Reptile & Amphibian Forums

make good pets, im not planing on getting one because of the size im just interested.
-----
jake

my addiction:
0.0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1.0 amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

LOL.

It's like keeping a worm. Only there is a much greater chance you will lose the blind snake.

-----
Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 3/2/06

I caught a few while back in Florida you forgot to mention that you see a pet worm more lol.

Found this the other day

-----
Cameron

Hello,

The Brahminy blindsnake (Rhamphotyphlops braminus), it certainly not a flashy or showy snake. It is indeed true that when one looks at this animal, it appears to be nothing more than a 3-inch worm with a backbone. In addition to similarities in appearance, it is true that this species shares many aspects of its lifestyle with earthworms; it is always hiding under cover, very secretive, usually found dead on sidewalks after heavy rains, and perhaps the most flighty and high-strung of any snake species. This may sound like a pretty dull and boring animal for one to even consider working with, so why, then, have I dedicated virtually all of my captive studies to this species? I will tell you why. Have you ever encountered a miniature earthworm in your lifetime that could do any one of the following:

Eats vast quantities of ant pupae in one sitting, during which time it performs odd jerking movements with its neck, and sprays pheremones on itself that smell like those of an ant, so as not to be attacked by any present soldier ants?

Glows bizarre, greenish colors under black light, with a metallic blue nose? (The characteristic that drew me to working with this animal... I am currently performing several experiments to determine why this is.)

Is completely parthenogenic, and because of this has colonized many islands and continents around the world, with adaptibility that has allowed it to survive successfully on every continent except Europe and Antarctica?

Can either lay eggs or give birth to live young, depending on the individual, and create up to eight genetic copies of itself?

Can store fat in a stump at the base of its tail, as a Gila monster would, beneath which is a hollow, sharp spine used for balance when burrowing?

Posesses vestigial remnants of leg bones as a boa or python would?

Can coil on a dime and leave a margin all around, fit through the space where a lead would normally go in a number two pencil, has a tiny white tongue that gently vibrates and disappears like a miniscule mirrage that can only be noticed if you look very hard...

If you ask me, that is one special snake.

In response to your question, do these animals make good pets, I would have to say no. A pet is a corn snake or a California Kingsnake that has been bred for many years to become accustomed to a captive environment. A Brahminy blindsnake is a wild animal, but then again, maybe that's what I love so much about them. If anyone wishes, I can provide you with some information on captive care based on my personal experiences. However, before I simply shared tips on setup, care and feeding, I thought it was necessary for me to simply share what it is that makes these creatures so exotic, beautiful, and adaptable in the first place. thank you for your time.
-----
DAVE

0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 Oriental fire-bellied toad
0.1 Western hog-nosed snake
0.0.1 Okeetee corn snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
0.0.1 yellow * Everglades rat snake
0.0.1 Eastern mud snake
1.0 Yunnan beauty snake
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.1 albino African clawed frog
0.0.1 Northern black racer
0.0.1 African brown house snake (Zambia locale)
0.0.1 Sonoran gopher snake
1.2 European fire salamanders
(parthenogenic) Brahminy blindsnakes *

but i have a few more questions.
how much do they cost?
how often do they "breed"
could you successfuly house them in snake bedding instead of dirt?
is thier anything else to feed them other than ant eggs?
-----
jake

my addiction:
0.0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1.0 amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

Hello,

I have listed several techniques that I have used and setups that have worked for me, based on my personal experiences, below. I hope that this helps.

Start with a standard 2.5-gallon All-glass aquarium. To the bottom of the aquarium, add about an inch of rounded pea gravel (I use pre-washed marble chips.) Add enough bottled water to the aquarium just until it is touching the surface of the gravel. On top of this, place 4-5 inches of topsoil (Mixture of soil, peat moss and fine-grained sand. This way, the snake(s) can burrow down for coolness and moisture, much as they would in the wild. Next, take a large carbon packet used in aquarium filters, slice open the side of it, and stick it down into the substrate between the gravel and soil. This will absorb and toxins and heavy metals that may enter the environment. Next, access to a moist retreat should be provided on the surface as well. Place a small pile of sphagnum moss mixed with cypress mulch on one end of the vivarium on the surface of the soil, and mist it very thoroughly. On top of it, place a flat object to weigh it down. Choose a non-porous object, like small, flat piece of slate. On top of the slate, you can put a small water dish (the small plastic lid of a fish food jar) and occasionally let it fill over and spill across the rock. Decorate the surface with small stones, plastic and live plants, and cracked parts of flowerpots as hiding places. A thermometer and a hydrometer complete the setup. WARNING: These snakes can escape from anything! For this purpose, I use the glass cover made for use with this aquarium. Every few days, I let the aquarium air out, and stir the substrate lightly. This is mandatory. The last part of the setup that I use is a 2.5-gallon hood light. It keeps the cage between 80-90 degrees most of the time, and will discourage these light-hating snakes from trying to escape. Still, turn the light off for about 8 hours every night. For feeding, I purchase freeze-dried ant pupae (common food for captive finches) online. I reconstitute these eggs by letting them soak in warm water, and then I freeze them, and add about 10 ant eggs to a depression hollowed out under the flat slate every 2 weeks or so. I have not seen these animals consume any other prey items before. also, keep the cage free of fruit flies. The snakes breed very readily (The purpose of being parthenogenic is to colonize an isolated area very quickly), and can either lay eggs or give live birth, as previously stated. The hatchlings should be housed along with the adults, and treated in just the same menner. They will grow on their own quickly, and soon begin to reproduce themselves. Glades Herp occasionally offers these animals for $10 each. I hope that this information helps, and these are certainly animals that should never be overlooked.
-----
DAVE

0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 Oriental fire-bellied toad
0.1 Western hog-nosed snake
0.0.1 Okeetee corn snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
0.0.1 yellow * Everglades rat snake
0.0.1 Eastern mud snake
1.0 Yunnan beauty snake
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.1 albino African clawed frog
0.0.1 Northern black racer
0.0.1 African brown house snake (Zambia locale)
0.0.1 Sonoran gopher snake
1.2 European fire salamanders
(parthenogenic) Brahminy blindsnakes *

if you took a large cage (48x18) and did everything you just said but in bigger scale would you eventualy have hundreds?

can you handle blind snakes?
-----
jake

my addiction:
0.0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1.0 amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

I do not know if the size of the space the snake is in affects how much it reproduces... interesting question. I'll have to look into that. Still, just keep in mind as I said earlier that these snakes escape from ANYTHING, and a small tank is definately easier to maintain. I call these snakes the hardest to handle on Earth... but that should not discourage you... I would definately look into them, for they are absolutely fascinating to observe if you have some patience. Good luck.
-----
DAVE

0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 Oriental fire-bellied toad
0.1 Western hog-nosed snake
0.0.1 Okeetee corn snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
0.0.1 yellow * Everglades rat snake
0.0.1 Eastern mud snake
1.0 Yunnan beauty snake
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.1 albino African clawed frog
0.0.1 Northern black racer
0.0.1 African brown house snake (Zambia locale)
0.0.1 Sonoran gopher snake
1.2 European fire salamanders
(parthenogenic) Brahminy blindsnakes *

Does egg laying or live birth continue down the lines, or can a litter end up having different methods? For example, can one snake lay eggs while a litter mate gives live birth? Or do related lines of snakes all do the same?

Hey,

VERY interesting question. I am beginning to find more and more things about these snakes that absolutely fascinate me, and that fill in so many blanks on the scale of evolution. The answer to your question may be very important... I will definately be looking into that!
-----
DAVE

0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 Oriental fire-bellied toad
0.1 Western hog-nosed snake
0.0.1 Okeetee corn snake
1.1 red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
0.0.1 yellow * Everglades rat snake
0.0.1 Eastern mud snake
1.0 Yunnan beauty snake
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.1 albino African clawed frog
0.0.1 Northern black racer
0.0.1 African brown house snake (Zambia locale)
0.0.1 Sonoran gopher snake
1.2 European fire salamanders
(parthenogenic) Brahminy blindsnakes *

Just to add to Dave's excellent info:

I currently keep 3 R. braminus and find them to be pretty cool, exceptionally hardy captives. They have taken temp extremes from the low 40s to the high 80s and have not flinched nore lost their appetites. They eat ant pupae and I've also seen them eat adult termites. I keep them in plastic food containers (can't overstate their ability to climb and escape) on semi-damp paper toweling.

Dave, could you give me the url of your pupae source by any chance?

Hi, Dave

I'm at work on a book about herpetology and the herpetological community in the U.S. The chapter I'm writing at the moment is on braminus. I'd very much like to talk to you about your experiences keeping them. Would you be good enough to email me directly at remnant@mohawk.net?

Best,
Jerry

Jerome Doolittle
http://badattitudes.com/MT/