by Wes Pollock

Created on: January 17, 2009   Last Updated: November 24, 2010

Far and away North American Colubrids are some of the easiest to keep of reptiles. Being snakes that lay eggs they don't need artificial light or vitamin and mineral supplements as do lizards, turtles and tortoises. As terrestrial creatures they do not need large amounts of filtered water which almost all turtles need, nor do they need specialized arboreal habitats like their cousins the tree pythons. Of moderate size they do not need acreage to be healthy, a cage the equivalent of a 100 gallon fish tank would be as big one needed to have to house an Eastern Indigo, the largest of the North American Colubrids.

A colubrid snake is one that reproduces by laying eggs. Not all snakes lay eggs. Boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, water and garter snakes are all born live, fully formed miniatures of the adults. Once eggs are laid the mother snake leaves them never to return. She will not guard them at all. When they hatch the babies are preprogrammed how to survive with no lessons learned at parent's knee; which would be especially tough since snakes have no knees nor ankles or legs of any sort. Being limbless is actually part of what makes a snake a snake.

Gopher snakes, bull snakes, corn snakes, rat snakes, hognose snakes, longnose snakes, king snakes, indigos and many others are easy to house and have good dispositions. They are all able to be handled and none reach an extreme size. An average male hognose snake will be less than two feet long on the small end and a large Indigo snake might make it into the ten foot range. None of the North American Colubrids have a girth much larger than a soda can. Most are considerably smaller, more in line with a broomstick.

Depending on its native location and your present location, you may or may not need artificial heat to keep your snake healthy. If your snake is one found naturally in the area you live, you can safely keep it indoors with you. If your home is cool than the outdoors you may need to provide artificial heat for the snake. If your home is roughly the same inside as it is outside, then you will have to do nothing for your snake to be happy.

If you live in an area that does get cold and you have a snake that is from the desert or someplace that is always warm, you will need to accommodate its need for extra warmth.

Snakes cannot regulate their own body temperatures. When they get cold they slow down, stop eating, move very little and sleep quite a bit. This is not a problem for a healthy snake to do for even two or three months in the winter time. It is not good for small snakes that need the warmth to stimulate their appetites and allow them to digest their food. Warmth is essential to this process.

There are many products available for keeping snakes warm. A quick search online or trip to your local reptile retailer will enable you to obtain the equipment necessary to house your snake properly.

Research on the specific snake you wish to keep is essential. If you don't know what the snake needs to be healthy and happy you could kill it by not providing for it adequately. Libraries are full of books about all sorts of snakes. The web is loaded with sites devoted to specific species as well as snakes in general. There are Herpetological Societies where you can meet and talk to like minded people in many cities. Take advantage of them all. This will assure you of a pleasant snake keeping experience.

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