Post 5 - Summary

Don't be afraid of snakes! Most are very gentle and cool. I got a Ball Python snake for Christmas named "Lucky" and that made me want to learn more about snakes and write this blog. Finding information about snakes was actually pretty easy and fun. I know how to use the Internet to find cool images, facts, videos and information. I also used a Ball Python Manual that was very helpful. The most interesting facts I learned were that Ball Pythons slither by moving their ribs unlike other snakes and that they are one of the biggest snakes. During this project I also learned how to handle and care for my snake. My Mom taught me how to hold and feed "Lucky" and clean the cage.

I wanted to see more real snakes, so a few weekends ago, we went to the East Bay Vivarium (awesome!!!). I held a Boa Constrictor. There was a Dad there with a 3 year old girl and she was afraid of snakes until I let her touch the Boa I was holding. I guess that's how I felt also, a little scared at first but as I learned how to handle them correctly, it's wasn't so scary anymore. The Vivarium also had a 12 foot Burmese Python! There was a giant Lizard that was 5 feet long and there were white snakes that ate live gold fish. If you are interested in snakes, I would highly recommend the East Bay Vivarium.

I think this was a a fun and interesting project. I liked it so much that I created another blog called "Nik's Cool Pearl Jam Blog"(check it out). Although most people are extremely scared of snakes, it's mostly because they haven't learned that most snakes are not venimus and that handled correctly, they will not bite you (unless there's food in their cage). I recommend any kind of Python for a cool pet!

Post 4 - Bibliography

"Snakes of Massachusetts." Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2008

http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/pages/begin.html

"Python regius." Wikipedia, 2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_regius

Ruplinger, Gary. "Snake Care" Boatips.com. http://www.boatips.com/snakecare/.

"Kingsnakes and Milksnakes Care" The Proper Care of Snakes. http://simonsnakesite.tripod.com/snakecare.html.

Post 3 - How To Care for Snakes

Snakes are pretty easy to care for. Here are some simple tips....

Housing:

The best housing for a snake that grows to 3-4 feet is a 30 gallon aquarium. Most snakes are great escape artists, so you need to make sure that the top can lock so the snake won't get out. The best top to use is a screen that has ventilation and locks with a peg or a screw. Snakes also need soft bedding or "substrate". There are many different kinds that will work well; newspaper, bark chips, moss and mulch, which are all easy to clean. Snakes also need a good hiding place or something to crawl under like tree bark, rocks or tunnels.

Snakes need to be in warm humid climates, usually around 90-95 degrees. A red light heat lamp over one part of the aquarium usually works well. You can also put a heating pad under the aquarium which snakes really like. Place a thermometer at the bottom of the cage to make sure the temperature is just right. Spray the snakes housing to keep it moist and feeling like the rain forest.

Handling:

The great thing about snakes is that most of them are tame and you can handle them often. First, take off the screen and put the pin somewhere you wont lose it. Second, lower your hand into the cage slowly, see where the snake is, then reach down and touch the snake. If it hisses at you, it is still OK to pick it up and start to handle it. Make sure not to let the snake wrap around your neck (I have experienced that- it is not a good idea!!!) Let it wrap around your arm or cruise around on your bed. Make sure it does not fall of or go under the blankets. Handle snakes ups to 10 minutes a day.

Feeding:

Most snakes like to eat rodents like mice and rats (sorry Hunter =( ). If your snake is around 10 feet long, you should feed it rabbits. They will also eat other animals like lizards, fish and birds but their main food is rats. How to feed a snake step one... First, you get a rat out the freezer and thaw it in hot water for thirty minutes. With prongs, grab the rat by its tail and dangle it in front of the snake. The snake will strike quickly and wrap it's body around the rat (really sorry Hunter) the snake will swallow the rat whole within 10 minutes. Snakes should be fed once a week and it's water changed every day.

Post 2 - Questions

1. How long does it take for the snakes egg to hatch?
1. Answer: 50-65 days

2. How does a baby snake hatch out of an egg?
2. Answer: Baby snakes have an axe-like thing on their nose and they use it to cut and break the shell of the their egg.

3. How do you tell if a snakes a boy or a girl?
3. Answer: If the snakes tail is long from the anus it is a female, if it is short, a male.

4. What is the longest snakes can get?
4. Answer: The Python is the largest snake in the world and measures at 33 feet.

5. What is the biggest snake in the world?
5. Answer: The Reticulated Python.

6. Which is bigger male or female?
6. Answer: Females

7. How many species of snakes are there?
7. Answer: There are between 2,780 and 2,790 species of snakes in the world.

8. What is the most dangerous snake in the world?
8. Answer: The Anaconda

9. Are Ball Pythons popular?
9. Answer: Yes

10. What is the most popular snake in the world?
10. Answer: The Corn Snake

11. What is the fastest moving snakes in the world?
11. Answer: The Black Mamba reaches speeds up to 18 MPH

12. What is the slowest moving snake in the world?
12. Answer: The Anaconda

13. What is the smallest snake in the world?
13. Answer: The Lesser Antillean Thread Snake. It is small enough to squeeze through a hole 1/8th of an inch in diameter.

14. Do snakes swallow their prey whole?
14. Answer: Yes

15. How often do snakes shed?
15. Answer: Some snakes shed every few weeks as they grow, some shed once a year.

16. What is the name "royal python" based on?
16. Answer: In all the palaces in Africa, they kept them around to eat rodents.

17. How long can snakes live?
17. Answer: 10-25 years

18. What is the best temperature for a tropical snake?
18. Answer: 90-95 degrees

19. What is a pythons natural habitat?
19. Answer: They are found in jungles and tropical areas.

20. Are their claws on a male snake?
20. Answer: Yes

Post 1 - History

Are you afraid of snakes? Well if you are, I hope that after learning about snakes on my blog, you won't be. A "serpentologist" is a person who studies snakes, I guess I am a serpentologist.

Did you know that snakes first appeared during the time of the dinosaurs almost 130 million years ago? That makes them the most recent of reptiles. History shows that snakes came from lizards, but lost their legs and ears through time. They also developed different kinds of patterns on their skin to help hide and camouflage them from other animals that want to eat them. Snakes live all over the world and in many different climates. They live in trees, in the brush and in the desert. Some snakes have venom, those are very dangerous! Did you know that some snakes have infrared heat sensors to find prey at night?

Snakes are in many religions, folktales and traditions of people everywhere on the earth. Early humans thought snakes were magical. They were amazed that they could move without arms and legs, kill with just one bite and shed their skin a few times a year.