Slide Into Your Best Self With an Emotional Support Snake

Are you a reptile lover who’s struggling with mental health? While cats and dogs may be the go-to animal companions, getting an emotional support snake can be just as calming, especially if you’re not a fan of constant cuddles.

How do you get one, though? The research and preparation can be confusing, which adds to your stress level and defeats the purpose of getting an ESA in the first place. Not to mention that your landlord may wonder why you want a nope rope to live with you. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at snakes as emotional support animals, the steps for getting an ESA letter, and any challenges that may rattle your expectations.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

An emotional support animal is like a small furry, scaly, or feathery therapist who lives with you and is 100% dedicated to helping you shed your worries. Unlike regular pets, these ones have special protections under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a federal law that says people with disabilities can have animals living with them.

As long as you’ve got a valid ESA letter, the landlord can’t enforce their no-pets policy and must provide you and your slithery pal with reasonable accommodation. You don’t even have to worry about a pet deposit or pet rent—under the FHA, your ESA snake isn’t a pet, so you can’t be charged for those.

Can Snakes Be Emotional Support Animals?

According to the HUD, the main enforcing body for the FHA, any animal can qualify to be an ESA, including snakes.

However, this is where things get a little more complicated. The FHA makes a clear distinction between common household animals—such as cats, dogs, and rabbits—and more unique ESAs. While snakes are becoming more widespread, they are in the latter group, which they share with:

• Monkeys
• Kangaroos
• Chickens
• Elephants (if you can fit one into your house)

This doesn’t mean that you’ll need any additional documentation or a certificate to get yourself a danger noodle roommate. A legit ESA letter is still the only document you need to present to your landlord, but because snakes aren’t the most common comfort animals, you will have to make sure the letter clearly explains your reasons for getting one.

The Benefits of an Emotional Support Snake

Although it may not seem like it, having a snake as an emotional support animal can be very beneficial for your mental health in unique ways. Aside from helping you reduce anxiety and deal with loneliness, snakes can get pretty hefty, which can provide calming sensory input similar to a weighted blanket when you’re anxious or dissociating.

Here are some other benefits your scaly friend brings to the table:

• No smells: Unlike many common ESAs, most kinds of snakes don’t smell, and they won’t make a mess out of your apartment. If you don’t want your slippery pal to draw the attention of other tenants, this is one less thing you’ll have to think about.  

• Quiet compadres: With a snake, you don’t have to worry about random noises. They do hiss sometimes, but there’s a small chance of anyone hearing it through the terrarium and your walls.

• Low-maintenance: Snakes are easy to care for. You don’t need to feed them every day, but you may have to feed them mice, which can be uncomfortable. You also don’t have to worry about walks since snakes are usually content with staying in their terrarium.
• Allergy-friendly: Your slinky friend doesn’t have fur, meaning you don’t have to think about allergies. This can come in handy since your neighbors can’t complain about hair getting into the ventilation system and causing a reaction.

How To Get an Emotional Support Snake

Before buying a terrarium and picking out a name for your new ESA snake, you should take a few steps to make sure you’ve got full legal coverage. Here’s what you’ll have to do:

1. Check if you qualify for an ESA 
2. Get an evaluation from a licensed mental health professional (LMHP)
3. Obtain an official ESA letter
4. Choose your snake
5. Inform your landlord

Check if You Qualify for an ESA 

The first step in getting your emotional support snake is making sure you qualify for an ESA animal. To be eligible for one, you usually need to have a condition listed in the newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). Some of the most common qualifying conditions are:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Chronic stress
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Phobias

Don’t worry if you have a condition that’s not on the DSM-5 list—as long as your condition is impacting your daily life and you believe an ESA can help, you may be able to get one. 

Get an Evaluation from a Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP)

After you’ve established that an ESA will help you, the next step is to speak to an LMHP. You can do this online or in person, as long as the LMHP practices in your state and it’s an actual medical evaluation, not a quiz or questionnaire. 

An actual evaluation includes discussing your mental health history, current symptoms, and the way they impact your day-to-day activities. Depending on your answers, the LMHP will determine whether an ESA will help you.

Be mindful of your state laws, though. States like Arkansas require you to have a prior 30-day relationship with your healthcare provider before they can write you a letter.

The good thing is that you aren’t limited to a psychiatrist for your evaluation. Any of these qualified professionals can write an ESA letter for you:

• Licensed professional counselor
• Primary care physician
• Nurse practitioner
• Psychologist
• Licensed clinical social worker

Get Your Official ESA Letter

If the professional thinks that an ESA is beneficial, you’ll receive an ESA letter, which is the official document under the FHA. In most states, this is the only document you’ll need when you move in your coiled companion. In states like Montana, your landlord can request additional documentation, although it still can’t contain specifics about your condition.

A legitimate ESA letter needs to check all of these boxes:

1. It’s written on the professional’s official letterhead
2. It includes the provider’s state license number, contact info, and National Provider Identification Number
3. It addresses you explicitly
4. It confirms that you have a mental or emotional disability recognized by the DSM-5
5. It explains that the disability significantly affects your day-to-day life
6. It states that an ESA is needed as part of your treatment

If you don’t have a relationship with a mental health professional, you can find one online. Many LMHPs offer services specifically geared towards getting you an ESA buddy. Be wary of snakes in the grass offering cheap or even free ESA letters. What you’ll likely get from them is an auto-generated template document, which is as good as a fake letter.

Keep in mind that you’re not guaranteed to get a letter. The professional can refuse to write you one if they think an ESA snake won’t help your mental health.

Choose Your Snake

Once you’ve got the paperwork done, it’s time to pick your support serpent. There are many breeds to choose from, and each comes with a different temperament, feeding habits, and size.

Here are some of the best breeds for emotional support snakes:

The breeds in the table are all constrictor snakes, which are more commonly kept than venomous ones because they’re friendlier and easier to care for. If you’re an experienced snake wrangler, you might be able to keep a venomous breed, but they tend to be less friendly, which means cuddles are off the table. In states like Texas, you also need a permit if you want to have a venomous scaly friend.

Inform Your Landlord

Now that you’ve got an ESA letter in hand and a clear picture of your new hazard spaghetti, it’s time to tell your landlord about it. This is where things can get complicated—snakes aren’t everyone’s favorite animals, and your landlord might not be as open to the idea of having one as a tenant.

No need to worry, though; your letter (and the FHA) has you covered. Under the FHA, your snake’s job of helping you with symptoms of your condition gives it special protections. This means that landlords and housing providers must provide you and your ESA snake with “reasonable accommodation”, regardless of what they think about pets.

Keep in mind that the FHA also protects your landlord. If your snake doesn’t have a secure habitat or poses a threat to your neighbors, your landlord may have grounds to reject your ESA letter. Keeping your ESA properly housed is an important part of ensuring your rights are respected. 

The Challenges of Emotional Support Snakes

Your little danger noodle may be a source of comfort, but getting one can be anything but. Aside from the raised eyebrows you may get when you tell people you’ve got an emotional support snake, you’ll have to deal with these challenges too:

• Local laws: Exotic animal laws can differ wildly between states and even cities. Most of these restrictions focus on venomous breeds. However, Hawaii has a complete ban on all snake ownership.

• Limited travel options: Unlike a cat or dog, you can’t put your snake in a carrier and travel with it. This is especially true for flying. “Snakes on a Plane” scenarios aside, very few commercial airlines will allow you to travel with your scaly friend, despite its ESA status, as one lady in Tampa found out.
• Finding an LMHP to work with: Many professionals aren’t familiar with ESA letter requirements, and your choice of a companion might narrow the pool even further. Luckily, Your Service Animal can connect you with an LMHP who not only understands what they need to do but won’t side-eye your serpent during the process.

Slither Your Way to An ESA Letter With Your Service Animal

Your Service Animal is an online platform that lets you connect with an LMHP and get your evaluation from the comfort of your home. You don’t have to worry about federal and state requirements—you’ll speak with a professional who practices in your state and is familiar with the relevant regulations, meaning your letter will check all the necessary boxes. 

Here’s what makes Your Service Animal your top choice:

How It Works

Aspiring to get your noodle pal without stressing? Here’s what you need to do:  

1. Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
2. Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
3. Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
4. Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter