Snakes
Snakes have no arms or legs, and use a natural undulation of their bodies to move through their habitat. Most species are not poisonous, preferring to either capture and swallow their prey whole, or constrict them in their powerful coils until their meal dies of suffocation.Centres D'Animaux Nature Pet Centers have quite a variety of snakes available in all of our stores. We do not carry any venomous varieties. We do, however, have a wide variety of boas, pythons and other types in the reptile departments of each store.
Any snake is ectothermic. They must control their body temperature using external means for heat and cooling. Because of this, they are often found basking in the warmth of sun heated rocks to bring their temperature higher then the outside air.
Many of their enzymatic reactions occur only in certain strict temperature ranges, so they need to be able to keep their body temperature as stable as possible. For more information on serpents in general, you can begin with wikipedia
One result of this reliance on the external environment for their body temperature is the fact that their metabolisms are often quite slow. They do not need to be fed often and will still survive quite well.
Once fed, their general activity level often slows quite a bit while they digest the meal. This is an advantage for people who want a pet that they can leave alone for an extended period of time without worrying that it will starve.
Besides being able to go a long time between feedings, a pet snake is very quiet and requires very little actual maintenance, as long as their primary needs are met by their habitat.
Often they require a warm area to help bring their internal body temperature up to the correct level to facilitate digestion. They also need a cooler area to escape when their body temperature rises too much.
Our reptile experts can suggest the most suitable environments for the snake of your choice.
Anaconda Eunectes notaeus
Anacondas are some of the largest snakes in the world, the green anaconda will grow to as large as 5 meters and is feared because of their size and multiple accounts of encounters with humans. They are very strong and will not be shy to use their power whenever disturbed.
Not all the stories are true, but anacondas are some of the most feared non-venomous serpents known to man. The yellow anaconda does not grow as large, it rarely reaches a length of 4 meters.
Anacondas are basically aquatic, preferring to spend their time in and around the water. They take prey that wander too close to the shore or are swimming in the water. They are very good at finding food as the dry seasons occurs and there are less open spaces for water dwelling animals to escape. They are quite willing to take fish, turtles, lizards, small mammals and even birds - if they can get them. They will attack, kill and feed on surprising large animals for their size.
Anacondas are not venomous, and use constriction as their primary kill method. Once wrapped in the coils, they are easily able to suffocate and eat their prey. Be sure to provide plenty of room and a semi or aquatic space for these large serpents to live.
They are not known to be easily tamed and prefer to be left alone as much as possible. It is not uncommon for an anaconda to display a difficult personality and very little tolerance for humans. Don't be surprised if a pet is unpredictable, that has become their well earned reputation.
Boa Constrictors - Boa constrictor
Boa constrictors are often quite heavily constructed with power constricting muscles throughout their entire length. They will wrap their prey in their powerful coils and constrict to the point where the animal suffocates or has terminal organ ruptures.
In general they are quite large, although not as large as some of the pythons or anacondas will attain. They have massively constructed bodies and are quite heavy. In most cases, the females are quite a bit larger than their male counterparts.
Most Boas are nocturnal, although they might be seen basking in the sun during the day if they find the ambient temperature too low during the nights. They are found in a wide ranging set of habitats and as long as there is suitable food and shelter. They are not difficult to keep.
Expect a boa kept as a pet to reach a fairly large size and require a roomy enclosure. Young boas may climb and use tree branches, but as they age and gain heavy muscle, they will become more and more earthbound. They are not venomous, but depending on the individual, can bite. These bites can be painful, and should be attended to quickly as there can be a risk of infection, but there is no poison in the bite.
California Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula californiae
The California Kingsnake is found in western United States and as far south as northern Mexico. It is non-venomous and will grow up to four to five feet in length. It has exploited quite a large number of habitats.
This ability to live in a lot of different conditions makes it relatively easy to care for. It will tolerate a wide range of conditions. Because of this adaptability to its living conditions, it has become one of the the more popular pets.
California kingsnakes are seen in quite a number of color combinations and natural morphs in the wild. In addition, they have been quite successfully bred in captivity and a number of color variations have been developed that are never found in the wild.
They can be banded or have a stripe down the back, often depending on the region where they were found, or the breeding pair, originated.
They are strong constrictors and will hunt a variety of warm blooded prey that they will suffocate in their coils. They have become immune to rattlesnake venom, and although they do not seek them as their preferred food, are more than a match for almost any rattler they encounter.
Habitat is important, both for the proper regulation of temperature, but also the size of the enclosure. A terrarium that is too large can cause stress to young individuals.
It is better to start with a smaller area and move the growing pet to larger quarters as they age.
Milk Snake Lampropeltis triangulum
Another popular snake as a pet is a species related to the kingsnakes commonly called the milksnake. These also have very distinctive and attractive bands or blotches on them. They are quite popular since they are do not grow to be overly large, usually about a meter or so when fully developed.
They are generally easy to care for. Let the experts at Centres D'Animaux Nature Pet get you started on the right foot with any new snake, like the milk snakes, by helping you get all the essentials needed for these silent pets.
Rat Snake
Rat snakes are relatively large predators of small mammals such as rats and mice, as well as birds. They can get rather large, up to ten feet or so, depending on the individual species.
Rat snakes are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere with representatives in both Europe and North America. One of the most common rat snakes kept is the corn snake, which are often found in the reptile cages of the various Centres D'animaux NATURE Pet stores.
The black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta) is also known as the pilot black snake or simply black snake depending on where it is observed. This is the largest snake found native in Canada and have been seen to be up to eight feet in length.
As a constrictor it will squeeze its prey by coiling around it and tightening its hold until the unfortunate animal can no longer breath and thus suffocates. Besides eating rats for which it is named, it will also eat smaller birds, frogs, lizards, chipmunks and even another snake should it cross their path.
Corn snakes - Elaphe guttata
The Corn snake is a species of rat snake that is quite easy to keep and care for. They have become popular snakes as pets due to their generally peaceful nature. Another feature in their favor is that they do not grow exceptionally large, a full grown specimen rarely tops six feet.
Corn snakes are constrictors that feed upon rats and mice as their preferred diet. They received their name because they were attracted to places where rats and mice congregate. Farmers that kept their corn in bins or cribs offered an attractive food source for rats and mice to infest.
The "corn snakes" simply followed their prey in. They are quite good climbers, so any habitat should be solidly closed and unable to be pushed open by a captive corn snake.
Corn snakes, are quite pleasing to watch as they move. Their bodies are decorated with nice patterns. They have been bred in captivity and more colour variations such as albino are becoming common as well. They are found throughout the mid- and southern regions of the US all the way to Mexico
Pythons
There are a number of pythons available as pets. They originally were imported from northern Africa and asian areas such as Pakistan, India, Thailand and Malaysia. They are not native to North America, although it seems that some released pythons have been able to successfully invade and exploit areas of Florida and the Everglades.
There are a number of pythons available as pets, Centres D'Animaux Nature Pet offer quite a number of species including the Ball (Royal) python and green tree python. These are constrictor and do not have any venom.
The ball python does not grow very large and has classically been one of the most popular snake as kept as a pet. They are rarely aggressive and make quite good pets for those who enjoy the companionship of a pet snake.
