Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a few wild ones coming in on monday. I love these snakes and would like to try and breed them. Any info I could get on the subject would be great. There doesnt seem to be much out there on the easterns.

Thanks,
Mike

First off make sure they will eat in captivity because some easterns will not. Have you bred other snakes?

I do not. I have been breeding since a kid everything except snakes. From exotic fish to frogs to tarantulas to scorpions...etc. So im not a stranger to breeding just a stranger to snake breeding. I have read what i can about it but easterns do not have much info available on them. So whatever anyone can offer would be great!

This is also the first im hearing about the feeding issues. Please tell me more if possible.

Thanks,
Mike

http://www.kingsnake.com/colubrid/index.h

Like Joe said,see if they eat before you think about breeding them.If they don't eat release them where they were found.
Breeding next year starts with feeding this year.The female must be well fed.You may want to get some cornsnakes instead
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A bad day in the field is better then a good day at work

Doug L

Thanks Fellas,

Unfortunatly I am having them mailed to me from a guy in upstate NY. I am in central Jersey. I traded him for a couple of Tarantulas I bred.

If they do not eat is it safe to release them here in Jersey? I have caught them as a kid here.

I have a pair of Tangerine Hondurans I will be trying to breed. They eat like champs on frozen thawed. I am assuming the Easterns are picky eaters?

What is the best food to start with? Rodents, Snakes or Lizards? Whats there favorite so to speak?

Please do not release them in NJ. You should ask the source to try to feed them before he/she ships. Otherwise, he/she can let them go where they found them.

Dave
DNS Reptiles

Rolling the dice is more predictable then knowing if they are going to eat. Some do, some don't. Some eat a meal or two and then will never eat again. In my humble opinion, not a good beginer snake by any means. Like Dave said, see if the sender can try to feed them PRIOR to sending them. You should not release them that far away from the site of capture. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I found a juvy last summer, and spent 6 months force-feeding it mouse tails. it finally took and ate pinks all winter, then about 3 weeks ago it started refusing food again (right about the time I tried to graduate him to fuzzys). Won't even take a pink now, but I have heard that this behavior is not unheard of in mid summer?

Still, i love the little dude!
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1.0 C/B Brooks
0.1 C/B Lavender Brooks
0.1 C/B Snow Brooks
0.0.1 W/C Scarlet King (RIP)
0.0.1 W/C Eastern Milk
0.1 W/C Yellow Rat
0.0.1 W/C Western Garter
1.0 C/B Black Lab
1.0 C/B Min. PoodleXAmer. Eskimo hybrid
1.0 C/B Goofy Cat
1.2 C/B Children
0.1 W/C wife

I have caught and kept several when I was growing up. I once read something in an old reptile book that said they are "indifferent" feeders. I have found this to be accurate. They eat some of the time, but not enough to maintain good breeding weight. I did have one good, consistent feeder - but that's one out of about a dozen snakes over the years.

They seem to like smaller-than-usual food items. I think an adult wold be most likely to take fuzzy rats - preferably live ones. This would at least cause them to put on some body fat.

Tim

Third Eye

Thank you all for the information. I will definatly not release them if they do not feed. I have pushed breeding them out of my mind for now. It seems i should focus on getting them to eat. If they feed prperly the rest will follow.

The guy who has then tried to feed them dusted roaches but they wouldnt eat them.

Are they insect eaters?

Has anyone tried feeding them snakes? or lizards?

I have some sources for both. Especially the lizards. They are a fevorite aborial tarantula food.

Mike

I have written to the guy and told him if he can't or is'nt willing to try and feed them before shipping then i will not go threw with the trade. After reading all that you all have wrote on the subject this seems to be the responsible thing to do. I already sent him shipping money so i hope he will refund it without problems if they do not feed.

Thank you all for the information!

Mike

wth are those?
Why didn't you do your research before you spent your money?
You have a 50/50 chance at best the wild caught easterns will survive the first year .Ask that guy to send you some corn snakes. Rule of thunb here is release them if they dont eat in the first few weeks.You will need live fuzzies for adults.

dusted roaches???? thats nasty

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A bad day in the field is better then a good day at work

Doug L

Its a tarantula thing. We breed huge tropical roaches that are as large if not larger then mice. It was what was on hand thinking they were insect eaters also. Hes has fed a garter snake to one since. I'm gonna have them on tuesday. I will keep this post going with feeding updates. I have already put in an order for house gekos. I will do my best and worse case ship them back. I would rather spend the 30 bucks for shipping then starve them.

Mike

OK. Three arrived alive on 6/30/2009. 7/1/2009 attempted feeding. Offered F/T pinkies. 2 snakes ate 1 refused. Offered baby nightcrawler and left pinky in the tub overnight with the picky eater. That snake ate the worm but left the pinkie behind as of this morning. This snake is the smallest. Maybe a pinky was a little to large?