I have had cats and dogs, but I am way too busy for either these days. A friend of mine at work raises boas, but they need more attention than I can give too, even though they seem to be very nice animals. I told her I needed an animal that needs minimal attention. My last cat was that way, but it is rare with mammals and depends on personality. While I don't have a lot of time, I still would like a nice companion. People keep telling me about Ball Python snakes. They say they like people and like to be handled, but are OK emotionally on their own for extended periods. This sounds ideal, but I do not want to adopt an animal if this is not the case. If I adopt a snake, will it be OK for long periods without me? And by that, I mean a day or so.
Get a Bearded Dragon. They will form a bond to you and take little effort to take care of. And they get big. My daughter has one. Feed it some crickets, give it some heat and hold it. Thats about it. She does want a snake too, but I vetoed that idea.
Why would anyone want a snake? Is it for the same reasons that people want big, bad dogs? To intimidate and shock people? Most people have and inherent fear of snakes. They are not pets. You are doing them a disservice by taking them out of their natural habitat. If you like them, leave them where nature intended them to be.
Snakes have been pets for centuries. They actually make very good pets as they are very low maintenance. But they also do like people and many like to be handled/held. Snakes that people have for pets are raised in captivity and not the wild. A friend of mine breeds snakes. That's how I first got curious. I liked them quite a bit. Here's some more information for you: http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Your-First-Pet-Snake Also, you can buy tame pet snakes at PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3898284&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No
How exactly are they "pets". How do you know that they like being handled? Maybe because there is warmth? Except that they eat and make a mess, how are they any different from a ceramic or metal model of a snake?
Most snakes will go more than a day or so without attention. Generally you feed them only once a week, less than that when they get big and eat bigger meals. Btw, I don't believe snakes are partial to humans even a little bit. Hopefully, they just see you as to big to swallow and aren't tempted latch on. I've seen some bad infections on the hands and arms. Their mouths are just full of bacteria meant to digest flesh and bones. Get yourself a horse, leave it at a stable, ride it whenever you want.
