Set Up Cage First
Have the cage already set up before bringing the snake home. It's not a good idea to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase and end up keeping a snake in an inadequate cage temporarily. It's a stressful time for a snake when you move it to a new home, and stress makes a snake susceptible to illness. So if you want your new pet snake to be healthy, make sure that when you bring it home you put it into a cage that has everything it needs to live (proper temperatures, fresh water, places to hide, etc.).

Buy Captive-Bred
In most cases, it's best to purchase a captive-bred snake, as opposed to a wild-caught one. You will be much more likely to end up with a healthy animal that will eat regularly and have a good temperament. In addition, you won't be needlessly reducing wild snake populations. In some situations, it's desirable to bring certain wild-caught snakes into captivity. That is best done by experienced keepers that are prepared to deal with stressed or heavily-parasitized snakes. The best way to ensure that you are buying a captive-bred snake is to buy it directly from a breeder and have it shipped to you or buy it from a reputable breeder at a herp show.

Quarantine New Snakes
You should quarantine all newly acquired snakes for a minimum of 60 days (longer is better -- I use 6 months). This will help ensure that they are healthy before you add them to your main collection. Obviously, the larger and more valuable your collection is, the more you stand to lose if you introduce diseases into it. At the very least, quarantined specimens should be in separate cages and have no contact with other reptiles. It's better if you can put them in a separate room because snakes can transmit airborne diseases, just like humans can, although this is presently not very common.

During the quarantine, you should watch closely for external parasites (mites, ticks) and signs of internal parasites (smelly, runny stools, regurgitation, etc.). Remember, if you see one snake mite, there are probably many more present that you have not yet seen. Take appropriate steps to kill any mites that are detected. Even better, don't accept a snake with mites. Return infested snakes immediately for a full refund. Sellers that send you snake mites don't deserve your business.

During the quarantine period, you should have each new snake checked for internal parasites by a qualified veterinarian. This is especially important if the snake is known to be wild-caught, if it comes from an unknown origin, or if the snake was purchased from a pet store. Any health problems that are detected should be successfully treated before ending the quarantine.

Don't Feed Immediately
Don't feed a new pet snake right after bringing it home. A healthy snake doesn't need to eat right away, and it's best if you give it a few days to inspect its new cage and settle in before you offer it food. You don't want your new snake to relate any recent, unsettling experiences (like the trip it just took to your place) with its new home or the food you'll be feeding it.

Some snakes would eat right after a plane ride if you offered them food, and some will lose their appetite if you just move them to a different cage. Since snakes don't require food daily, it's best to be conservative with feeding at first.

Give a new snake access to appropriate heat, places to hide, and fresh water, and don't handle it at all for a couple of days. It may be hard for you to wait, but it's best to be patient. After your new pet snake has been alone in its new cage for a couple of days, you can offer the first meal. Snakes do everything at their own pace, and you need to adapt your care to their needs because they can't adapt their needs to you.

Buy A Healthy Snake
When buying a pet snake, do your best to pick out a healthy animal. Inspect your prospective purchase carefully for respiratory infection, burns, skin infection, mites, broken ribs, kinked spine, and check its eyes. Rescues of snakes being kept in poor conditions are best left to experienced snake keepers. Beginners will have a much better experience if they start with a healthy snake that eats well.

Feed Alone In Cage
Don’t feed a snake with another snake in the same cage. They may distract each other and not eat, or they may fight over a meal. This can result in one snake swallowing the other after a prolonged struggle, and that can easily cause the death of both snakes. At the very least, a keeper that feeds two snakes together is putting himself/herself at risk for snakebite because it may become necessary to try to separate the two excited snakes that are intent on eating the same food item (not good for them or you).

Shedding & Food Don't Mix
Don't offer a pet snake food, especially a live rodent, when its skin and eyes are clouding, prior to shedding. Wait until the skin shedding is complete even though the clouding may have gone away. Once a snake's skin goes from cloudy to almost normal looking, it will normally shed its skin within a few days. Most snakes won't eat during their shedding cycle anyway, so it's best to just wait until the old skin has been completely shed before you offer food to your pet snake.

Also, refrain from handling your pet if it's in the pre-shed, "cloudy" period because it will be more nervous than usual. You should provide access to extra moisture and keep the snake's stress level as low as possible during this time. If you mistakenly offer your snake a meal during its shedding cycle and it does eat, that's not a problem. Just leave the snake alone to digest the meal and finish its shed cycle, and it should be fine.

Handle With Care
You can handle most pet snakes several times a week if you want to. This will help maintain a bond of trust between the two of you and keep your snake accustomed to having direct contact with people. With a few species, regular handling may be necessary to keep them manageable, but most snakes will remain tame even if they aren't handled often. Move slowly when interacting with a snake, and give it the same consideration you would want if a "giant" were handling you!

The length of time you keep a snake out of its cage depends upon the snake and your handling ability. You should take into account what the snake's temperature requirements are, and how warm the air is where you're handling it, so you don't keep it out too long. Many snakes tolerate being handled very well, but if your pet acts stressed, you should put it back into its cage. Short handling periods are best for nervous babies. Most will calm down and get used to being handled as they age.