Sometimes known as pelvic spurs/anal spurs. While not exclusive possessed by snakes, the cloacal spurs rest on either side of the snake's cloaca* and many people believe they are remnants from a time when snakes still possessed legs.
.
Their function now is somewhat more obscure, but male snakes have been observed using their spurs to help grip, poke, and otherwise stimulate female snakes during mating.
.
.
.
*cloaca is, essentially, the area where snakes (and birds, among otherspecies) expel all forms of excrement, as well as where their sexual organs are accessed, and where they lay eggs or give live-birth (depending on the species) from.
.
It is also where snakes are sexed from.
.
I do not encourage googling cloaca unprepared as some of the pictures can seem a bit graphic.
.
Cloaca is apparently Latin for "sewer."
Well if you Google snake cloaca you were likely to run into at least some pictures of people "popping" snakes - which involves opening the cloaca and having the hemi penis exposed - or, if you're even more unfortunate, prolapsed cloacas etc
I tried to take a better pic but she kept wrapping her tail around my wrist.
.
Fyi - if you get a chance when the world is more normal to let a snek crawl on you I highly recommend it. Really unique feeling and they're almost pure muscle
I've had a snake crawl on me numerous times before, they're amazing creatures.
I recommend the same but with a tarantula on your hand. Those mfs weigh NOTHING and it feels like the lightest air breeze ever
Haha it was a struggle to settle on a name for her at all tbh (I'm terrible at naming things).
.
Funny thing is I have to get her re-sexed at some point to make sure she's a girl, so if it turns out she's not I'm not sure if she'll remain Eden or not. I suppose I could shorten it to Ed mind you
I got mine from a Pet Store, though Mia is right that's not ideal. The store I got it from was operating in a more ethical manner than most, however, and there was a guy who was really invested in making sure the reptiles were well cared for, which is part of what made me get her.
.
but you can absolutely go through a reptile Expo - which has the advantage of having a HUGE selection, as well as people very well versed in the care of reptiles, and lots of the supplies you'd need.
.
As with any pet, just make sure you research it first. They're generally very low maintenance pets... once you get them set up.
.
Things like:
-substrate
-temperature (for the love of god do not use heatrocks)
-humidity
-eating habits (some snakes eat chicks or lizards or even other snakes, not rats, some have to be weaned off live-feeding)
-ength-of-the-species-as-an-adult (Burmese pythons are a classic example of sneks that start life as a shoelace and grow up big enough to wrangle alligators)
-social habits (most snakes cannot be kept together and get stressed with too much handling)
-temperment
.
Even pooping habits could be worth investigating, though usually not an issue. But, for example, Cobras, (which I know you're not getting) have a tendency to poop when they want to get away from people, and poop all over their tanks all the time
Aww what makes you say that? :D
Actually I'm self quarantined and glued to my bed cause I have a bad flu. So, mediocre, but a lot of time for funsubstance.
Noooo stay safe mia (message us often bc part of what was scaring me the most was how little people with the virus were talking online).
Also yes I tried to say ate but autocorrect fucked me over again lol
Well... I have joined a female dating app (yup my bf is cool with it) and that does kind of get my energy up. Maybe that's what you were noticing :D
Also I think my antidepressants start working. So maybe you're not too bad at reading people after all :)
Reptile expos would be best, and yeah, it's not just sneks that you don't want to get at a pet store, it's the same for pretty much any reptile. You'll usually wind up with a sickly one, and that's no fun. As for the pooping, make sure you scoop it out, don't let it sit there for like.. a day. It's also not a terrible idea to keep track of feeding/pooping on a calendar, just so if something becomes irregular. And yeah, screw heat rocks, they'll burn their tummies :/
.
Their function now is somewhat more obscure, but male snakes have been observed using their spurs to help grip, poke, and otherwise stimulate female snakes during mating.
.
.
.
*cloaca is, essentially, the area where snakes (and birds, among otherspecies) expel all forms of excrement, as well as where their sexual organs are accessed, and where they lay eggs or give live-birth (depending on the species) from.
.
It is also where snakes are sexed from.
.
I do not encourage googling cloaca unprepared as some of the pictures can seem a bit graphic.
.
Cloaca is apparently Latin for "sewer."
.
Fyi - if you get a chance when the world is more normal to let a snek crawl on you I highly recommend it. Really unique feeling and they're almost pure muscle
I recommend the same but with a tarantula on your hand. Those mfs weigh NOTHING and it feels like the lightest air breeze ever
.
Funny thing is I have to get her re-sexed at some point to make sure she's a girl, so if it turns out she's not I'm not sure if she'll remain Eden or not. I suppose I could shorten it to Ed mind you
The first ones are cool tho.
.
but you can absolutely go through a reptile Expo - which has the advantage of having a HUGE selection, as well as people very well versed in the care of reptiles, and lots of the supplies you'd need.
.
.
Things like:
-substrate
-temperature (for the love of god do not use heatrocks)
-humidity
-eating habits (some snakes eat chicks or lizards or even other snakes, not rats, some have to be weaned off live-feeding)
-ength-of-the-species-as-an-adult (Burmese pythons are a classic example of sneks that start life as a shoelace and grow up big enough to wrangle alligators)
-social habits (most snakes cannot be kept together and get stressed with too much handling)
-temperment
.
Even pooping habits could be worth investigating, though usually not an issue. But, for example, Cobras, (which I know you're not getting) have a tendency to poop when they want to get away from people, and poop all over their tanks all the time
Actually I'm self quarantined and glued to my bed cause I have a bad flu. So, mediocre, but a lot of time for funsubstance.
Also yes I tried to say ate but autocorrect fucked me over again lol
Also I think my antidepressants start working. So maybe you're not too bad at reading people after all :)