Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If anyone here has kept an eastern coral successfully, please reply to this post, or contact me through the k.com reply system. I keep an educational display collection of southeastern US venomous snakes, lacking only M. f. fulvius. I need this species to complete my educational collection. I know they are diffucult captives, but I'll do what's necessary. I just need advice from some keepers experienced in keeping this species successfully long term.

Thanks in advance.

WK

I've kept a few successfully. I keep them in a cage much larger than you would for other snakes this size. And I basically set the cage up like a terrarium.The one I have now is in a 75 gal tank with 6 to 8 inches of substrate. They need substrate to burrow in. For the substrate I use a mix of plain potting soil(no added fertilizers)with some cypress mulch, and some peat moss mixed in.On top of this I spread some oak leaves.On one end of the tank I built a small water feature with a small waterfall.The waterfall splashes just a little and keeps the substrate on that end a little bit damper than the other end.You don't need a waterfall,I did it for looks, but a moisture difference between one end to the other is important.You could just dampen one end periodically.I also have a few plants growing, a log or 2 and basic terrarium decorations.For food if you can find one that has already been eating keep with it. However those are few and far between.Try everything that is available where it was caught. Green anoles, 5 lined skinks, brown snakes, red bellied snakes,I've heard they love baby copperheads but haven't tried any, etc.I've never tried, but I've heard and read many reports that ring necked snakes are toxic to corals, so you might want to stay away from them.If it won't eat anything, release it exactly where it was captured before it gets too unhealthy. Remember too, these are NOT good display snakes. They are very secretive AND STRESS VERY EASILY.This is where allot of people screw up. If you mess with them once a week your messing with them to much. Hope this helps, Marty

Thanks for replying. I tried to keep one in the early 1990's but could never get it to accept food. I tried most of what you mentioned except snakes. It was kept in a 4x2 ft wooden cage with a plexiglas front, top opening, flourescent light on one to give a heat gradient. I kept the water bowl on the other end. The substrate was cypress mulch several inches thick and there were a few hides located throughout the cage. Next time I'll try your substrate mix and see how it goes. I don't hold out much hope for finding one of these because I've never seen one in the wild, even while growing up here in SC looking for snakes pretty much the whole time. I hear they are more common in Florida. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for a captive one that looks healthy and is eating.

Regards,
WK

I have a more traditional set up, basically newspaper and small tubs filled with the burrowing medium like sphagnum and pine bark nuggets. Mine are very frequently out in plain sight. I spray the tubs every other day or so and keep a big water bowl at all times. They really have to have humidity of they will die. I also have a large vent across the back of the cage and I built an exhaust fan out of a bathroom exhaust motor and fan assembly from Home Depot that was about twelve bucks, it is mounted on the top to provide a massive exchange of air in the cage. I think that is key to keeping them. As the humidity requirement goes up, you have to move a lot of air and keep it really fresh. In south Florida the air is pretty humid anyway, so I don’t have so much problem with that. My temps are usually in the high eighties to low nineties, which would be too much if it weren’t for the air flow, in my opinion. It’s a challenge to maintain high humidity with high air exchange. Try scenting food items with a frog.
These are my latest obsession; they are pretty nice to work with. Very easy.

Breeding, nothing has come of it yet though…

Pair on pine bark nuggets

Nice girl

This cage is three feet long, so this coral is pretty big. This was with a different light bulb that was too hot.

Small compact fluorescent light is actually only three watts! Helps keep down heat.

Suitable display when they sit there in plain sight.

Wow, that's fantastic! What sort of food are you getting them to eat? Do you have a photo of the exhaust fan system? Thanks for the information. Beautiful snakes, and great photos, too.

Regards,
WK

I will have to take a picture. The exhaust is just a barebones motor and fan assembly sold as a replacement, I guess(?) It has a plug cord about two inches long. I built a wood box to house it that exactly fits the vent on the roof of the cage, seen from the inside in that picture of the compact bulb in the post above. It really moves a lot of air, it is normally used as a bathroom vent, but probably at the lowest end of cfm. I have it on the same timer as the light. I have converted corals to mice every time by scenting small fuzzies with frog.
I would also add that I think they get a lot less stressed if you gently handle them and let them get to know you a bit that way. I use a BBQ mitt, there’s no way they could bite through it. Mine show no desire to bite the glove. Pinning them and grabbing them is a killer. You will crush something and they will die.

Thanks again. I'm now eager to give another coral a try, but I think I'll pass on handling them with mitts

I think they hate hooks and being suspended in mid air. The glove actually gives them a lot of support and they seem to prefer it, in my limited experience. They tend to have a quirky movement style of suddenly jerking to one side or the other. On a hook, they can jump and you find yourself holding them by the tail and quickly re-hooking them. It is more awkward and stressful than the mitt method. It’s always good to hear what others are doing so you can take it or leave it. Good luck and share what works for you.

I plan to interact with the snake only as needed for maintenance, so rarely I think. Hopefully, I'll never need to restrain it for treatment of a problem. I use tubes to restrain my crotalids if I need to pull a brille, access the tail vein, etc. I like the idea of using a trap box for minimizing stress.

BTW, have you ever maintained a juvenile eastern coral? I may be able to get a small recently WC specimen in the next couple days and would love to have any advice about getting this animal established. I've already built a cage with lighting and thermometer but need to get a fan tomorrow. My yard is full of ground skinks, green anoles, and tree frogs. Plus, I have 3 elementary school-age kids to catch them. I also have a good supply of frozen rodents of appropriate size. (Before anyone gets concerned about the kids, let me say that my vens are kept in a separate building on the property that is locked at all times).

I really appreciate all the replies to my post. You've been a great help.

Regards,
WK

I also have a fan providing air flow, but I use a 4 inch fan from Radio Shack.Whenever I need to move my coral I use a shift box. The snake crawls inside, close the door and its confined, stress free.I have hooked her, but she doesn't like it. Thats why I started using the shift box. I would never free handle any venomous snake, glove or no glove.But thats just me. Usually she'll be moving around early in the morning when the lights come on, and I can coax her into the shiftbox with a hook no problem. Marty

The tubs I use are also ready made shift boxes, if they are in one, just snap a lid on it. That’s pretty much what I do when I change the cage. I don’t want to make it seem like I am for freehandling, which I wouldn’t really call handling with a bite proof glove. It’s about the same thing as using a block of foam. They are noticeably less prone to that jerky movement when using the glove, which is sometimes barely restraining them at all, which I may be misinterpreting as less stressed out.
This picture is only to show how small the fangs really are, for those who aren’t use to seeing them. That and that I happen to have it on my computer and I’ve posted about all the others by now…

Thanks for the tip on the RS fan. I see a few different models on their web site that are pretty reasonable (approx. = 1/4 tank of gas$ ).

How is it that you guys figured out a fan for corals? It's something I've never used in decades of keeping colubs, boids and crotes.

Regards,
WK

I kept one for a year once. It was a long time ago and I had to give it to "steves exotics" in northern virginia or my mother was going to kick me out of the house. The snake got loose for a week!! Not cool. Anyway, I loved having it but the only thing it would eat was other snakes. If I could do it over I would have moved out and kept the thing!!!!