This is not a common practise in India I suppose but this is the way it works. We are surely allowed snakes – as pets. Yes! Almost 3000 species of snakes are kept as pets. Hey, let's not jump in our chairs now. Not all snakes are allowed be kept as pets, as a matter of fact, some you surely don't want to be too close to.
Snakes which are listed as highly poisonous cannot be considered, even. So that rules out the possibility of keeping a Cobra or a Black Mamba and getting away with it. So let's then see what can be a domesticated pet for a reptile lover or an average person with interest in exotic pets.
I have listed two of the species which are kept as pets below. I will surely be adding more in the days to come.
Pythonidae
Almost the same characters as the Boidae, the pythonidae are mostly found in Sub Saharan Africa, and India. The most visible and important difference between the two species is the birthing process. The Pythons are Egg Laying while the Boas give birth to Young Snakes. The pythons are also a non venomous family, carrying with it the pride of some of the world's biggest snakes.
Burmese Python – (Python molurus bivittatus) in reality are the biggest sub-species of the Indian Python and can easily boast a size of 15 – 20 ft. These make better pets for people who are not intimidated by the sight of the snake and about the feel of dead animals for the feed. However these snakes are seen more widely than not, as pets.
Ball Python - (Python regius) are people's best choice for their first pet snake. They are typically smaller than the rest of the species averaging between 3-5 feet. They are very docile snakes and are characterised by the action of curling into a ball when threatened. They are relatively easy to handle and to watch slithering around in their little homes.
Green Tree Python - (Morelia viridis) are arboreal snakes, which usually rest by coiling a loop or two over the branch and laying their head in between. They are normally bright green or yellowish in color and are very beautiful to look at. They are mostly mistaken with the Emarald Tree Boa and can grow upto 7 ft. They are a docile species if bred in captivity but can be a bit nasty if caught from the wild.
Blood Python – (Python Curtus) are a slightly temperamental species growing upto a length of 8 ft. These snakes are known to have comparitively shorter tails and are characterised by blotchy blood red patches. These are found as pets in quite a large number, though the wild caught could be aggressive and completely upredicatable.
Boidae
These are usually a non venomous family and are found in almost all regions of the world(primarily in America, Africa and Europe). The family usually comprises of medium sized adults with the females averaging more than the males in size. They kill by a process called constriction, by restraining the prey from moving away and tightening the coils around to asphyxiate it. These snakes are broadly called “Boas” or as “Boids”.
East African Sand Boa – (Eryx colubrinus) also known as the Kenyan Sand Boa is a docile species. The snake is characterised by beautiful yellow and brown markings and is a typical burrowing snake. It is known to coil under the ground with only its head at the entrance to make easy preying. The females usually range upto 3 ft in length(almost the double of a male) and mate during the summer. Relatively the better species to be kept as pets.
Red-Tail Boa – which more or less is just a sub species of the well known “Boa Constrictor”. Before planning on petting this snake sit yourself down and think. The snake grows upto a whooping 10 feet and weighs upto 200 kgs. A pet Red Tail is equal to a pony living inside the house(and using the insides for its excretory needs too). Also the need to feed it rats, toads and the occasional bunny rabbit could be quite displeasing at times.
I would be adding a lot to the list of Exotic Pets to make things a lot more interesting. I would also be listing a few places where you can purchase these animals for domestic petting and breeding.
