SNAKE MANAGEMENT
March 27, 2012
Michelle Rutz-Mendicino
SNAKES
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Habitats - desert to marshes
Diets - ovivorous, carnivorous,
insectivorous
Temperature requirements - widely
varied and species dependent
Bottom line - do your homework
SNAKE CARE
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Research - Different snakes have
different needs
Vet - Find one experienced with snakes
Housing
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Secure cage
At least as long as the snake
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Reduces lung infections
SNAKE CARE
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Substrate
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Sand (+/-)
Wood shavings - NOT cedar or pine
Newspaper
Water
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Bowl available at all times
Must keep clean and change often
Needed for shedding and humidity
Much of requirement comes from prey
SNAKE CARE
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Heat
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Lamp or ceramic heater
Gradient 70-95° F (highly species dependent)
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Vertical and horizontal gradients
Under-tank heaters, don’t use hot rocks
Light
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All snakes require UV-B
12-16 hours depending on time of year
SNAKE CARE
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Activity
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Diurnal or Nocturnal
Require “hides” and things to climb
Other
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Quarantine of new additions
Food –
Frozen mice/rats/rabbits/etc..
 Weekly (good starting point)
 Diameter of snake
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SNAKE CARE
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Handling
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Hook - best
Tong - harmful to
snake
Sack/Bag
Exit can - for
dumping snake
from sack
Snake Taxonomy
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Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
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Distinguished from legless lizards
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No eyelids
No external ears
Geography and Size
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Snakes found on all continents but
Antartica
Found on most islands
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Ireland’s snakes
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The last Ice Age, and not St. Patrick
Vary widely in size
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4 inches to 25 feet
Fossil record up to ~50 feet
World Record Snake
Common Classes
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Boidae
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Pythonidae
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Family of primitive non-venomous snakes
comprising Boas and related constrictors
Family of large non-venomous snakes comprising
many species of ambush predators/constrictors
Colubridae
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Garbage bin family of (usually) non-venomous
snakes. Two thirds of all snakes
Common Classes
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Elapidae
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Family of venomous snakes of the tropics and
subtropics; ex Cobra, with hollow fixed fangs
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United States species
Viperidae
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Family of venomous snakes found world wide
(except Antartica). Rattlesnakes and vipers.
Boidae 
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Many species
Habitat - sandy, semi-arid (for many)
Diet - small rodents
Non-venomous
Brown patterns
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Sand Boa
some have orange
Females - 18 inches, 200 gm
Males - 15 inches, 70 gm
Desert Sand Boa
Eryx miliaris
Boidae 
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Red Tailed Boa
Literally – Boa Constrictor
Habitat – South America, tropical
Diet – Rodents
Non-venomous
Characteristic red
markings on tail
Females – 7-10 ft
Males – 6-8 ft
Boa constrictor
Pythonidae – Ball Python
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Many color varieties
Habitat – Africa, arid, dry
Diet – Rodents
Non-venomous
Very placid and docile
Females – 4 – 4.5 ft
Males – 3- 3.5 ft
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Also known as Royal python
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Python regius
Pythonidae – Burmese Python
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Many color varieties
Habitat – Asia, tropic
and subtropic, semiaquatic
Diet – Large rodents
Non-venomous
Can reach up to 19 ft!
Generally 12 ft
Python molurus bivittatus
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Everglades Invader!
Pythonidae – Reticulated Python
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Many color varieties
Habitat – Southeast
Asia, tropical, semiaquatic
Diet – Large rodents
Non-venomous
Size – 10-20 ft
Largest snake on
record!
Python reticulatus
Colubridae – Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake
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Many color varieties
and patterns
Habitat – SE and
central U.S.
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Grasslands, forests
Diet – small rodents
Non-venomous
Size – 3.9 – 6 ft
Can live up to 23 yoa
Pantherophis guttatus
guttatus
Colubridae – King Snakes
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Many color varieties
Milk snake is a
common species
Habitat – Canada to
South America
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Forested regions
Diet – small rodents
Non-venomous
Size – 20 – 60 inches
Lampropeltis triangulum
SNAKE CARE
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Temperament
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Species dependent
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Ball pythons to reticulated pythons
More anxious when shedding and
feeding
Other characteristics
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Musking
Constricting
SNAKE CARE
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Breeding
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Live bearers - boa constrictors, water and garter
snakes, and rattlesnakes
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Egg layers – colubrids, pythons
Brumation
“Cool down” period
 May require several months
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Incubation (Highly species dependent!)
78-84 ° F
 ~ 2 months
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Cooling Snakes for Breeding
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Full feed when not cooling (weekly)
Separate sexes (optional)
Stop feeding for several wks prior to
cooling
Cool 20 degrees F for ~3 months
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Light 10-12 hrs
Put sexes together; incr. temp to
normal; light 13 hrs + 20 min/week to
16 hrs
SNAKE CARE
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Sexing - copperhead hemipenes
SNAKE CARE
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Sexing
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Size of snake
Length of tail from cloaca
Hemipenis
“cloacal pop”
Sexing: Appearance of Snake
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Unreliable in most species:
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Leaf-nosed snake of Madagascar
Visually
sexing
Snakes
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Female tail
shorter,
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stubbier
Male tail
longer,
slimmer
SNAKE CARE
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Sexing
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“cloacal pop”
Only used in
young snakes
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No defined age
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Harder on older
snakes
Depends on
size of snake
Cloacal Eversion
“Popping”
Snakes have paired hemipenes
 Long slender hollow tubes
 Apply gentle pressure with the thumb in
a rolling motion from tail tip to the vent
 Females have similar, but smaller
structures
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Will not “pop” out of the cloaca
Ball Python
Burmese Python
snake hemipenes
SNAKE CARE
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Sexing by probing
Female Mexican Hognose snake
- Note the lack of hemipenes
Probes for
sexing
snakes
Vary in length
 Vary in
diameter
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Probes for
sexing Snakes
Gently insert into
cloaca
 Probe in a
posterior direction
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Probing Snakes
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Lubricate probes
Use appropriate size
Take care to avoid injury to animal
Males: Probe will not insert very far
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Due to presence of hemipenes
Incubation of Snake Eggs
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29 to 30˚C or 82 to 85˚F
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Very species dependent
75 to 85% relative humidity
Hatching time – most 55 to 60 days
Restraint of Snakes
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Graduated clear plastic tubes
Varying size, length and diameter
Safely hold snakes without damaging
or traumatizing spine
SNAKE CARE
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Public health
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Venomous snakes
Introduction of invasive species
Cage must be locked
Responsible for bites
Salmonella
Venomous (“Hot”) Snakes
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AVOID
Cage must be locked
Owner is responsible for ANY
accidents
Generally, a permit is required
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State laws
Salmonella
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High proportion of reptiles
contaminated with Salmonella
Reptiles are NOT appropriate for small
children or the elderly
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Lizards
Turtles
Snakes
All others