“I could never date a guy with a pet snake.”
Genesis Rodriguez, Actress
Pros and Cons of Owning a Pet Snake
You want to get a pet but don’t want to keep ordinary pets like dogs or cats?
Then owning a snake could be a great way to go for you!
However, while there are some advantages of keeping snakes, there are also some problems with it.
Hence, make sure to check out all the pros and cons of owning a snake in the following chapters.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Owning a Pet Snake
- Snakes are quiet pets
- You don’t need to look after them all day long
- You will have a pet most other people don’t have
- Social media can make you and your snake popular
- You may be able to make some money from keeping snakes
- You can become a real expert in your field
- Owning a pet snake can be interesting
- You can help out your friends
- Pet snakes don’t need that much space
- Your pet snake will not lose hair
- You don’t have to go for a walk with your snake
- You can get help in snake forums
Snakes are quiet pets
One advantage of snakes is that they are rather quiet pets.
In fact, your snake will neither bark nor meow and will also not emit any other sounds.
As long as it is in your terrarium, you will barely hear it at all.
While this may sound boring at first, it can still give you the opportunity to focus on other important things.
For instance, if you work from home and have many things to do in a rather short period of time, you will have to focus on your work and don’t need any distractions.
Moreover, you may also have to help your kids with their homework where you need a quiet atmosphere to make the learning experience as efficient as possible.
While dogs or cats may distract you, your snake will not distract you at all since you will barely notice it.
As you can see, there are many occasions where quiet pets have an edge over noisy ones and also your neighbors will be grateful not to hear your dog or other pets making annoying noises all day long.
You don’t need to look after them all day long
Snakes are also not the type of pets that you have to look after all day long.
Instead, they are quite independent and are able to care for themselves as long as you offer them some food once in a while.
Hence, while many other pets like dogs require your attention all day long to stay happy and healthy, your snake pet will not require that much time of your day which means that you will have plenty of time for other things left.
You will have a pet most other people don’t have
Another benefit of owning a pet snake is that you will also have a pet most people will never have at home.
Sure, caring for snakes is not for everyone and if you are a rather conservative person, you may want to go for other pets instead.
However, if you are the type of person who wants to stand out from the crowd and who wants to have something exotic, getting a snake can be great in this regard since you will stand out from the rest of mainstream society.
Social media can make you and your snake popular
Since not that many people keep pet snakes, chances are that you will also have the opportunity to become popular or even famous on social media.
For instance, you could start a YouTube channel that covers all topics around your snake.
You can show people who to keep snakes in the best possible manner and also give them tips and tricks what they should avoid at all costs.
Not only will you be able to help people out, but you will also get some appreciation from others and may even be able to monetize your audience in the long run through ads or affiliate marketing.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to start a YouTube channel for that.
You could also just start blogging and get similar results and opportunities.
You may be able to make some money from keeping snakes
In the long run, you may even be able to quit your day job and go full-time on online marketing around pet snakes.
In fact, there are some bloggers and YouTubers out there who make good money from talking and writing about their pets and by giving useful advice to their audience.
You could even sell your own info product that shows people how to keep pet snakes in the best possible manner and use self-publishing to keep a higher share of your work.
As you can see, there are many different ways how to make money with your pet snake and if you are willing to work hard on it, chances are that you will be able to make at least some money sooner or later from your expertise in this field.
You can become a real expert in your field
While many people don’t have much knowledge when they first start out with keeping snakes, some people learn quite fast and are quite eager to learn more about how to keep snakes in the best possible manner.
If you are the type of person who is willing to invest some time and work into your snake-keeping project, chances are that you will become quite good at it over time and you may become a real expert in the long run.
In turn, many people will reach out to you and ask you about your opinion on certain topics.
This can not only be quite interesting and exciting, but you can also make some additional money by giving personal advice in one-on-one calls.
Owning a pet snake can be interesting
Many people don’t know it, but keeping pet snakes can also be quite interesting.
In fact, snakes are fascinating animals and although they don’t fit into our social framework and also don’t behave like most other pets, snake-keeping can still be a fascinating hobby since you will soon see some patterns and will also learn when it is time to feed your snake and so on.
Thus, while snakes are quiet pets, this doesn’t mean that they are boring.
They are just different and if you are different as well, chances are that this may be a good fit for you when it comes to the decision which pet you should get.
You can help out your friends
Another upside to owning a snake is that you will also be able to help out your family and friends.
While some people don’t want to get near snakes, others may consider getting a pet snake as well.
In such a case, you can consult your loved ones and show them all the pros and cons of getting a pet snake so that they are better able to decide whether they still want to get a snake as a pet or not.
You can also show them the tips and tricks you have learned from keeping snakes at home and can help them avoid mistakes you might have made on your own journey.
In turn, your friends will often greatly appreciate your advice in this regard and can make a more profound decision.
Pet snakes don’t need that much space
Compared to many other pets, snakes also don’t need that much space.
If you want to keep a small pet snake, it will be enough to get a small terrarium and you will be good to go.
You don’t need a big house where your pets can play around.
Instead, you can even keep snake pets in small flats, at least if the landlord is willing to rent out his flat to persons who want to keep snakes 😉.
Hence, snakes are also suitable pets if you don’t own a house right now but rather live in a small apartment but still want to have some company.
Your pet snake will not lose hair
Another advantage of pet snakes is that they will also not lose plenty of hair as many other pets do.
For instance, if you keep cats, you will have to clean your home quite often since they will lose hair on a regular basis.
This means that you will have to spend plenty of time and effort tidying up your home.
By keeping snakes instead, you can avoid all of this since you can just leave your snake in your terrarium and only have to clean it once in a while.
You don’t have to go for a walk with your snake
During times of bad weather, you will also be quite thankful that you got a snake instead of a dog.
Dogs will not ask you about your opinion, they just have to get outside sooner or later.
This means that you will have to go for a walk with your dog, no matter whether it rains or snows outside.
In contrast, as a pet snake owner, you can stay indoors and don’t have to get outdoors if you don’t like to.
You can get help in snake forums
You will also not be alone when it comes to keeping snakes at home. In fact, there is a big community of snake owners who are active in forums or on social media.
In turn, many people will be able to help you out in the beginning when you might have many questions about snake-keeping in general.
Hence, don’t be intimidated by all the things that might come along.
You can be sure that other people will have had similar problems and were able to overcome them.
As you can see from the previous discussion, there are indeed some advantages of keeping pet snakes.
Yet, there are also some issues that come along with it that I want to show you in the following chapter.
Disadvantages of Getting a Snake
- You have to feed your snake
- You have to invest some money
- You have to invest time to learn about snakes
- Pet snakes can get quite old
- Some snakes are poisonous
- Snakes are not the best pets for kids
- You can’t cuddle your snakes
- Snakes will not follow your commands
- Your snake may escape
- Neighbors may call the police
- Some snake species are not allowed as pets
- You may be liable for any damage caused by your snake
- You can’t teach your snake tricks
- Snakes don’t show their appreciation
- Many snakes end up in the shelter or in nature
- People may think you are mad
- Many people don’t know how to keep snakes properly
You have to feed your snake
One problem with owning a pet snake is that you will have to feed it once in a while.
While you don’t have to feed it on a daily basis, the time will still come when it is time to do so.
You may wonder what’s the problem with feeding snakes?
I tell you what’s the problem!
Snakes often only eat living prey and this means that you will have to get a nice mouse and throw it in the terrarium where your snake is already waiting for it.
Many people think this is cruel and not ethically correct and you should ask yourself whether you are ok with feeding your pet snake in such a manner before actually getting one.
You have to invest some money
You should also not expect that snake-keeping will be for free.
Yes, you will have to spend relatively low amounts of money on feed since you only have to feed your snake once in a while.
Yet, you will still have to get a terrarium and those terrariums can cost many hundred dollars.
Hence, before getting a pet snake, make sure that you have some money to invest in your snake-keeping venture.
You have to invest time to learn about snakes
Not only will you have to spend some money on your pet snake, but you will also have to invest plenty of time to learn about how to keep snakes in an optimal manner.
Compared to other pets, it is not that simple to provide natural living conditions for snakes at your home and if you want that your snake feels comfortable, you will have to do plenty of research to get some expert knowledge.
Pet snakes can get quite old
You will also make a long-term commitment by getting a pet snake.
In fact, pet snakes can get quite old and there had been people out there who had their pet snakes for many decades.
Therefore, be aware of the fact that your snake will be in your life for quite a while and that you are willing to make this commitment.
Some snakes are poisonous
You should also take your time to figure out what type of snake you want to get.
While some snakes are rather harmless, others are poisonous and may cause serious damage to you or your loved ones.
Hence, make sure to inform yourself in this regard so that you don’t accidentally get a poisonous snake to avoid any trouble in this regard.
Snakes are not the best pets for kids
While snakes can be nice and interesting pets for adults, they are often not suitable for kids since your children will often be afraid of snakes.
Thus, make sure to ask your kids what pets they want to have at home to avoid any issues in this regard.
You can’t cuddle your snakes
Another downside of keeping pet snakes is that you will also not be able to cuddle your snakes.
Well, you could! But this will not feel that good and your snake may also bite you and the wound may get inflamed in the worst case.
Consequently, if you are looking for a cute pet to cuddle with, snakes will definitely not be the right way to go for you.
Snakes will not follow your commands
You should also not expect your snakes to follow your commands. In fact, snakes will not listen to you at all but rather do what’s natural and enjoyable for them.
They will just not care about your opinion and will live their lives separate from yours.
Your snake may escape
You should also make sure that you keep the cover of your terrarium closed and that you take some additional safety measures so that your pet snake will not be able to escape.
There had been many cases in the past where snake owners came home from work and realized that their pet snake had been gone.
Thus, don’t make the same mistake and make your home as safe as possible in this regard if you really want to keep pet snakes at home.
Neighbors may call the police
Your neighbors may also be frightened by your pet snake.
Especially if you play with it in your garden and your neighbors see what you are doing, some of them may even call the police since they feel threatened.
In turn, you may have quite a lot of trouble in this regard and you should make sure that keeping snakes is worth it to you to risk good relationships with your neighbors.
Some snake species are not allowed as pets
You also have to be quite careful what snakes you get as pets.
Especially if you don’t buy your pet snake in a conventional pet shop, chances are that you will buy snake species that are not legal in your region and this can cause all sorts of serious problems.
You may be liable for any damage caused by your snake
Another disadvantage of keeping pet snakes is that you will be liable for any potential damage that might occur.
For instance, if your snake bite one of your guests and the wound gets inflamed, you may be liable for the medical costs.
Thus, make sure to get proper insurance to be covered in case of emergency.
You can’t teach your snake tricks
Compared to other pets, snakes can also be considered rather boring in the sense that you will just not be able to teach them nice tricks.
While other pets like dogs will learn those tricks quite easily, your snake will just not care about doing tricks at all but it will rather sleep in its terrarium almost all day long.
Snakes don’t show their appreciation
In general, snakes will not care about your feelings but will rather do what’s good for them.
In turn, they will also not show any appreciation for what you are doing for them and you should just not have any false expectations in this regard to avoid being disappointed.
Many snakes end up in the shelter or in nature
While many snake owners had been excited to keep snakes at their homes in the beginning, the initial excitement had faded rather quickly and many pet snakes therefore ended up in the shelter.
Even worse, some snake owners just released their snakes into nature where they could potentially hurt other people.
Hence, make sure that you are really willing to care for your snake for a long period of time to avoid those issues.
People may think you are mad
Many people will also not understand why you want to keep a snake.
In fact, snakes are still rather exotic pets and most other people will just not understand what you find interesting about them.
Consequently, you will also have to convince your family and friends quite a lot about your plans of getting a snake before they finally agree and understand your point of view.
Many people don’t know how to keep snakes properly
Keeping snakes is not that easy if you want to do it in a proper many.
Thus, this means that you will have to spend plenty of time searching for information on the web or going to your local pet store to get additional information in this regard.
Top 10 Pet Snake Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Pet Snake Pros | Pet Snake Cons |
|---|---|
| Pet snakes don’t need much space | Keeping snakes costs some money |
| Snakes are quiet animals | People may think you are weird |
| They don’t need all your attention | You have to feed your pet snake |
| You will have a special pet | Cuddling your pet snake will be difficult |
| You can become famous | Some snakes are poisonous |
| You can make some money | Your snake may escape |
| Pet snakes don’t lose hair | You will be liable for accidents |
| You don’t have to go for a walk | Snakes are not good pets for kids |
| You can get help in forums | Pet snakes will not listen to you |
| You can become a pet snake expert | You can’t teach pet snakes tricks |
Should You Keep Snakes At Home?
I hope I had been able to show you all the advantages and disadvantages of owning a pet snake.
In the end, you have to make your own decision of whether you still want to get a snake as a pet or if you rather want to get cats, dogs, mini pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits, tortoises or an aquarium instead.
If you still want to get a pet snake, make sure you don’t get a venomous one to keep yourself out of any trouble in this regard.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake
https://www.thesprucepets.com/choosing-a-pet-snake-1237319
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/snakes-owning
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
