Rico

Breed : Milk Snake (Central America)

Info : Rico is a very brightly coloured therapy snake – quite large – a lot of clients think that his colouring denotes him as venomous, but he really is not. These snakes are a very similar colour and patternation to the deadly coral snake of the same region. They are differentiated by the milk snake’s yellow band. His name comes from Costa Rica, where I found and held a wild milk snake in the jungle, overlooked by a very frightened native guide!

Benefits : Therapy snakes give a 3 dimensional therapy experience : From the initial anticipation, and understandable caution (like waiting in line for a rollercoaster), therapy clients find the movement of a snake both relaxing and exciting (like the ride !!) When stroking the snake, they find him relaxing. Watching a snake is really quite fascinating, and invites conversation between participants. Therapy with a snake is amazing for enhancing and increasing confidence and self esteem !