PETA Lawsuit Sparks a First-Ever Snake Rights Victory!

Update (February 5, 2026): Sssuccess! PETA just secured a first-ever snake rights win. After our lawsuit against Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset, the companies can no longer advise people to cram six-foot snakes into three-foot tanks.

Snakes need space to stretch and move their bodies, just like humans do. When they can’t fully uncoil themselves, snakes can become stressed and may develop several painful, potentially deadly health issues.

Snakes Require Intense Care—PETA’s Lawsuit Argued They’re Not ‘Starter Pets’

PETA’s lawsuit argued that Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset failed to share key details with customers about snake care and misleadingly marketed snakes as “easy” or “starter pets.”

In addition to axing tiny tank-size recommendations, Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset will also remove what the lawsuit described as “dangerous misinformation” about snake care and stop selling snakes entirely in Washington, D.C.

Snakes Belong in Nature and Suffer When Sold as ‘Pets’

In nature, snakes can live in large communities where they make friends and form cliques. Some snakes even “babysit” other mothers’ snakelets. 

The glass boxes humans force snakes to live in are nothing like the forests, jungles, and deserts they call home. Snakes can get bored, stressed, and sick when they can’t warm themselves in the sun, swim, and climb trees.

Never buy a snake. Not from a pet store, breeder, or anywhere else. If you already own a snake, house them in an appropriately set-up enclosure where they can fully stretch out their bodies to help make their life as comfortable as possible.

Originally posted August 29, 2025:

Confining a five-foot-long ball python to a three-foot-long tank is like sentencing an NBA player to spend the rest of his life crammed inside a gym locker, but this scenario is the reality for many snakes kept as “pets” by misinformed humans. That’s why PETA just filed a new lawsuit to stop online snake sellers like Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset from allegedly lying about the needs of snakes.

What’s PETA’s Lawsuit About?

PETA’s just-filed lawsuit calls out Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset for allegedly misleading consumers by advertising snakes as “easy pets,” when they require extensive care. PETA’s suit argues that these companies deceive buyers by leaving out critical information about what snakes need to survive and thrive.

Among other demands for relief, PETA’s lawsuit demands that Reptmart and Snakes at Sunset stop promoting snakes as “easy” pets, along with other misleading marketing language.

In their natural habitat, snake mothers are fiercely protective of their eggs, and some species care for their babies for weeks after they hatch and even “babysit” other mothers’ hatchlings. When bred and sold by the “pet” industry, snakes are stripped of necessities, and often suffer and die in cramped enclosures because sellers misled customers into thinking caring for snakes is easy.

Online Claims Allege Snakes at Sunset Doesn’t Care About Its Animals

According to a TikTok posted by someone who claims to be a Snakes at Sunset customer, a hognose snake purchased from Snakes at Sunset died within a week of arriving due to a genetic neurological condition.

Another person claiming to be a customer posted a video showing the body of a snake she ordered from Snakes at Sunset. She claims the snake was sent to her sick and died shortly after arrival.

Snakes at Sunset denied any wrongdoing in both instances. Although it’s impossible to know precisely why the snakes died, one thing seems clear: Snake sellers are not giving their customers the full truth about the complex needs of the snakes they sell.

What You Can Do to Help Snakes

Thankfully, more and more jurisdictions are recognizing snakes’ unique needs. Following support from PETA and other animal allies, a new Colorado law will require snakes in the pet trade to be housed in enclosures large enough to enable them to extend their bodies entirely. To help snakes, call on your local officials to pass similar laws and never support stores that sell snakes.