Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am trying to acclimate this new Boiga dendrophilia I got 4 days ago and am still thouroughly unsatisfied. He has drank and deficated since i got him, which are good signs, but he is still almost completely unresponsive during the daylight cycle when i reach in and pick him up. I can literally reach in his cage and put my finger under his head without even a tongue flick. Is that normal for a nocturnal snake? I know mangroves have an agressive reputation, but this guy is very relctant to make any fast movements. I offered him a chicken scented mouse last night when it was on its nighttime cycle and he had come out on the branch in his enclosure. He flicked his tongue at it, but was pertty much totally uninterested. I offered it to him for about 3 minutes, dangling it on tongs, then took it away and decided I would wait another 3-4 days before i tried again. Anyone with feeding and acclimation tips for this species please help! My False Water Cobra seemed a lot easier to acclimate, though my memory recalls it wasn't easy either.

Here are some picks of him. Enjoy.

Sorry, this should work.

Hey nice snake! Where did you get him if you don't mind me asking? I've been looking for a mangrove for a while.

Northshore Reptiles LLC put a classified ad on this very website about mid-November offering a pre-sale on about 10 species he was getting in from Indonesia. Mangroves sold out fast, I paid in full and my snake got here last Wednesday. Simple as that. Keep your eyes open. If all you want is some species of Boiga, try MFEZI reptiles they always seem to have something.

I experienced similar behavior with my B.d.dendrophila when I first purchased it. It took quite a while to get the snake acclimated and feeding. In acclimation it is important to have a cage with a lot of branches and foliage, and I mean a lot. The lethargic behavior is definitely not a good sign, and my best recommendation would be to leave the snake alone as often as possible. The fact that it does come out at night is very good. One way to get them feeding is to place an artificial bird nest in the trees(something simple, platic deli cups work well for me) and right before you turn off the lights place a frozen thawed, or preferably live, chick or quail in the container and turn off the lights. After that, leave the snake alone until the morning and check to see if it has eaten. If it has you're doing well! If not, take the food out and try agin in a couple of days. My Mangrove is very defensive and will not accept prey form tongs; the only way it will eat is by the aforementioned procedure.

Good luck, I hope this helps. If you have any more questions feel free to ask here or e-mail me at royreptile@yahoo.com.
-----
Roy Blodgett

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.0 Masticophis flagellum piceus (black phase)
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila melanota
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
0.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
1.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

That sounds like really good advice. I put a large humidifier in the room with him today and that is making my misting job much easier. I think me constantly having to open the tank lid and mist to keep proper himidity was causing him some stress. I will go out tomorrow and aquire another large branch to accompany the other in the cage, plus add some foliage cover so he can feel more secure. I am noticing he is a bit more active and responsive to my flashlight at night, but I can still reach in and touch him with little reaction. Probably best to leave him alone and provide more cover. I will also try feeding it a chick Wednesday night with your nest method. It'll only be one week in my care Wednesday so it's not panic time yet. I will e-mail you if I need any furthur help. Thanks.

Here is my new setup for the Mangrove Snake. Any suggestions on how to make it better? You can barely see a hint of him under the big patch of moss in the middle. Is there enough cover in the branches? I know a 55 gallon is small but this guy is still a juvenile. I have a halogen spot and a ceramic heat emitter on the tank that keep it really steamy, about 92* on the warm side of the tank during the day and it goes down to 78* at night with just the heat emitter. Any furthur advice to help acclimate him and get a first feed is gratly appreciated.

It definitely looks like your on the right track! Your temperatures are perfect and there is no need to worry about the size of the tank. I would still put in more branches if you can. The snake should be able to reach every part of the cage by way of the branches. More foliage would be good, but the best thing would be to get a cork round (big enough for the snake to coil up in) and place it in the branches near the heat emitter. My Mangrove is almost constantly in its cork round by the heat emitter and since I have utilized the cork round the snake no longer rests on the floor of the cage. They really seem to like arboreal hides; if you can't find any cork rounds you can use a bird nest box which is readily available at most pet stores. Like I said before, the artificial bird nest technique has worked wonders for me, and that should get him feeding. Mine will not accept food from tongs and I have found that if I disturb the snake after placing the food item in the nest it will not eat. Good luck, and if there is anything else don't hesitate to ask!
-----
Roy Blodgett

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.0 Masticophis flagellum piceus (black phase)
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila melanota
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
0.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
1.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

Roy is correct. You need to make it look like a jungle in there so he can feel secure and have easy climbing access to every part of the tank. You might want to tape newspaper on the sides of the aquarium to make him feel at ease.
Make sure he is well hydrated which you are doing, keep offering him food and let him chill. That's about all you can do. A fecal exam should also be done.
Good luck

Just to clear everything up, I wasn't saying that the snake I received was unacceptable or unhealthy. I was just unsatisfied that he wasn't acclimated yet and was proving to be more difficult than any of the other species I own. Sorry for any misunderstandings.