Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am searious thinking of purchasing a Mangrove Snake. I have owned non-venomous species for 6 years now. I have one common boa, and a normal phase burmese. They both are doing great and I have been very fascinated by the mangrove since I first so a picture of one. I would love to get any advice on this, and also does anyone know of any good care books or care sheets for this species? Thanks!!

Also, here is where I was thinking of ordering. Anyone have any experience with these guys?

http://www.snakemuseum.com/price.htm
Link

I've been keeping mangroves for a number of yrs and have bred them once. They are not super hard to keep,but they're not super easy either.Like all members of the genus Boiga they can be somewhat snappy and they are definitely venomous,even if they're "only" rearfanged.Like any rearfang they should be treated with respect.They should have roomy,arboreal style cages and they require high humidity,otherwise you'll have shedding problems.Captive bred animals,if you can find them are definitely better than imports. If you get an import, try to select a smaller size specimen, it will probably acclimatize more readily. You'll have to deparisitize and all that fun stuff that goes along with imports!Some basic husbandry info is available in "The Snakes of Thailand and Their Husbandry" by Merel J.Cox 1991.Sorry haven't heard of that dealer/breeder you mentioned.Hope this is of some help. Regards Grant

About breeding them... the info i found on breeding them was extremely vague so i figured i was on my own to figure it out. I figured that they might be similar to breed to pythons from the same area of the world. Would it be similar to breeding, say, macklots pythons? Can you give me a quick outline, possible including some important details? Any information, as specific as possible would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Kevin

Kevin The biggest problem with breeding mangrove snakes in my experience is the tendency for the females to try and eat the males when you put them together.I call it "Black Widow Syndrome".What I did when I bred them was I put them together and misted the cage really heavily. After 11 days I came home from work to find the male a quarter of the way swallowed by the female.He was dead but only by a few minutes.If the female had actually been able to swallow more of him she probably would have died too,because he was only an inch or two shorter than her.Happily he had been able to "do the job" before his demise as the female laid 5 eggs,2 of which were fertile on May 27/96.1 egg hatched Aug28/96.I incubated them at 84-85f and kept them much wetter than you would a NA colubrid egg.I used sphagnum moss as a substrate and it was really wet but I only hatched 1 off the 2.My buddy who had bred them before said that I didn't have the moss wet enough.I guess it makes sense,given their habitat.Anyway if you're going to try breeding them,make sure the snakes are equal in size and watch them like a hawk.Let me know if you have any success. Good luck,Grant

Ive had that problem with milksnakes too. I just keep them in for short periods at a time and watch them closely. I kept them overnight at the longest. Thats what i would have to do with them, although i have had them together, not for breeding purposes, with no problems (unlike my macklots pythons). From experience i found that sphagnum moss doesnt hold moisture as well as vermiculite. How long was the period from copulation to egg laying? How large (long/heavy) were the snakes, if you know?

thanks again,
-Kevin
p.s. the male is bigger

Hi Kevin I'm just checking my records and copulation took place at some point in the 11 day period after the female was introduced.She killed him on March 31 and laid eggs on May 27.So thats about 2 months between conception and laying.Both snakes were very close in size,about 6ft,with the female only slightly longer.I never weighed them,but I would estimate them at a couple of lbs each at the most.Her prelay shed was May 21, 6 days before she laid.I would be tempted to give vermiculite a try,as I've had the same trouble with sphagnum moss,it doesn't seem to hold the moisture evenly. Some spots are wet but it tends to dry out in other spots, especially near the top. This problem of prospective mates trying to eat each other seems to be pretty common with snake eating species like kings and milks. Apparently mussuranas are really bad, or so I've heard. Mangroves
eat alot of snakes as part of their natural diet, and thats true of other species in the genus Boiga. The green cateye snake{Boiga cyanea} eats Trimeresurus sp. on a regular basis. That's my favourite species, they're really nice,kept a few in years gone by, but you don't see them around that much any more. Grab them if they're ever available. Wish you luck with your mangroves Regards,Grant

Hello. I have been reading about the mangroves recently and stumbled across this forum. I have been keeeping mangroves for several years and breeding them. Bill Gillingham at Great Valley Serpentarium is the best person to ask or buy from. Most mangroves can be taught to eat rodents but it is difficult. I have found great success by getting them you and starving them until survival instincts kick in or use their agression and "tease" them untilthe attack several times. Breeding is not difficult. Keep them separate cool them then combine in SHORT "bursts". Don't keep them together too long. I have heard they will "tire" of each other quickly.
My Site for Info

I have dealt with them before. I was gonna buy a pair of mangroves from them but they had sold out at the time. They tended to be quite unhelpful and rather rude. Maybe you will have a different experience. They seem to have quality animals, if a little over priced. Good luck.

Kevin