Snake owner handmakes tiny hats for pet and shares themed photoshoots online to challenge stigma species is ‘evil’

A snake owner handmaking tiny hats for her pet to share themed photoshoots with her online followers hopes to challenge the stigma that the species is “evil”.

Emma Lacey, 33, purchased her pet snake, Snakey, who is a Ball Python, in 2012 while she was in college, where the reptile was once so small it could wrap around her wrist “like a bracelet” and she would take him “everywhere”, even into her classes.

Now measuring almost 5ft long and weighing 5lbs, 13-year-old Snakey is fully grown and has since earned himself an unlikely social media following – famous for his tiny, quirky hats.

Emma, who is based in Manhattan, New York City, US, started by creating a Santa hat for Snakey during their first Christmas together, and she realised he was “totally fine” with having objects placed on his head.

Ever since, Emma, who has “two children” – Snakey and her three-year-old rescue dog, Willow – has scaled up her passion project with Snakey to feature themed photoshoots marking festive holidays all year round, such as Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and St Patrick’s Day, appealing to thousands of followers online.

Often forking out around 100 US dollars (£72) to obtain the props for every set, Emma, a self-proclaimed “nerd”, said she has most enjoyed shoots based on popular games and franchises, such as Pokemon, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, where for the latter, Snakey wore a Gandalf hat.

Keen to spread positivity and bond with her beloved snake, Emma, a programme manager who works in the research division of a large technology company, also sees her “weird hobby” as a way of breaking down the stigma around snakes – allowing her fanbase to see they can be “cute”.

“People are very much afraid of snakes, there’s a stigma and a lack of education around them,” Emma told PA Real Life.

“They are often demonised in religion and in the media, in movies like Snakes On A Plane and Anaconda – everyone thinks snakes are out to get them.

“By putting a hat on Snakey, taking cute pictures of him and posting them on the internet, people who have always been afraid are saying he is cute and they have a curiosity instead of the fear factor.

“Snakes are not evil, they’re gentle creatures who want to eat, sleep, exist and co-habitate with us humans.”

Emma purchased Snakey for 60 dollars (£44) from PetSmart in 2012 while she was in college.

“He was just a baby at the time, he was like a bracelet,” she said.

“He was a good college pet – I brought him everywhere, I would take him to class.”

Emma said Snakey, who is now fully grown at 5ft long, weighing 5lbs, is “very docile”, becoming familiar and comfortable with being held and touched early on.

“Snakes generally don’t like having anything on their head, it’s a very sensitive spot for them,” she explained.

Emma said it was during her first Christmas with Snakey where she put something on his head – a wrapping bow – before she realised he was “totally fine with it”.

The following year, she sewed him a tiny Santa hat, and then expanded her passion into other festive holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter and St Patrick’s Day.

Having minored in photography in college, Emma realised she could turn her hobby into creating themed photoshoots for Snakey, where he wears a handmade hat resembling his surroundings.

“It just became a weird hobby,” she said.

“Doing this is a really nice outlet for my creative spirit, it’s bringing fun and positivity into the world.

“It’s a way for us to bond and connect with each other, as much as a snake can connect with a human!”

She initially started by sharing her creations on Reddit, before later branching out onto TikTok, Instagram and Facebook – where she has more than 90,000 followers.

“I’m a massive procrastinator and having a deadline for the shoot helps me to work towards it, so that’s why you see a lot of holiday hats,” she said.

Being “quite the nerd” herself, Emma also said some of her favourite shoots have originated from her most-loved games and franchises.

“I really enjoyed a Kirby shoot I did, I’ve also done a Pokemon one and Lord Of The Rings as well, where Snakey wore a Gandalf hat,” she said.

Emma said she can often spend around 100 dollars (£72) putting her photoshoots together from start to finish.

“This is probably one of my most expensive hobbies,” she said.

“The hats are not very expensive to make at all, but the photoshoots… I’m such a perfectionist so I’ll want to buy or design all the props myself.

“By the end of it, I could easily spend 100 dollars.”

To create a set in her home, Emma will use a white paper backdrop before adding her props on top, or she will sometimes take Snakey to an outdoor location, such as the beach or the park, to snap her shots.

Emma said Snakey is “more relaxed” during the process if he has eaten recently, preferring mice over rats, which he will consume every two weeks.

Making the hats is also a meticulous process, where Emma purchases felt fabric for less than five dollars from a local craft store.

She cuts square pieces from the material, places them around a mould to create the base, before applying hairspray to harden the fabric.

“I’ll paint them, I’ll cut out teeny, tiny little eyes to stick on, I’ll use pipe cleaners to add other parts,” she said, adding she also sprays the hats so they smell “nice” for Snakey.

“There’s an elastic band around the bottom, which is measured to loosely fit around Snakey’s head and there’s Velcro on the side so it can come off easily – he usually puts them on himself by slithering into it.”

Overall, Emma hopes her passion project and the bond between herself and Snakey will break down the negative stigma around the reptile.

“Snakes are just like any other animal, they’re not going to mess with you unless you’re messing with them,” she said.

“The responses I get are positive and I really appreciate his fans.

“They bring me life and joy, and it makes me feel so good to know that it is spreading positivity, that is the purpose of this.”