snakes

[musicmummy]

Hi, my ten year old son has had an overwhelming fascanation with snakes for over two years now. He is very very knowledgable on them, and watches and reads up on them at any oppertunity. I wa hoping it would wear off haha. He wants to get a cornsnake as a pet, do you think its a good idea and choice for his age? Any info welcomed. K.

[Josyjo]

Depends on your view of snakes. We used to keep cornsnakes - and they are incredibly easy to care for - 1 meal and 1 poo per week! The equipment isn't even particularly expensive.
The drawback for some people is mealtimes - you need to feed on dead mice - they can be purchased easily enough, and usually frozen, we used to keep them in a box in the freezer, but some people are a little squeamish about it....
All in all, they are a fascinating and easy pet to keep, but not everybody's cup of tea!

[musicmummy]

Thanks for that, i was thinking of one for christmas(he is a very responsible boy) can you tell me how long they are likley to live, and do they get health problems, and are they easily handled(do they bite) I dont want to ask him or he will bore me to death with facts and figures for the next three hours haha

[Josyjo]

Well, they can live anything from 10-20 years in captivity - health problems can largely be avoided by maintaining correct humidity in the vivarium and not handling them too much.
None of my snakes were 'biters', and really were happy enough so long as they are handled only gently, not too often, and not surprised.
One of the most interesting aspects I found was in breeding the snakes, which was both fascinating and rewarding, and the local reptile stores were happy to take the babies off our hands. (Aw!) I would definitely recommend them as a pet for your son, who sounds like he would definitely benefit from the experience!

[taliesin238]

If he is that much into them and knows that much about them and you dont mind having one in the house then let him have one!! I am a firm believer in encouraging a child with all that he is interested in especially if he is as passionate about it as your son is!!

[musicmummy]

Yes he is very passionate about them, his favourite is the coral snake, and something called(and excuse me if i mis-spell this) a reticulated python??????
I managed to buy him three very large rubber snakes last Christmas, and he uses a litter picking stick to handle them. haha. When we were in Florida in May he couldnt wait to go to Busch Gardens as they have quite a few and there is a trainer handling session, but when we went they were in quarantine for some reason, so he was dissapointed to say the least.
Thanks to you people who replied.
I shall re-post and let you know how we get on. Kx