Owning a pet is a normal rite of passage for a child. What more can a parent do but play along? Having a pet teaches a child a lot of things, chiefly, to be caring, responsible and loving. These are sterling qualities that your child can use in later life, qualities that can make him or her into a generally better person.

The normal choices would be dogs, cats and fishes. But, what about those who yearn for something different? What if they want one or more pet snakes for Christmas or Hanukah or Kwanzaa? What can a parent do?

Most would be repulsed by the very idea of having reptile snakes as pets in the house. Some even say snakes are dangerous and should not be anywhere around kids. But consider this, not all snakes are venomous and aggressive. There are docile and tame ones, like the corn snake. And surprisingly, there are more deaths caused by dogs than venomous snakes in the United States last year.

A pet snake does not cost a huge amount of money and maintenance, unlike other pets. You'll need up to $150 to be fully equipped for the snake with the cage plus the tank heater. Most snakes only need to eat once a week and their food is available in any pet store. Most snakes require a supply of frozen rodents that you thaw and feed them as required. Make sure you really do the research to know the best health care and maintenance for your pet snake.

A good quality pet snake book will be valuable for a new pet snake owner. Most domestically bred snakes are quite tame and curl up on a child's hand without difficulty. A popular choice is the corn snake, but a normal adult corn snake can grow up to five feet and you'll need a fairly large tank for that.

Caring for a snake pet is a tough job indeed. These amazing and dangerous reptiles are prone to many mood swings and flexible temperaments that could cause severe harm to the owner. You will need to have proper training and dedication into making a snake happy and contented. Here are some tips.

1) Get the tame ones

Studies have shown that captive bred snakes are more likely to be better pets than their wild counterparts. This is because these creatures are already ?softened up? by the snake breeders and is more used to human presence, unlike wild-bred ones. This type of snakes is more aggressive and easily feels threatened when approached by a human. This increases the risk of harm inflicted on the owner.

2) Conditions

A healthy snake is a cold-blooded one. Surrounding temperatures, which differ for different snakes, need to be kept constant to allow the snakes to maintain their blood temperature. They can also wriggle through any gaps and holes, if there is any. So, your best bet is a sealed, breathable and temperature-controlled case.

3) Proper research

Find out everything you need about your scaly friend and about caring for snakes. Sometimes, something as mundane as feeding a snake can be quite complicated. Some snakes will only take live prey and ignore pre-killed ones. Others can only feed on certain types of rodents. It is also advisable to feed newborn snakes small portions of pre-killed prey. They can be quite hesitant in killing moving targets and may be injured in the process.

You also have to be able to ?read? the snake. Knowing your snake's pattern of behavior may come in handy when he's sick. That way, you can quickly treat it before its condition deteriorates.

Snake care, no matter what you choose as your pet, has never been easy or for the faint hearted. For pet snakes, your responsibility does not end when you have chosen the species. You should be familiar with the correct care and feeding of snakes, the behavioral characteristic, and have the commitment to keep snakes as pets.

It is absolutely essential that anyone new to caring for snakes or thinking about buying a pet snake, gets as much information as possible about how to be a responsible owner and keep you snake healthy. A good snake care book will provide all the information you need, including how to breed snakes, and will be a helpful resource for you for the entire lifetime of your snake.

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