Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found a baby Patchnose in the middle of Piru lake last weedend, it was all most dead, we put in in a tank with UV lights and a heat pad, now the snake is like a live wire but will not eat, it's about the thickness of a pen and about 12-15in long, has anyone kept one of these
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1.1 Desert Iguana(Dima, Dianne)
0.1.1 Chuckwalla (roxy,Little Chuckie)
2.4 Collared Lizard (Fred, Barny, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles and ?
1.1 Desert Leopard Lizard (Simba, Kimba)
0.1 AZ. MTN. Kingsnake (Nimo)
0.1 Hamster (Tofu)
1.1 Kids
0.1 Wife

I have kept one for years. They are like Racers in that they are typically on the nervous side. They do not need UV but a good hide is in order. It should feed well on frozen/thawed rodents of appropriate size. You may have better luck letting it feed in private away from foot traffic and household activities. I find they do best with small to moderate size food items and not larger sized rodents that constrictors typically can handle. Husbandry is similar to that of most colubrids.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

This guy is to small to eat pinkies, do you think I should feed it crickets or superworms, I read that there diet is mostly reptile eggs. I'm not sure what to feed it, If I feed it frozen mice, can I cut them up? do snake eat cut food?

Thanks
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1.1 Desert Iguana(Dima, Dianne)
0.1.1 Chuckwalla (roxy,Little Chuckie)
2.4 Collared Lizard (Fred, Barny, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles and ?
1.1 Desert Leopard Lizard (Simba, Kimba)
0.1 AZ. MTN. Kingsnake (Nimo)
0.1 Hamster (Tofu)
1.1 Kids
0.1 Wife

They emerge in late summer so it should be large enough for a small pinkie. It may eat mouse parts as well. A small snake may need its prey scented with a lizard.

I did a quick google search of lake Piru. If your snake is a Patchnose it would be the Coast Patchnose, Salvadora hexalepis virgultea. This subspecies is listed in California as a species of special concern. This makes it illegal to possess. Due to its legal status and feeding issues your best course of action would be to release it into suitable habitat, preferably close to where it originated.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

website and there is a limit of (two) Western Patchnose Snakes, I checked this out before keeping it.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/07-08-inland-fish-regs.pdf
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1.1 Desert Iguana(Dima, Dianne)
0.1.1 Chuckwalla (roxy,Little Chuckie)
2.4 Collared Lizard (Fred, Barny, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles and ?
1.1 Desert Leopard Lizard (Simba, Kimba)
0.1 AZ. MTN. Kingsnake (Nimo)
0.1 Hamster (Tofu)
1.1 Kids
0.1 Wife

The species itself is legal except the one subspecies. Unfortunately the Sport Fishing brochure does not list all the lagal issues. The State realy needs to make things clearer but that does not change legal status. Here is a link to a list of California species of special concern. It is a Department of Fish and Game web site. I understand it is illegal in California to catch or posses any of these species without an academic permit. I have discussed this with State agents before and they have indicated this. The Coast Patch Nose Snake, Salvadora hexalepis virgultea, is on the list. I know others on the list are definatly illegal because of this status. Laws are laws but this one seems a bit cloudy.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/ssc/sscreptl/sscreptl.shtml

another web page

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/cgi-bin/read_one.asp?specy=reptiles&idNum=25

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/ssc/ssc.shtml
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

I think it's best to be safe, I'm going back up there this weekend, I'm going to let it go, hopefuly it'll stay out of the lake

Thanks
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1.1 Desert Iguana(Dima, Dianne)
0.1.1 Chuckwalla (roxy,Little Chuckie)
2.4 Collared Lizard (Fred, Barny, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles and ?
1.1 Desert Leopard Lizard (Simba, Kimba)
0.1 AZ. MTN. Kingsnake (Nimo)
0.1 Hamster (Tofu)
1.1 Kids
0.1 Wife

I am a staunch advocate of following conservation laws and have done a lot of research into them. I am having trouble sorting through the legal status of the Coast Patch-Nose. I can't find anything definitive about the legal status of species of special concern but I know some of the listed animals are definitely illegal yet have no other legal designation except the SOSC list. I have been informed that the SOSC designation was the reason they were illegal. I have seen other references that in California, species of special concern have no formal legal protection. These references were all interpretation from non-authoritive sources. Basically they were layman opinions for the most part. I will keep looking into this matter.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

Thanks for all your help, but I'm going to let it go, being a species of special concern I would fell better knowing it's still in the wild, and I have other snakes and lizards to keep me bussy
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1.1 Desert Iguana(Dima, Dianne)
0.1.1 Chuckwalla (roxy,Little Chuckie)
2.4 Collared Lizard (Fred, Barny, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles and ?
1.1 Desert Leopard Lizard (Simba, Kimba)
0.1 AZ. MTN. Kingsnake (Nimo)
0.1 Hamster (Tofu)
1.1 Kids
0.1 Wife