7 Reasons Never to Buy a Snake

In Chinese culture, the snake is a symbol of happiness and good luck. However, snakes held captive as “pets” are neither fortunate nor happy. As the Year of the Snake begins, honour these complex individuals by never buying one, and take action for those exploited in the cruel reptile trade.

Here are just seven reasons you should never buy a snake:

1. You’d Be Supporting the Horrific Reptile Trade

Many reptiles sold as “pets” are taken from their natural habitats and shipped worldwide in hideous conditions – infant pythons may be transported in CD cases – and most don’t survive the journey. Others are bred in massive facilities, where they’re deprived of everything natural and important to them.

Multiple PETA US investigations have revealed the horrors of the reptile trade. Snakes were crammed into filthy shoebox-sized plastic tubs, and every day, animals died from untreated illnesses and injuries.

They were deprived of food, water, and adequate heat and space. Workers often neglected the reptiles so severely that they failed to notice when animals died and tubs were filled with rotting carcasses and teeming with maggots.

2. Confining Snakes Is Cruel

Snakes have habitats in almost every part of the world, from Iceland to Argentina, and they thrive in environments like deserts, swamps, jungles, and the sea. They’re sensitive to their surroundings, using ground vibrations to “listen” to what’s around them.

In nature, snakes bask in the sun, travel long distances, burrow, swim, and climb trees, adjusting their scales to climb and using their tongues to smell. They mate when they choose and can be solitary or social.

When confined to glass tanks, these complex animals are denied the opportunity to engage in meaningful, instinctual behaviour.

3. It’s Nearly Impossible to Give Them What They Need in Captivity

Snakes need specialised lighting, regulated heating and humidity levels, precise diets and feeding schedules, and plenty of space, which is a costly endeavour, and most people lack the knowledge, resources, or space to meet these requirements. Even if they do, a domestic setting can never replicate their natural environment, where pythons can grow up to 10 metres long and travel over 20 miles in 75 days.

Most of the estimated 400,000 snakes in UK homes and many more in “pet” shops, mobile zoos, and breeding facilities suffer in inadequate conditions. Captive snakes face a monotonous, unstimulating life confined to the same environment and routine daily, and they display over 40 stress-related behavioural problems.

A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior found that for snakes, having the opportunity to extend their bodies is not just important but essential. Yet, most snakes are likely kept in tanks that are too small for them to stretch out fully, which causes immense suffering and contributes to high stress levels, disease, and premature death. The British Veterinary Association says that obesity in snakes is common because of a lack of space for them to exercise.

4. You’ll Have Blood on Your Hands

Over 75% of reptiles don’t survive a year in a home because of the stress of their confinement, and 70% of animals perish before they even reach a “pet” shop, surviving only six weeks at a wholesaler.

Snakes primarily eat small animals like mice and rats, who are themselves socially complex, intelligent animals with their own personalities. By buying them as food for reptiles, you’re condemning them not only to death but also to life of misery in the “pet” trade. During a three-month PETA US investigation into a facility supplying these animals as food for reptiles, eyewitnesses found hundreds of small animals dead, frequently with no access to water, and rats were drowned, frozen to death, bludgeoned, and smashed against metal posts.

5. It’s Dangerous

Many snakes escape their enclosures or are dumped by cruel, callous people after the novelty wears off. This can pose a danger to the public – reports of finding a python in the bedroom are more common than you might expect – and these snakes’ prey could easily have been a cat, dog, or small child.

In 2021, 685 abandoned snakes were reported to the RSPCA. But being found and rescued is not the norm. Most wild animals released into non-native habitats quickly succumb to starvation, dehydration, or predation, or they fall victim to local parasites and diseases to which they lack immunity. Those who survive can wreak havoc on local wildlife populations by consuming food sources, introducing disease, and preying on animals in the area.

6. They Don’t Like You, With Good Reason

Snakes do not want to be “pets”. They are conscious, free-willed individuals who want to be free. These wary animals dislike being held, touched, petted, or passed around. Human contact is stressful for them – and with good reason. It puts them at risk of illness and injury, and because they don’t whine or yelp, you may not realise that they’re hurt.

Captive snakes often suffer from infectious stomatitis (mouth rot), internal and external parasites, skin infections, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties, inclusion body disease, regurgitation, vomiting, organ swelling, anaemia, weight loss, respiratory disease, or septicaemia.

Prioritising your desire to “own” an animal over their well-being is a form of speciesism. Every animal deserves to be treated with respect and allowed to lead a fulfilling life without being confined for human interests.

7. Snakes Can Make You Sick

Salmonella, which can result in septicaemia (blood poisoning), and other bacteria that can cause illness are often found in snakes and other reptiles. Public Health England states that babies and children under 5 years old are particularly at risk from infection. Snakes can transmit diseases such as botulism (which can lead to paralysis and death), campylobacteriosis (bowel infection), trichinellosis (muscle, nervous system, heart, and lung disease), and leptospirosis (liver disease).

Help Snakes

You can help snakes and other reptiles by not buying them from pet shops or breeders and asking friends and family not to support this deadly industry, either. Never visit any attraction or event that exploits snakes for entertainment.

Please also urge the government to give snakes more space by updating their archaic and cruel legislation that allows snakes to be held in tiny tanks in pet shops.