Reptile & Amphibian Forums

it's a tiny little snake, but fairly well tempered, but of course, it would be considering it thinks we're the biggest bunch of predators to come near it. He's got a really pretty orange belly, grey scales, little orange ring around his neck. He's got an injury on his neck and one on his tail, we put neosporin on it, gave him a water dish, he's got plenty to hide in at the moment, I'm urging my brother to have Tyler release him back into their yard again. They're not sure what to feed him and neither am I, being how it's looking like this little guy will be our guest for awhile, what can I feed it while it's here? I'm thinking I might wait until my nephew is at school and accident turn my head while he gets loose......But until then, any suggestions? What is he btw lol I haven't asked that yet, but that's what I really wanna know.....

I'm fairly sure he's a ring necked worm snake, but well I'm not entirely certain either. he's in the palm of my hand for size reference.

Its a ring-necked snake. A worm snake is something else entirely.
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V.P.
Austin Herp. Soc.

They eat small snakes and small lizards, like skinks. They are a big challenge for an inexperienced snake owner. My suggestion is to release it asap.
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V.P.
Austin Herp. Soc.

It's definately a Ringneck Snake (not a worm snake). Someone else can probably tell you exactly which species, but they may need to know where you live first.

I've never kept them myself, but several people have told me that they eat earth worms easily in captivity. Give him some mulch to dig into and he'll be more comfortable.

If he doesn't eat readily, his best chance is probably for you to release him sooner rather than later.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Looks like a Northern Ringneck(Diadophis punctatus edwardsi).
There are twelve subspecies of ringneck.

Like you were already thinking, it would be much better off back in the wild, like the others have said, they can be very hard to keep, even for a "well-seasoned" snake keeper.
Definitely NOT for the beginner!

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

thanks so much, I'm urging him pretty heavily, Im thinking I might go pick up a cornsnake for him this week then he'll have him instead of this little ring snake, he's a cute little guy, but I'm just worried about the effect of living with a very rambunctious eleven year old and a very nosey four year old as his keepers. On the other hand I'm very thankful that their first thought wasn't killing it, that impressed me so much. When I first got my corn they were scared of him, now they ask to hold him everytime they are here. We've come leaps and bounds I guess. It's time to get them their own pet now. Anyone near Indianapolis that could cut me a deal on a nice normal hatchling? I have a snow and the stores around here are charging around $100 for corns. I already have set ups ready to go for a newbie, I just need the newbie. Tomorrow I think I'll have Tyler convinced to release him, he's wittling away, I may end up having to wait until Thursday and bring him a corn to replace the ring with. Thanks so much and Since this afternoon he's been placed into a small tank with mulch, grass and some dirt, with a water dish for him to climb into and a few earthworms to munch on. He's eaten one of the worms so far. Thanks again--Izora

go to a local reptile show in your area!, you should be able to pick up all sorts of different cornsnake morphs for next to nothing!..........theres a "shows" link somewere here on "kingsnake.com", and the dates and location of many around the country are also in "Reptiles" magazine that's sold in pet stores!.....I agree, $100 is rediculous! ..too bad you aren't down in Ft. Lauderdale, FL., I've got a friend who has tons of cornsnake morphs for real cheap!

t regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

hope this helps. The info is on the front page of kingsnake.com right now. If you don't use this link, then you need to click down where it says "more" at the bottom of the listing on the main page and it will take you to the big list.
events link

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phflame
kingsnake.com host

Take Doug’s advice and seek out a herp show. If you can find one near by it would be well worth it. Corns are plentiful and you certainly will get a good buy..

Also if you’ve never been to one it can be a great experience. Bring your nephew. Usually there’s a cut off and kids under a certain age are free. For the $100 or so your local pet store is asking for a Corn you can pay for your gas, buy your corn and have a nice day sharing your hobby with your nephew. You’ll still be come out cheaper. Expect albino corns to be in the $25 - $35 range.

I've seen corns at shows for as low as $10 before. They are so plentiful nowdays, sometimes its hard to give them away for free!

n/p
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I let him read your replies and he released it tonight in his back yard mulch filled flower garden, he also got very excited when I told him since he took such great care of that little one, I felt it was time he got his own starter snake. He did take really good care of the ring neck, granted it probably wasn't the best for the ring neck but he did a really good job making sure it was comfortable and for the three days he's had it, he's made sure to put the neosporin on it very lightly twice a day. He also made a water dish that had a little ramp in and out of it so the snake could swim if he desired which was quite cute. Now he's reading Don Soderbergs book on corns and asking a million questions, so the next show, we'll be taking a trip to the fair grounds to check out what they have. He can't wait. I'm kind of excited as well, I'm thinking I might get him a female so that I will have one to start breeding Frosty with when it gets older. Something I've thought about for awhile, just haven't taken the plunge yet. Fiqure by the time this little one is large enough to breed, I'll be ready lol.

Thanks again, sorry for the long post! --Izora

That was the best thing to do.

You can't get a better beginning snake than a cornsnake!

shows of any size will have so many cornsnakes(and others), your head will spin!!LOL,...there are some VERY unusual mutations out nowadays, and both of you will be amazed at what's available!.

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Sounds like an excellent start!

One thing though. Once you go there and see vendors with hundreds of corns they can hardly give away, give another thought to what you'll do with 10-20 babies if you decide to breed yours...
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

believe me, if i do choose to breed Frosty, it'll be another three years down the road, and by then, I will have probably changed my mind. One rule in my life is don't collect it unless you truly enjoy it. The same thing goes for the animals in my life. Never get an animal you don't enjoy and never breed an animal if you don't like babies. I fiqure if I do start breeding, It will probably only happen once and pretty much be a learning experience, but at the same time, it may spark a whole new fire in my nephew. At any rate, we have plenty of time to consider our options, thanks again!

If you ever should breed your corns you can always find homes for the babies. When I first started breeding I used to sell my extra snakes to pet stores. I never really got too much from them, but it did pay for their food for a little while.