Snakes for Sale: How to Buy and Own Your Own Snake!
76So you want to buy a snake, huh? This page will give you all the information to find, buy, and keep a new pet snake!
Quick FAQ:
How much does a snake cost? The price of a snake varies from $10 to $300 (average about 30), depending on the variety. However, after taking into account food, cage, vet visits, and everything else, you can expect to spend $500-1000/year, just to take care of your snake! (Again, this depends on the variety of snake).
Are snakes easy to take care of? Snake ownership can require a lot of time, but it's not like owning a dog! A snake can live from 3-10 years, and will take a few hours a week to take care of
Are snakes friendly? Yes! The majority of varieties that you might buy are not venomous, and friendly, and will love you as pet owner! As long as you keep it fed!
Finding a Snake For Sale
The best way to find a snake to own is to go to a nearby pet store. You can find pet stores in your area by going to this Web site. This site, centralpets.com, has a search engine for finding pet stores in your area!
You can also simply search for "pet stores near [your address]" on http://maps.google.com
. For example, searching for "Pet stores near Iowa City" will show the results from the below image.
Look through the reviews of the different Pet Stores to make sure you are going to a good location. You want a good variety of snakes to choose from and a very helpful staff, especially for your first pet!
Pros and Cons of Owning a Snake
There are good and bad things about owning a snake. Let's look at the good and bad sides of snake ownership.
Pros
- Snakes don't take up a lot of space
- Snakes don't hurt your furniture
- Snakes can be left alone for a long period of time
- Snakes don't make too much noise
- Snakes are fun!
Cons
- No matter how easy the pet, you are still responsible for it.
- You will need to buy food and a cage for your snake. You will also need to take it to the vet.
- You can't leave your snake alone for too long! That means you might need someone to check up on it during a vacation.
Choosing your snake for sale
For your first snake, it's important you choose the right one--a snake that will be fun, easy to handle, and safe.
I recommend the Corn Snake. Why? They are cheap, pretty (look on the right!), easy to take care of, and fun! Or, you can learn about pythons at boelen's python.
Below is a video of a corn snake eating. Skip to 3:50 to see the real action happen!
Taking care and feeding your snake
You can purchase a cage for your snake or build your own---I recommend you purchase one for your first snake! You don't want to lose it!
You should buy at least a 20 gallon tank with enough space and air holes for your pet corn snake to move around. Obviously, a bigger snake needs more space!
A corn snake eats a lot! You will feed it mice, baby mice at the beginning and adult mice as your snake gets older. You need to feed it once a week.
You should feed your corn snake only already dead rodents. A corn snake is small, and it shouldn't be trying to kill a live mouse---it might get injured!
Snake for Sale - Conclusion
If you want to buy a snake, check out pet stores near your area! Make sure you are actually really interested in getting a snake of your own!
Alternatively, check out Iguanas for Sale if you are interested in buying a different type of reptile!
CommentsLoading...
Ive been a reptile enthusiast for many years, with my main interest in snakes. I own three different snakes and run a reptile dept for a prominant pet store. The info provided here is either misleading, incomplete, or jus flat out wrong. You should def educate yourself further before trying to provide others with information. Not saying that all is incorrect, but there is much here that could be corrected, refined, completed, and less opinionated as fact. If your going to state your opinion, say its your opinion, because its nowhere close to fact.
3 to 10 years? I'm sorry, but even generalizing for all snakes, that is FAR too low a lifespan... unless, of course, you are doing something terribly, terribly wrong.
Agreeing with TheGhost above here.
you are cruel.if you say you should feed him only dead prey ,where is the fun in watching him kill???
I've got hundreds of snakes for sale in case you're interested.
windswept 2 years ago
There's a lot of misinformation in here I feel like I should dispel in case anyone else stumbles onto this page, etc helpful tips:
-if a snake costs $10 and isn't from a breeder or is an adoption, something might be wrong. For a first time owner try locating a breeder on www.kingsnake.com to get the pet you're interested in. Snakes can range from $25-many thousands of dollars each.
-snakes do NOT live 3 years! Most species live 15-20, sometimes longer. Do not buy them as an impulse pet, they live as long as cats and dogs and are much harder to rehome.
-don't go to a petstore, unless there is a local reptile store in your area. You want a young snake that is healthy, not one that won't eat and ultimately cost in vet bills or will die.
-snakes need food approx. as big as the widest spot of their stomach once a week. Their head might look too small, but they'll be able to do it!
-snakes need an undertank heater
-snakes need TWO hidey homes, one on the cold side of the tank and one on the warm side with the heater.
-newspaper or papertowels are usually the best thing to keep a snake on. Easy cleanup!