Have you ever noticed when your in a crowd, and you're talking to a friend if the conversation turns to your snake suddenly everyone around you is looking for a snake on the ground, or screams while they move away from you not knowing if you have it or not? I have. So what is it about snakes that get such a mixed level of emotion? Is it the way the flick their forked tongue in and out? Or the as they slither across the ground almost effortlessly?

Snakes gradually changed evolving braking away from the lizards, the most obvious change was the loss of limbs, eyelids, and eardrums. Though there is a reminant left of the hind limbs, they've turned into vestigal claws(spurs or hooks)located near the cloaca. In terms of shape, snakes aren't diverse at all, but they do come in a variety of colors and patterns, and they make up for with the diversity of sizes.

Understanding a snakes physiology, how they move, how well they see, regulate their temperature, or how their sense of smell really makes a bloodhound jealous, and why they are constantly flicking that forked tongue. All of this will help you to better understand the "misunderstood".

On this page you'll find information about What makes a snake a snake, from Movement, to how they regulate their temperature, and good captive feeding practices.

What a wonderful example of form and function. Adapted for their prime purpose "movement" and depending on the species, that movement may be due to hunger, defense, searching for a mate, courtship dances, and of course procreation(mating).

MOVEMENT
Snakes depending on the species use one or more types of movement. The species that we are mainly dealing with on this site move in undulating fashion similar to an earthworm. This is accomplished by the snake moving their ribs forward; forming a wave as the body is pulled forward.

EATING and FEEDING
Everything about a snake is designed for the purpose of eating. Their external and internal systems are all geared for this. They have expandable jaws, “elastic” skin; their lungs are long and cylindrical, or that the heart and kidneys are “flattened”. Plus the ribs move individually, all of this helps in swallowing their prey.

All captive-bred snakes should be fed their normal species food items. Only feed your snake when it is hungry, if for some reason your snake refuses to eat, try offering it another food from the species “menu”. If that doesn’t seem to be the problem wait a few days and offer food again. Resist the temptation to overfeed your snake. Obese snakes run higher risks of digestive, heart, and reproductive problems.
A good idea is to keep a record of what your snakes has eats what day, type of food, and the amount eaten. Wait until the snake has passed (gone to the bathroom) all of the food eaten, usually there is a calcium packet (whitish in color), and stool following in a day or two. After this in a few days offer the snake another meal.

TEMPERATURE REGULATION
Snakes are “ECTOTHERMS,” which means that their body temperature stays close to that of the environment they are in. In the wild snakes like to come out in the early morning to catch the first rays of sunlight. Basking or soaking up the heat from the suns rays, bringing their metabolic rate up with their body temperature. When they need to cool down they find a shaded area or cavity to escape from the heat. In captivity we regulate their temperatures for them, one thing you need to remember is for a snake to achieve true happiness, the enclosure should have a warmer area at one end, and a slightly cooler area at the other.

The snakes body temperature plays an important role in their well being. It aids in digestion, amount of activity, breeding seasons, and if the species hibernates their environment temperatures trigger this also.
Ectothermic (cold blooded) account for all of the reptile species. The other type of heat regulation is Homeothermic (warm blooded) account for the mammals on the planet.

Any Questions Email Us.