Were you wondering just like me if snakes can get bored? Then you’ve come to the right place. I have done a decent amount of research to find the right answer to this exact question and in this article, I’ll share this answer with you. Also, I’ll give answers to questions that are closely related to the main question so make sure you keep on reading!
Do snakes get bored? Snakes can’t get bored. Snakes don’t have the brain capacity to have complex feelings like, for example, boredom. So if you see your pet snake laying in a corner of its enclosure all day then it doesn’t mean that the snake is bored, it’s just doing what he/she wants.
Why do snakes look like they’re bored?
If a snake is looking bored like when it’s lying in the corner then this doesn’t always mean that the snake is unhappy or bored. It can just be digesting its meal or it is taking some rest. But it can also be that it doesn’t have much to do and in this case, enriching its life is essential.
So, the snake can’t show any complex emotions like being bored but I’m sure that having no stimulations to become active within its enclosure won’t do him any good either. It makes sense right? If you would be put in an enclosure with, for example, only substrate, a hide, and a water bowl then I’m sure you wouldn’t be moving much either because there wouldn’t be anything new to explore.
What can be done to enrich the snake’s life?
There are various things you can do to enrich your pet snake’s life. The found ways to enrich your snake’s life are mostly DIY ways but some are not DIY. Here are a few ways that will surely enrich the life of your pet snake:
- Let your pet snake crawl in your backyard.
- Build a multi-level enclosure.
- Provide climbing opportunities.
- Rearrange the enclosure’s furniture from time to time.
- Take a swim with your pet snake.
- Allow your pet snake to breed.
- Use substrate that’s suitable for burrowing.
- Introduce new smells to the snake.
- Make feeding your pet snake an activity for him/her.
- Add fun toys to the snake’s enclosure.
Let your pet snake crawl in your backyard
This is a fun activity that your pet snake will love as it is put into a whole new environment that he/she can completely explore. If you decide to choose this activity though then you need to be sure that your backyard will be suitable for this sort of activity as your pet snake is great at hiding and also an absolute master in escaping. So, make sure that the whole backyard hasn’t got any holes where the snake can escape through and that there aren’t any potential hiding spots where the snake can crawl into which will make it hard to find your pet snake again once you’ve lost it out of sight.
Build a multi-level enclosure
This is one of the potential DIY projects that you can do to enhance your snake’s life. A multiple-level enclosure allows the snake to crawl through multiple levels within its enclosure. You could, for example, make a bottom level which is dark and has a nice temperature to it because of a heat lamp. This level can then be used for the snake to rest and have privacy. The second level can just be the level where the water dish is with some potential toys, and the third level can then have a nice hide where the snake can chill and also some rocks and stones where the snake can climb on whenever it’s in the mood.
Provide climbing opportunities
For snakes, climbing is an exercise that is very healthy for their bodies. There are a bunch of different objects where the snake can climb on. Examples of these objects are hollow logs, stacked stones, rocks, and branches. All of these objects that I’ve just mentioned can easily be added to the snake’s enclosure and will immediately be a great enhancement to the snake’s life.
Rearrange the enclosure’s furniture from time to time
This is a nice quick change you can regularly do to enhance the snake’s life. Rearranging the enclosure’s furniture keeps the snake curious and interested which will enhance movements and therefore keep the snake active and healthy.
Now you know that snakes cannot get bored but can they get depressed though? If you want to find out if snakes can be depressed then I encourage you to check out the article: “Can Snakes Be Depressed? (Everything You Need To Know)“. Which will thoroughly explain the answer to this question.
Take a swim with your pet snake
Letting your beloved pet snake go for a swim is another exercise that can be truly beneficial to the snake’s overall health. What you can, for example, do is buy a small inflatable pool and fill it up with fresh water so that the snake can both have a nice swimming session plus a nice cleaning session. Also, if you happen to have a large pool in your backyard then you could let your snake swim in there too. It is, however, important that in both cases you keep a close eye on your pet snake as it can potentially escape or drown if it starts getting tired in the water and can’t get out.
Watch the video below if you want to see a gigantic python go for a swim.
Allow your pet snake to breed
Every animal on this earth needs to breed and for snakes, this fact is not different. Letting your pet snake breed is one of the best stimuli for a happy and healthy snake. What you should keep in mind though is that if the breeding process happens to be a success that eggs will be laid and young snakes will emerge from these eggs. So, make sure you know how to care for these baby snakes and also what you want to do with them (like, for example, giving them away). Also, you should keep in mind that the breeding process does come with some risks as the process can sometimes be stressful for snakes.
Use substrate that’s suitable for burrowing
Every snake species loves to hide and a suitable substrate will enable the snake to do this. It can dig itself in deep when it doesn’t want to be in contact with anybody or it can dig itself in when it’s in search of a cooler spot to relax. So, make sure you add the suiting substrate to its enclosure.
Introduce new smells to the snake
Snakes use their smelling abilities for many different things. They use it to scent prey, to scent their allies, for example, us humans, and also to scent potential danger. So, what you can, for example, do is add certain smells in its enclosure which will make the snake curious and active. Examples of smelling objects you can add are feathers of birds from a clean and healthy bird, the shed skin of other snakes which must be clear of parasites, and different fruits (don’t add citrus to its enclosure though because this can be irritating for the snake).
Make feeding your pet snake an activity for him/her
You can feed snakes the usual way which is by just giving the snake its meal. But what you can also do is, for example, hide the prey within its enclosure. This is another way of keeping your pet snake active and eager to check its whole enclosure every time it gets put back into it. This is a great life enhancer for snakes if you’d ask me.
Add fun toys to the snake’s enclosure
There are a lot of toys that can be added to the snake’s enclosure which will keep the snake busy and happy. Examples of toys are natural cork bark, a rock cave, jungle bars where the snake can climb in, and terrarium plants which make its enclosure look a lot more like its natural habitat and enables the snake to hide under them.
Should you keep two snakes together so that they can entertain each other?
It is best to not keep two snakes together in one enclosure. This is the case because snakes are not social animals and don’t like the company of other snakes. Also, snakes naturally fight for dominance and this can cause feeding issues when one has the upper hand.
If you, however, have no other option than to put two snakes in the same enclosure. Make sure then that you feed the two snakes separately so that you’re certain that they’re both eating.
There are, however, more things that can go wrong like tracking the health of both snakes. It can, for example, happen that one of your snakes is not peeing or pooping anymore and that you don’t notice it because the other one is. It can also happen that stress levels will increase in snakes as there is constantly another snake close by without having the option to keep a nice distance. These levels of stress in snakes can result in them getting into fights regularly with potentially ending in one of the two being eaten. So, my recommendation is to not put any snake species together in one enclosure.
How can I entertain my pet snake?
A way of playing with your pet snake where you’re as a person involved is when you play hide and seek. Snakes love this as their specialty is hiding. Make sure that you choose a safe room within your house where the snake can freely crawl around without potentially escaping or hurting itself.
Also, it’s important to keep a close eye on the body language of your pet snake as it is not going to be up for games like this one every time. So, if you get any aggressive postures, for example, then you should leave the snake alone and potentially try again when you’re seeing that it is in a better mood.
Related questions
Can you leave a snake alone for a week?
This is dependent on the snake species you’re keeping as a pet and how old it is. In the case of water, garter, grass, or baby snakes you’ll have to make sure somebody else will care for the snake as these kinds of snake species will require frequent feeding.
Can I let my ball python roam around my room?
Letting your pet ball python roam around your room freely isn’t a safe thing to do for the snake. But if you make sure that the snake has no way of escaping the room and also has no way of hurting itself then you can let your pet snake crawl around your room freely.
Can I handle my ball python every day?
You can handle your pet ball python every day but you shouldn’t be handling your pet ball python more than once a day as snakes, in general, don’t like to be touched a lot and need their privacy. Handling your pet ball python every day though, helps the snake stay tame which is what you want.
Conclusion
Now you know that snakes cannot get bored even though it might sometimes look like that they are. Keeping, for example, your pet snake happy though is an aspect that is pretty much important to any animal you would keep as a pet. For snakes, you must enrich their environment with different hiding spots so that the snake can have some private time whenever he/she wants to. Besides this fact, it also could be nice to put some toys in its enclosure where the snake can then play with.
