Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wanted some opinions on raising black racers. I work at a museum where someone brought us in some eggs, about 27 racers hatched out. They have all hatched out now, within the last week and a few have shed. Some of them I will release now. I would like to keep a few temporarily for a special display. What do you have the best luck with for a first meal? Has anyone else raised them from neonates and had any success with them being less aggressive, little less apt to bite? (No laughing...). Any other advice?

I have seen post sugesting they'll start on crickets, lizards, and pinkies but I think I'll just pinkiepump mine a few times, maybe till spring. oh, and keep them warm, almost hot! or they won't have the hunger, and cover to hide is importiant, but If your real patient and gentel they calm down in your hand (maybe it feels warm to them) and let you open their mouths and feed lizards or tails or just pump them with pinkies, anyway you can just get them through their first winter I think they'll be fine, and eat on their own after that. Bill (sighthunter) is the man on this forum to ask but he seems to have been detained during his vacation in south cali....anyway glad to help. JB

Hey,

I would suggest trying crickets man! Racers of all ages big and small will take crickets! Try that first before anything else, if not that try pinks, if not that try lizards. Try the lizards as a last resort, be better to have them on crickets instead of lizards. I avoid lizards in any way possible. But there are some coluber that just want only lizards. And in that case for a healthy snake give them what they want. Just make sure you freeze and thaw the lizards so they are parasite free! I have heard the Coluber c. constrictor are a lot easier to work with, than Coluber c. priapus. Those guys are very hard to work with, I had one big adult female that ate mice. Most are small and don't! You have to really look at why c. constrictor would eat mice over c. priapus. The Northern tends to extend as high as the east coast. There are very few lizards up that way, so diets would consist mostly of rodents and insects! Down in Florida for example, there are a lot of lizards there! I am not saying Northerns don't take lizards, but what I am saying is, They are more likely to take them because of their geographic location.
So try crickets first, I am confident they will take those. If not try pinks. If they just wont take anything offered. Assist feed them because one of the only ways to raise coachwhips is assist feeding for the first year! I hope I have helped! William Huntsman
Green Pine Museum

Assuming its a northern black racer, there most likley only going to accept lizards, such as young anoles, skinks and fence lizards, which is there main diet in the wild. Stick w/ the lizards and switch to scented pinks later on, my two cents.