Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i occaqsionally see easterns around where i live and wanna keep one for a short time over the summer. will wild caughts eat pinky/fuzzy mice? do they need to be a certain temp? cause up here the temps go all over the place so i wasnt sure. and if i did catch and release one, what do i have to do to make sure i dont bring it back with any health issues that could be spreas? like are there certain substrates i should avoid?

oh, and most importanly, where/when/how is the best way to catch eatern milks? should i look under logs and whatnot?

if any of these questions could be answered thatd be awesome, thanks.

Most studies have shown that snakes that are captured and rereleased do not survive very well. Even if released at the same location. Eastern milks are common and if you want one there is no harm in catching one, but I wouldnt let it go again.

Try searching under man made cover like boards.

I've never heard that rereleased snakes have a lesser chance of survival. What is your source for that information?
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AIM sn: z10silver

there are lots of sources. most of the studies have been done with rattle snakes using mark and recapture type studies. There was a long thread about this on the kingsnake forum about the subject that debated this with refernces. you could try searching the archives.

The general consensus was that picking up a snake, snapping a few pics, and putting it right back in the exact same spot doesn't do much harm. moving the snake more then a few meters from the original spot can have bad effects. And absolutely taking a snake into captivity for extended periods then releasing it showed a very poor survival rate.

I'd sure like to see a study that shows keeping a snake for a couple of months and then releasing it exactly where you found it causes a low survival rate.

I did a search on this in the kingsnake forum and did not find one reference stating such a study was ever conducted, who did the study, as well as where and when it took place.

While there may be evidence that shows releasing a snake some distance away from where it was captured causes a low survival rate, I have not found any instances where the Scientific Method (using Controls and Variables) was used to determine this. Perhaps it was the method of tracking, not the actual relocation, which caused the low survival rate.

When asked for a reference on a specific study, the answer of "do a search" or "there's lots of refernces on this" doesn't quite cut it as a valid answer.

Zach, do you have a link to a site that supports your theories?

Tim

I just tried to find the thread and I couldn't do it either. I don't like the KS search engine, the thread was there, and if i'm not mistaken I thought that you were a part of it. The problem is that I don't have any of my data. My computer crashed 8 months ago and I lost almost a years worth of stuff.

Most of the studies that I was refering to have to do with relocating an animal. They have mostly been done with rattle snakes, because people don't like rattlers on their property. Just google "rattle snake relocation" and you will get a few hits.

So you may be saying "hmmm well relocation of crotalus and putting an eastern milk back where you found it is not the same thing..." and your right its not the same but the effect may be similar.

When a snake is removed from the wild for an extended period and then returned to the same spot it begins to wander as if it was in someplace that it had never been. For obvious resons, transient snakes don't survive as well as sankes with territories. two things to back this up...

1 There was a study done with boa constrictors. Boas were captured, held them for 30 days, fit them with short distance radio telemetry gear and released in the same spot that they were found. Almost none of the snakes stayed put. two problems... one - I can't find the study. It was not the major focus of the research I was doing and my bibliography was lost. two - from what I remember, it was a small study was a small sample size. The data I remember was raw data, not a peer reviewed paper. So you can take this for what its worth, or disregard it.

2 There are many snakes in my area that I know where they live. Give me 20 minutes and I can find a few specific individuals easily. However, I have never refound a snake that I released. There was a water snake that lived in the same dam for almost three years. I caught him one summer, brought him home to show my kid brother, and released him 2 weeks later at the same place. I never saw him again. An almost identicle story happened to me with a garter snake that lived in a wood pile. After twice I got the hint and either kept what I caught or left them mostly alone.

Again, there are problems with generalizing any of this. A rattle snake, is not a water snake, which is not a boa, which is definetely not an eastern milk. In reality they probobly all have different tactics that may make them more or less able to handle a short stint in captivity or a relocation.

As for why, I have never heard a published result but I will take a few gueses. First I don't think that their memory is that great. A few weeks in a small tank and they might not know their old borough if they saw it. secondly, other snakes or other animals entirely will quickly occupy a niche that is left open all summer. There is no gaurantee that his old hole will still be his when he gets back to it. Or, maybe after a few months in a tank, they get used to the big dumb humans wandering all around them and they are not as vigilant at avoiding predators. My last guess is that the stress of the situation could prompt them to attempt to find a spot where crazy herpetologists arent flippin rockas and disturbing them.

I don't know...

sorry about the rant, and that I don't have more solid references for you.

I know that you catch lots of snakes. In your personal experience have you ever recaught a temporary pet after it was released?