Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently caught a juvenile Western Yellow-bellied racer and I had a few questions about captive care for those of you who keep them. First of all, what would you guys recommend for substrate? What is the best temperature to keep in the cage? I know they are pretty active so they need a large cage; what do you guys use for your racers. Finally, feeding this thing isn't a problem it will eat anything; the other day it took four Pacific tree froglets, and even a couple of mealworms! Thanks in advance.
-Roy

Hey Roy,
I've got no ideas on keeping these guys but I was tempted to take this one home with me. Found just west of Sacramento.
Paul

I didn't know exactly what to do, but I improvised and as of yet I haven't found any problems. They obviously have a fast metabolism so I feed mine about twice a week; small pinky mice, crickets, mealworms, and mouse parts seem to work well for mine. However, mine really seems to relish Pacific tree froglets. My set-up consists of a ten gallon cage(for now), a medium-sized waterbowl, lots of branches, and some sort of hidebox on both sides of the enclosure. My racer utilizes every aspect mentioned. As for heat I think a 25-60 watt bulb works well but that really depends on where you live as well. I live in the Santa Rosa area and its been in the 90's lately so I don't need a bulb of high wattage. The humidity gauge in the cage reads between 40 and 50 percent. This set-up and feeding schedule seems to be working well though, as evidenced by a perfect shed last night. As far as handling go's, I try to handle mine for a couple minutes a day, and it seems to be calming down pretty well. Anyway, good luck with your new racer!
-Roy