Generally, snakes have always been thought to be venomous but the fact is something different. There are some snakes that are venomous, while there are some that are not. And one can easily recognize these venomous snakes because of their long and sharp fangs. These could be the first signs to show that these snakes are venomous, while there other counterparts who are non venomous are not so.

So here’s some tips and guidelines, I am sure would help you out to make that difficult decision a much easier one, this is before you think of keeping them as pets. Make sure you do a thorough research on their kinds and types; here is some information that would give you some knowledge about them and help you not to make the wrong move.

Now remember this, snakes are very different from those traditional pets such as the dog or the cat that we usually tend to keep at our homes.  These are wild creatures that are bound to live in their wild habitat and not in our homes. Therefore a careful study and analyses along with some supervision and guidance would certainly be required to tame these creatures at your home and keep them as pets. This is because no one would be able to predict their nature and anger. Like the same is with other pets such as dogs and cats but one should remember that these are more harmful than them.

There are some snakes such as the boa constrictor and the pythons that can be tamed and kept as pets. Like we see them on the television, and it’s not impossible to tame them but still you require some guidance and supervision from an expert trainer. So taming a boa constrictor or a python would be the best alternative if looking out for a pet snake, now this is especially when you are looking out for a snake with a docile temperament, since these are very fiery creatures.

The boa or the ball python would seem to be the best alternative because other snakes usually have a short temper and they immediate attack and bite even if they feel the slightest treat. Among these are the reticulated python and the Burmese python which are quiet aggressive and fiery. Moreover, it would be very foolish and stupid if you tame a venomous snake, since it would be like” hitting an axe on your very own head with your very own hands”.

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The proper biological classification of snakes is within a group of animals called as squamates that also consists of animals such as lizards, Caecilians, and Amphisbaenians.  Serpent is a most common synonym used for snake and the scientific order of snakes is called as Serpentes.

In some cultures snakes are highly considered and represent the ability to go beyond higher levels of perception or into areas of knowledge that live outside perceived space and time. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were believed to be the symbols of fertility, nurturing and healing.  In post Adam and Eve, snakes are habitually regarded as the symbols of evil and temptation, envy and anger.

Snakes usually eat small animals like lizards, small mammals, other snakes, birds, fish, eggs, insects or snails. As snakes cannot tear or bite their food into pieces, a snake swallows its prey wholly. The size of body of a snake has a main influence on its habits of eating.

Snakes are considered as a main part of Hindu worship. A festival called as Nag Panchami is celebrated every year on snakes. Most of the images of Lord Shiva show snake around his neck. Puranas have different stories related to snakes.

In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold every planet of the world on his hoods and to continuously sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is at times referred to as Ananta-Shesha which basically means Endless Sheshsa. Other famous snakes in Hinduism are Vasuki, Ananta, Taxak, Pingala and Karkotaka.

Snakes have also been revered extensively like in ancient Greece, where the serpent was mostly seen as a healer, and Asclepius carried two intertwined on his stick, a sign which is seen nowadays on many ambulances. In Judaism, the brass snake is also a sign of healing, of one’s life being saved from about to happen death. In Christianity, Christ’s redemptive work is evaluated with saving one’s life by means of beholding the brass serpent.

However, more usually in Christianity, the serpent was observed as a representative of sly plotting and evil, which can be noticed in the description of Genesis Chap 3 of a snake in the Garden of Eden tempting Eve.

In Wicca and Neo-Paganism, the snake is glimpsed as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom.

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But this is true, we always talk about and concentrate on their fangs and venom but don’t think about other features, such as these state above.

Snakes have usually very poor eyesight and the only thing that makes them those perfect night hunters are their infrared sensory pits and their vibration sensing organs. Most of the snakes that have these sensory organs are known as the “pitt viper”, this is the category to which they belong to. It’s these pits that help them to see even during the night time. For they, help the snake to see and locate the prey.

This is how it works, the snake first of all takes the smell of the prey from miles away, and then the snake would slowly walk towards the victim or the prey. The heat sensing organs allow the snake to determine the size of the prey that it would want to hunt on. These pits create some thermal image and help the snake to determine the size of the prey or even determine whether what would be the best time to attack it.

If the prey seems to be a warm blooded creature such as the rodent or a lizard then perhaps it would strike immediately. But if according to these sensory organs if the creature seems to be another snake or a cold blooded creature such as some other reptile like a large lizard or a Gila monster then it would think twice before it would strike.

So in this way the snake would prey on other warm blooded reptiles and creatures. If these infrared sensory organs show the snake a red image then it would immediately strike and if it shows green or yellow then it would not strike and just move away from that place.

All snakes have this feature, be it the vipers that are found in the deserts or those boa and anaconda that are found in those tropical rain forests.

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The scientific  nomenclature  calls the corn snakes as Elaphe guttata guttata. It is the most available snake pet.  The reason for their popularity are  :

• Small size that hardly goes beyond 5 feet length
• Active feeding
• Tolerance to different environmental conditions
• Availability in different color shades
• Ease to breed in captivity.

The above mentioned features make it  a very popular pet.

When the corn snake is small , and still in infancy , a ten gallon enclosure or aquarium of similar size could be very comfortable for the pet.  Plastic shoe boxes with the sides punched with holes is acceptable if there is proper heating arrangement. The corn snake becomes an adult  by 3 to 4 years. An adult corn snake would require a larger space like 45gallon tank.

The material at the bottom  of the cage is called the substrata.  Please avoid the cedar shavings and corn cob bedding as the substrata because this could cause respiratory problem for the snake. If swallowed, the corn cob could cause intestinal blockage. The best substrata  is the Astroturf. The best feature of Astroturf is that it does not rot easily even if wetted. Butcher paper  and reptile bark can also serve the purpose.

When the Corn Snake is a pet, heating a critical issue that need to be addressed effectively. The pet owner has numerous choices. The temperature at which the corn snakes are comfortable ranges from 80 degrees Fahrenheit to  85 degrees Fahrenheit. Corn Snake is a reptile and cold blooded animal.

To regulate the body temperature it relies on thermoregulation.  When the temperature cools the corn snake moves to a place that is warm and on the contrary when the temperature is warm  the snake moves to the cooler side. One can use heater but try to avoid direct contact of the snake skin with the  thermal heater.

Feeding corn snakes is another big issue of concern. You can start feeding the snake with small mice when it is small but when it matures you will have to feed it with bigger ones. The diameter of the snake body has to be taken into consideration before feeding them. If the feed is larger in diameter it will be thrown out.  The corn snakes need warmth soon after eating.  Make the availability of clean water  because corn snakes often drink  water.

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Both of them look very attractive and they are made to hide themselves between the trees and its leaves. This is because they can feed and hunt on the young ones of the birds that usually nests on those trees. Eggs of birds seem to be their favorite.

But when talking about looks and beauty I sure most of you all would agree that the green snake is the best looking among its other brothers and cousins. This is because they have the color that is very useful to camouflage them and keep them almost invisible to the naked eye, now this can be of the humans as well as of the rodents and birds that live on those trees.

There are two different kinds of green snake like the smooth green snake and the rough green snake.

The smooth green snake is a bit lighter in shade as compared to the rough green snake. The belly of the smooth green snake is of somewhat the ivory color and its throat is of pale white color. On an average the rough green snake would measure around 20 inches in length. However, the young ones of this specie would be slightly darker than the adults and they more aggressive and tend to be more fierce that that the elders.

This snake is usually found in the northwest of Indiana and has been declared to be an endangered one. Well the reasons that have been responsible for its extinction is the deforestation and the degradation of its natural habitat like the cutting of trees and forest for more and more wood and also the humans have been held responsible since these guys venture out in their homes and store rooms since they have nothing to eat once their natural habitat has been destroyed.

The diet of these snakes usually consists of small frogs, birds and rodents that move about here and there. These usually stay on trees but sometimes they even hunt down and the one thing I sure would turn them on is bird’s eggs and their newborns.

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The black racer snakes has only the skin that is black and not anything else, its chin, its belly, the throat and the jaw are generally bluish or grayish in color. This one really looks very pleasing and attractive because they have very smooth scales that make them appear glossy all the time.

A juvenile racer snake is usually grey in color but then they become black as soon as they mature. These usually mature and grow upto a length of 25- 30 inches.

The black racer snake is usually very common and most of them can be found in those wild habitats such as Rocky Mountains and stony areas that are nearby by the rivers and lakes. Sometimes they are also found in those fields and those barren rocky areas, this is because sometimes if they are not able to find and catch they prey, then they would go to such place in search of them.

They usually feed on other insects and other smaller reptiles, the lizards, the frogs and cockroaches would be included in their diet. But sometimes they would not mind to devour the young ones of their very own specie.

These snakes are usually active during the day and they hunt only during day times, this is because they have very poor eyesight and cannot hunt during the night time. They usually are shy in nature and they immediately flee from such situation that would be a treat to them. But if cornered then they   would really attack the person or even the animal.

These are usually very similar to the rattle and they have the same rattle at the end of their tails. If a situation then these would defecate and then spray musk so that they may get a chance to escape.

These snakes come in different subspecies too like there are the Northern Black racer snake, then the Southern black racers Snake and even the Black Racer Snake Constrictor. These are only available and one can find them only in England and nowhere else.

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But there are some experts who believed that the snake quite resembles to the corn when it ripens, so that is the main reason why this is called the Orange Snake. These are found throughout the south eastern and central America.

These are very moderate snakes and they are very timid too, they don’t attack humans at all. They would rather move or escalate the situation when encountered upon. These usually grow upto a length of 4 to 8 meters. These snakes come with an attractive pattern and this is the main reason what makes them excellent hunters.

They are usually non venomous and they feed upon small reptiles and insects like that of frogs and birds and other animals that are within their capacity.

There are two types of orange snakes the first is the Common Corn or the common Orange Snake and the second is the Great Plains Rat snake. The Common Orange Snake is usually found in the southeastern United States and is usually distinguished from others because they have a yellowish skin with red or orange saddles and these saddles have black borders.

But the belly and their throat are usually white in color and some may even be black in color.

The Great Plains Rat Snake is also another species of the Orange Snake and these are non venomous too. These are usually found in the eastern part of the United States. They are usually found under those rocks and trees. Mostly they are found in states that are ranging from New Jersey to Nebraska and from Texas to Colorado.

This is also a subspecies that belongs to the rat snake family and they are also kept as pets by many of the natives that are living in those areas. This is because of their mild nature and their cool temperament.

Most of the natives here believe that these snakes are of great help and assistance since they help them to keep all those unwanted reptiles away from their houses and storerooms. They also help and secure their fields since they help the farmers to ward of the birds and the chickens that chirp on the crops and other agricultural produce.

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There are snakes that are found in those tropical forests and they are very large and heavy, this is because they usually devour their prey that could even be a teenage crocodile and sometimes even a deer.

While in other areas, they are not so large, take for an e.g. all those vipers and snakes that are found in the deserts are not so large. But they are surely as deadly as those that are found in those equatorial regions because they are very toxic and one bite would do the needful.  So everything depends on their requirements and needs, now this is strictly in relation to their diet and living conditions.

Well, speaking among large snakes, the anaconda is perhaps the largest and the longest snake in the world. These are only found in those tropical rain forest of Guyana and Brazil, and there are many other subspecies of the anaconda too.

The green anaconda is the largest among all the other sub species and they could even weigh more than 700 pounds.  This is if the snake is very healthy and has absolutely no problems in finding its diet.

Another large snake that is also found in the equator is the Boa Constrictor; this also seems to be a cousin of the anaconda. These are non venomous too and they have the same way to kill their prey like that of the Anaconda and the Python.

These are usually smaller than that of the anaconda and even they would feet on animals that are much smaller than the deer, like a duck or a swan or even sometimes the small ones of the crocodile and so on.

Another kind of large snake would be the Python or what we call the Reticulated Python. But these are usually found in those southern parts of countries such as India and the China. Even they are the distant relatives of the Anacondas and the Boa’s.

They also have the same way to kill they prey, and even they constrict they prey and kill them. They are non venomous too.

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The grass snake is typically dark green in color, having yellow spots all over their bodies. Some of them even have a black shaped ring design over their neck and this is also the reason why they are known as the ring snake.

These may not be exactly be green in color but may also have some variation, for some may have darker colors, while the rest may have lighter colors.

This is the third largest snake that is found in Great Britain, and this one could reach upto the length of 190 centimeters. But this would be a very rare species and one would be able to find it only if you are very lucky enough. The females in this type of snakes are usually very large as compared to the males who just reach a size of 80 to 100 cms.

The males are usually smaller than the female and this difference could be about 20 cms and they have usually smaller girth.

These grass snakes usually prey on smaller animals and birds; this could be anything between frogs, small rodents and the young ones of the birds and sometimes even chickens. They may occasionally eat fish and other small water creatures.

These are really beneficial to man, since they reduce the number of these useless animals and creature that are just fit to increase your loss and decrease our bank balances. And one would really be surprised if you were told that these snakes that were held in captivity would even eat earth worms that were offered to them, and that too by the naked hand.

These snakes are usually non venomous and they don’t attack or prey on humans and these are usually ambush predators that hunt their prey by hiding themselves in the bushes or waters. These are usually strong swimmers and are usually found near small rivers and lakes. The rocks and the stones that lie besides the lakes seem to be their favorite hiding places.

But there are some that even live and hide in those woodlands and grasslands of dense forests or even where there are swampy areas.

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But what makes them more pretty is their belly, which is pink in color; sometimes you may even see that they have some black spots on them.

Sometimes they are often mistaken for the ring snake, this is because during their child hood they have a ring on the neck and this makes them similar to the ring snake. And this is the reason that people get bitten by them, because they are mistaken by the fact that they are ring snakes.

The eastern brown snake is one of the most venomous snakes of Australia and they are not as friendly and passionate like its other brown cousins. They are more aggressive and deadly, and would love to confront humans or any other animals and don’t shy away. They would even dare to confront an elephant or a horse without backing out.

These brown snakes are often found in wild habitats such as wet grasslands, forest, swampy areas and even sometimes in urban and residential areas. But the reason why they are found in residential areas is because they are attracted to the mice that are usually found near residential homes. However, it’s not uncommon to find them laying around debris that lie in vacant houses and other vacant lots as well as garden and parks.

These brown snakes are however very toxic and usually they would not attack humans and would not bite them, but sometimes when felt threatened then they would surely go for bites. This is because anyone if felt threatened would self defend themselves.

These snakes usually go for small reptiles and frogs and other insects like the cockroach and the earthworms. They also sometimes hunt down fishes and other small ones of the crocodiles that are found in the waters.

These are active during the spring time and they are in the hibernation during the winters. Usually the hibernation period would last for four or five months. At that time they would be usually found in caves and hollows that are made by other animals.

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