Kingsnakes & Milksnakes: A Beginning Snake Guide

If you are reading this article, you are either considering buying a kingsnake as a pet, or you have already done so. Congratulations, kingsnakes make very good pets for the beginner as well as advanced hobbyist, and there are so many species readily available in pet stores and over the Internet that research is sometimes necessary to find the exact snake species you are interested in. They can be found in almost any color imaginable, as well as several color phases, or “morphs” as they are known that may range from hypomelanistic and albino to hypermelanistic phases. (more…)

 

Herper’s Insight: Free Roaming Lizards

When your monitor gets too big (3.5 ft. or larger) for a cage, you have to make a decision. Do you:

  • build a BIGGER cage;
  • convert a room into a monitor room;
  • give your monitor free roam of your home.

I made the choice of number 3 and will tell you how you also can live with a monitor sharing your living space. As you’ll see, the monitor does not “roam” all over the house as best as can be described as roaming. The monitor is very intelligent and has an excellent memory of where he is and where he is going — he simply memorizes certain areas. At least, that is the conclusion I’ve made of the observations in the four years Nessie has been “roaming free.” (more…)

 

Taming the Lizard

A quiet lizard sitting in your lap enjoying all the attention you bestow upon it. A gigantic snake that enjoys riding swung over your neck. Dangerous looking monitors who can be carried around like a baby or walked down the street on leash. That is what many reptile keepers hope each time that they purchase their next reptile. So how do you help ensure that you are successful in taming and training your pet? (more…)

 

African House Snakes

By far, one of the easiest snakes to keep in captivity is the African House Snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus). Small and relatively inexpensive, you will be amazed at how you passed this up as your first snake. (more…)