Joplin man keeps snakes as pets

Pets come in all shapes and sizes. When we think about the kinds of pets we could have, kittens and puppies probably come to mind first but there are some people who like a more creepy variety.

Daniel Todd, a receptionist at Main Street Pet Care for 10 years, works with cats and dogs all day long but when his day is done he goes home to his four snakes; a mountain king snake, a corn snake and two ball pythons. At one point he had as many as 13 snakes including a boa constrictor, several corn snakes and a sand boa.

“I’ve had snakes and other ‘critters’ ever since I was a kid,” Todd said. “I used to catch them and bring them home, much to my mother’s ‘delight,’ and then turn them loose after keeping them a while. When I was 13 I got my first real pet snake, a corn snake.  Ever since then I’ve had a variety of “creepy” pets.”
 
Todd said in the past he has also had several species of lizards, turtles and insects.
 
“Snakes and other ‘critters’ have interested me since I was a kid,” he said. “They’re pretty awesome animals with a lot of cool adaptations. Can you imagine living your whole life without hands and feet?”
 
For kids and adults who are interested in getting a snake as a pet, Todd said the kind of snake they choose depends on the person’s experience. Corn snakes are easy to care for and are good for a beginner.
 
“Typically larger species such as boa constrictors and most pythons, and those with specialized habitats or diets, are best suited to people that have knowledge of and experience with those species,” he said.
 
Some species require specialized care, but there are some common things, he said.
“Most important is a secure enclosure,” he said. “You don’t want them to accidentally get out or other pets (like cats) to get in.”
Most snakes will need some kind of supplemental heat, either from a heating pad under their enclosure or from a heat lamp above, Todd said. Humidity is another thing that needs to be watched. Some snakes like their environment more humid than others. Fresh water should be available at all times. Snakes that are commonly kept as pets are constrictors and are fed a diet of mice or rats. They can be taught to eat frozen mice or rats that have been thawed.

Todd recommends doing your homework before getting a snake.

“Many of the problems we see with reptiles can typically be traced back to improper care usually from not having researched what that species needed before getting it,” Todd said. “There is a lot of good material available today on a lot of species, but you do have to be careful where you’re getting advice from. Not everything you read on the internet is true. Also get involved in Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) groups as members will often have a wealth of experience and information.”