Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is a rescue snake brought to me. At first I thought it was a corn snake, but not sure now. It has a distinct V mark behind its head. Maybe a false water cobra? It is light colour underneath with two rows of black dots. Length is around 13 inches.

If you need more pictures please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Trish.

Yes, that'a a False Water Cobra(Hydrodynastes gigas) they can grow to a length of 6-7 ft. and are VERY agressive feeders.They are also rear-fanged, and are NOT a recommended snake for the casual beginner.

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

Thanks for taking the time to come and have a look at my snake Doug. I was hoping that it was indeed a FWC. It will be a welcome addition to my collection.

1 tic neonate
2 tics sub-adult all my tics and burms are `normals`
4 tics adult
2 burms adult
1 FWC 2 of them now
1 pueblan milk snake
1 bairds rat snake adult
1 bull snake adult
1 golden flying snake adult (rescue)

Thanks again for your reply,
Trish.

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

I would like to reiterate what Doug said concerning the potential for hazard with Hydrodynastes. They will reach breeding age & size at two years. They will continue to grow after that. At five years, your snake may well be over seven feet and nearly as thick as your wrist. Luckily, most calm down in regards to humans after the first six months or so. They are, however, not to be trusted & are always a threat to bite at feeding time.

There is a paper out there studying the venom which makes the case that the venom is about the same strength as Crotalus atrox, the western diamondback rattlesnake. Admittedly, the venom delivery system is not that good because they are opistoglyphs, but there is no antivenin for them either.

I raised several generations of these animals over a thirteen year period.
You say that was a rescue animal. Was it an escapee, or did the owner just not want it?
~~Greg~~

It appears that the owner of this snake could not keep it because he was moving house. I don`t know too much of the history other than this. I am not unfamiliar with this species, my female is aged 8 years. She can be a very aggressive feeder.
I posted the pic because this new snake had very different markings to mine. Mine is mainly grey with black markings. I was quite sure this new fellow was a FWC but wanted to be sure.

Thanks for reply,
Trish.