As keepers, we must all strive to keep our animals healthy, but what often falls to the wayside is mental health of reptiles. Enrichment is an object or activity that stimulates the animal mentally and/or physically. Finding enrichment for snakes can sometimes be a challenge, but you’ll want to focus on olfactory and tactile enrichment, due to the fact that snakes are very centered on both of those systems. Remember- we want to bring out the natural behaviors of the animal, not just to add or take away objects at random.
The olfactory sense is perception of smell. There are many fun and different smells you can place inside of an enclosure to provide stimulation. You’ll want to avoid any artificial scents such as perfumes and body sprays, because that can be a detriment to your animal’s health. Remember, they only have one functioning lung, so you don’t want to overload them with chemicals. You also don’t have to leave the object in the enclosure, you can use it to rub smells all around- in hides, on the walls, on branches, etc. You’ll also want to be careful to not put anything indigestible into the enclosure with rodent smell on it. No rags or towels that were in with the rats, and I would also suggest not putting too much prey bedding into the snake enclosure either, just in case.
Scents I have been successful with include:
-different plants and fruits (flowers, leaves, strawberries, grapes, etc)
-a PINCH of rat bedding
-other snake’s sheds and bedding
-things with my smell on them
Pretty much any object is going to have a smell. It’s hard to go wrong unless you place something toxic in there.
The tactile sense is the perception of touch. It’s good to give a variety of objects for snakes to feel as they wander their enclosures.
You can use things from outside, just do so with caution. You won’t want to put anything that has been treated with pesticides or other chemicals or is potentially toxic in the enclosure as they have the potential to kill your snake. But if you know things in your yard are are safe, you can bake them in the oven to sanitize them. Put your oven on 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the objects for 2 hours.
Fun things to try are:
-different substrates. Use aspen one week then switch to repti-bark, newspaper, paper towel, sphagnum moss, etc.
-Use a mix of substrates- half aspen, half paper towels, etc
-dirt and soil of different textures. Organic potting soil is a great alternative.(Please use caution when feeding on loose substrate and put something down so your snake doesn’t get mouthfuls of substrate)
-Rocks of different shapes, sizes, and textures (be careful there are no sharp edges)
-different branches
-leaf litter
-smooth gravel/river rocks
-Tiles of different kinds (do NOT place the tile over UTH because that will cause them to overheat and damage your enclosure and/or snake)
-fake plants
The possibilities for enrichment are virtually endless and entirely beneficial to your snake. Additionally, it is fun to watch your snake explore and become interested in the new objects you placed for them.
Other tips:
-Pay attention to the species. Are they diggers? semi-arboreal? entirely terrestrial? This is a good indication of when and how you should enrich your enclosure. Digging species are going to need layers of substrate, and you can bury items in it. Arboreal and semi-arboreal snakes are going to want to climb, so place perches and branches of different textures and you can even scent things that are on the ceiling of the enclosure or the top of those branches.
-make sure to secure any objects you place in their enclosure so they will not fall on and injure your snake.
-Snakes don’t like open spaces, so the less you have the more likely they are to explore.
-Trade enrichment items through your snakes’ enclosures. If it was in one snake’s enclosure, place it in a different enclosure. It will then have the smell of the first snake on it, which can be stimulating to the other snake. I do not suggest doing this between Boas and pythons, however, due to the risk of IBD spreading.
-Once you are consistent with providing enrichment, you can even give little to no enrichment once in a while- that’s still enrichment!
-Some snakes are not good with change. Be sure to observe your animal for negative changes in behavior. (For example: stress, which may cause your animal to go off feed. If you have a snake like this, make small enrichment changes less frequently. Some snakes may be comfortable with you doing an entire overhaul all at once, where others may be shy about it.)
-be careful with oranges and other strong citrus smells. This may cause some respiratory issues as the oils leach into the air of the enclosure. It is best to rub the peels of citrus around the enclosure without leaving any physical pieces inside
As always, if you have any inquiries, feel free to contact me! My ask box is always open :)