The Art of Keeping Snakes

As mentioned earlier, this month we will look at a book that instead of covering a specific type of animal instead offers some new and exciting insight into properly maintaining some common snake species. The emphasis of this book is on naturalistic vivarium designs, and more specifically, those put together for snakes.

As soon as I had finished reading the opening chapter, I realized that this book was no ordinary work. Instead it provides fresh ideas and insight regarding snake keeping and maintenance. As the title implies, Mr. de Vosjoli approaches keeping snakes as an art form, rather than a chore. Early on he makes the distinction between the simplistic sterile enclosures of the past, and today's more artistic and natural ones.

I agree with Mr. de Vosjoli's view on snake keeping. I believe that if we are going to keep snakes in our homes, why not make the most of it? As is suggested in this book, emphasis should be placed on re-creating the snakes natural environment for a variety of reasons. Aside from obviously ensuring the health and happiness of the animal, it also results in an attractive addition to most home decor. This book will not tell you to line a 10 gallon tank with paper towel, add an upside down shoe box for hiding, and provide water in a gaudy green plastic saucer. Instead you will be guided through all of the steps needed to create not only a beautiful naturalistic snake enclosure, but also one that is functional in everyday use.

The reader will also find updated care information on some of the snake species that the author feels make the best display snakes. These are attractive animals that tend to be visible in the enclosure, as opposed to secretive animals that you will never see.

Although the bulk of the information in this book is on habitat design, there are also chapters on snake health, handling, feeding, heating and lighting. In other words, this book could serve as a stand alone source of information for a first time snake keeper. However, because Mr. de Vosjoli presents such a huge amount of information in such detail, this book may be more appropriate for a reptile keeper with some experience under their belt.

The section on bioactive substrates was particularly interesting. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, bioactive substrates are those that have a controlled amount of healthy bacteria present to constantly break down fecal matter without excessive maintenance on your part. This type of setup is very nice when dealing with carefully designed and planted vivaria that would be damaged by regular substrate changes.

At well over 200 pages long, this is one of the biggest books to come along from AVS and Mr. de Vosjoli. However, it reads well, is jam packed with useful information, and highly is recommended. This book is available at LLLReptile.com for $9.95. Don't delay, order your copy now!