends but what they need will differ slightly. A corn snake will need a nice warm basking area of between 30 and 32°C with the rest of their enclosure being between 24 and 28°C. A Kingsnake will need a slightly cooler basking area of around 26 to 30°C with the rest of the tank being between 21 and 24°C. All snakes need their home to have a temperature gradient to give them the freedom to choose where they situate themselves but what they need is a little different.

First things first, you need to know what to have stocked and ready when you plan on bringing your new addition home so you can provide them with all the comfort they need right from the start. Snakes are very particular when it comes to their environment. Unlike our furry friends, they can’t generate their own body heat so rely on their surroundings being just right to enable them to stay warm and thrive. You’ll need to have their home set up and a good stock of food to offer to help settle them in.

Snakes are carnivorous animals and in the wild will eat various mammals and invertebrates. Most snakes kept as pets will be fed a diet of rodents depending on the size of your scaly friend. Smaller snakes will need a smaller source of food like PLT Frozen Small Mice Fuzzies Reptile Food while larger snakes can eat larger prey like PLT Medium Frozen Rat Weaner Reptile Food. When you are looking for a good source of snake food for your reptiles, be sure to get them for a reputable company as feeding a poor quality diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies in your beloved pet.

A good food source will breed animals specifically to become food for your pets so you know they have been fed good quality food to sustain your snake. The food needs to be stored in a freezer and defrosted fully before feeding them to your pet. Smaller snakes will need feeding every three days or twice a week while larger snakes who may eat several rats in one go might only need to be fed once a week. All food should be handled with tongs like the Komodo Feeding Tongs Angled and should not be left uneaten in the tank if they are not hungry and refuse them. Any surfaces the food may come into contact with will need disinfecting a tough cleaner like Johnson's Clean 'n' Safe For Reptiles.

Snakes enjoy high humidity environments so a glass tank or vivarium is an ideal home for them. A home like the Exo Terra Large Wide Terrarium makes for a good start for most snakes however if you get a larger species you may need a larger tank or if you want to house an arboreal species that likes to spend their time in trees like the Green Tree Viper, you may need a taller home to add lots of climbing places for them.

Every tank will need a heat source which can be an Exo Terra Infrared Basking Spot or a Prorep Cloth Heat Mat that heats from the bottom. Snakes love warmth so any lamps that get warm will need to be protected with something like ProRep Heater Guard to stop them trying to snooze on the bulb itself and causing an injury to themselves. You will notice that your new addition will bask after every meal as they need the extra heat to help them digest their food.

When it comes to picking the perfect substrate for your snake, it again comes down to individual species. A snake from a tropical climate who loves humidity will enjoy a substrate like ProRep Coarse Bark Chips which do a great job of holding onto any moisture in the air. Other species like the Hognose snake would prefer a soft substrate like ProRep Natural Desert Sand as they enjoy to dig right down into it.

Once you have their home right with a good size vivarium and suitable substrate, most snakes will appreciate a nice private hideaway where they can rest in peace, a nice cave like the Exo Terra Reptile Caves Large is ideal for napping in. You may not see them drink very often but they do need a source of water like the ProRep Resin Wood Effect Terrarium Bowl - Medium though their water bowls often double as a bath, especially when they’re shedding.

Now you have your whole setup ready for your new addition, you only need to consider health insurance and future vet care. Finding a vet for your exotic pets can be a little more tricky than owning a puppy, as not all vets specialise in exotic species so it’s good to do some research and find a practice that is equipped to take on your new addition. For all of your reptile requirements, visit us in store and online.