What You Must Know If You Plan To Keep A Snake As Pet

You may think that snake is so dangerous that you can not be close to it, but there are also some people choose snakes as their pets. However, snakes are obviously not the right pets for everyone. They have unique requirements and should only be kept by those with the commitment to understand and meet their needs.

If you also want to try to keep a wild snake there are many things you must consider. A snake you know you can keep, are willing to care for, and would like to keep temporarily as a pet, then the consideration start. Do note that I said temporarily: please only keep a wild-caught snake for a short time while you learn about it. As soon as the fascination with it starts to wane please release it back into its NATURAL habitat.

If you are new to pet snakes, find out what you should consider before deciding on a pet snake, and what species are the best snakes for beginners.

When choosing a snake, you are making a long term commitment - many can be expected to live longer than 20 years. You must be willing to feed prey animals to your snake (though frozen, pre-killed prey is the best choice), and you will probably have to devote some freezer space to frozen prey items.

Snakes are very adept escape artists, so make sure you have an escape-proof tank, keeping in mind that snakes are persistent about finding and squeezing through any small gaps.

Get a captive bred snake from a reputable breeder, if at all possible. Wild caught snakes tend to be more stressed and prone to parasites and disease, and more difficult to tame. For more about the advantages of captive bred reptiles, see Should I Get a Wild Caught or Captive Bred Reptile?

You will also want to do a cursory exam of your snake to check for any signs of illness: see Choosing a Healthy Reptilefor areas and signs to look at. It also doesn't hurt to ask for a feeding demonstration, to make sure your new snake is readily taking pre-killed prey and feeding well. Ball pythons are somewhat notorious for having feeding problems, so this is especially a good idea with ball pythons (though if you get a captive breed ball python it seems less likely that feeding problems will crop up).

Get An Overview Of Some Basic Features Of The Black Rhinoceros

Today, these animals are on the verge of extinction, thanks to years of relentless poaching but rhinoceros, even today are probably one of the most majestic animals to walk the earth. The fact that these animals have been around since the Miocene era, million of years ago, only adds to their aura. But, these animals are today almost extinct with almost ninety percent of the population being killed and poached since the 1970s. There are five species of rhinos existent in the world today and the black rhino is one of them. In this article, we will give you some facts that will help you understand more about this animal that once ruled sub-Saharan African jungles.

Facts about Black Rhinoceros

There is a lot to learn about this mammal. But before we take a closer look at how its appearance is, where it lives, what its diet is and other such details, let us get an overview of some basic features of the black rhinoceros.

AppearanceWhile they are categorized as black rhinoceros, it is important to understand that even the species of white rhinoceros is actually gray in color. The difference between the two actually lies in the shape of their lip, with the black rhinoceros having a pointed upper lip. This shape of the lip is an adaptability to allow the animal to feed on twigs, leaves, herbs and shoots. This species of rhinos have two horns, with the one in front being more prominent than the other. Rhino horns grow about three inches every year. The horn of the rhino is made of thick hair that is matted. It grows from the skull with absolutely no support from the skeletal system. While male rhinos use horns to battle predators, females use it to protect their children. Rhinos have eyelashes and have hair on their ears and at the tip of their tail. If you study the different facts about rhinoceros, you will learn that like every other species of the rhino, even the black rhinoceros is odd toed and has three toes on each foot. Many are surprised by the fact that a black rhino is actually very fast and can run at a speed of almost 50 kilometers per hour.

Behavior
Rhinos are known to be solitary creatures which prefer to roam around alone than in a herd. They tend to interact with each other only when they mate and when the mother is raising its calf. They are territorial animals that defend their areas fiercely. They have a very sharp sense of smell and also have a keen hearing power. Despite being a large animal with a lot of power, the fact remains that it is not a natural predator which is what makes it an easy prey for humans. But, these animals tend to be aggressive and attack not out of an actual threat but normally out of fear and confusion. They often have been known to attack tree trunks and termite mounds and this is generally a result of their poor eyesight.

Habitat and Diet
The black rhino normally stays in areas that have a dense and woody vegetation. These mammals feed at night and often lie around in a water hole with wet mud, so as to coat their skin with the mud which acts as a bug repellent and a sun block. The vegetation that a black rhino feeds on includes buds, shoots, leaves, bushes and trees.

As mentioned before, these animals are often solitary and do not mingle in herds but they have a close relationship with their calves that lasts for two to four years. Black rhinos are extremely intriguing animals that tend to awe you by their sheer presence, but their numbers are fast depleting due to a high demand for their horn. If something is not done and their depreciating numbers are not reversed, the black rhino may soon join the ranks of extinct animals.