Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today my mom was covering the grill to bring it inside, being that the hurricane is coming and ran away seeing 2 small snakes.
I put these 2 snakes in a tank, they did hiss like any wild snake would. But i would really know what kind of snake this is so i know what to feed it.. Any comments or concerns? Post them please

A description would be nice.
Also-not just any wild snake will hiss. In fact, most are incapable of "hissing."
A location and decent description including colors and patterns are needed.

>>Today my mom was covering the grill to bring it inside, being that the hurricane is coming and ran away seeing 2 small snakes.
>>I put these 2 snakes in a tank, they did hiss like any wild snake would. But i would really know what kind of snake this is so i know what to feed it.. Any comments or concerns? Post them please
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

Why keep them....just leave them be and place them back in the wild so that they can continue the cycle of life and contribute to the gene pool of the natural population in your area.

If you are interested in keeping snakes, why not buy captive bred vs. taking from the wild?

just a thought.

“Why keep them?”

Because there’s a hurricane coming!

Wild animals have to endure the same flooding and wind-blown debris that people do... and they don't have Red Cross shelters to go to.

The “cycle of life” that you speak of also includes a cycle of death... which doesn’t give them much chance to “contribute to the gene pool” as you call it. Natural selection is there to sort out those individuals who are more fit when it comes to competing for food and procreation, not to find the ones that are hurricane-proof. (And the big dinosaurs were not “selected” to be asteroid-proof; they were eliminated!)

I have no problem with capturing wild things to shelter them from disasters. After the storm passes, that’s another story.

On the other hand, if a person is ready to really commit to the care of an animal, I see no reason to not take a non-threatened type of animal for personal husbandry (not a hundred of them—one or two).

It is by discovering—and passing on to others—the joy of the natural world that all animals will have a better chance of survival.

You are completely right, infact another 2 hours outside they wud have been blown away, right now its pouring with heavy winds..

I don't recall hearing of major fatalities of snakes when Hugo hit my area....They can take care of themselves just fine as they have been doing so for a rather long time. As a matter of fact, stress on herps can really harm them...you may be doing more harm than good (even if you think you are saving them from Isabel, you are really hurting them).

I personally don't see the need to keep wild snakes. Plus, you may be getting more than you thought...mites, infections, parasites, the list goes on. Plus, you need to check with local authorities on snakes. Some ban it completely, some ban only certain kinds.

You should think more of the snakes and nature's natural course rather than your own wants. Their needs are more important. I got a beautiful, healthy corn for $10 (and he ate a f/t pinkie like a champ tonight!). He is in fab shape and I didn't disturb nature by getting him as I got him from a cbb breeder.

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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Male Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

whoah whoah whoah .. more harm than good ? just because they live in the wild (not by choice) doesnt mean they're doing well.. u said it yourself, parasites, mites, perhaps me taking it in would be "affecting nature" but it would be by all means the right thing to do..

>>whoah whoah whoah .. more harm than good ? just because they live in the wild (not by choice) doesnt mean they're doing well.. u said it yourself, parasites, mites, perhaps me taking it in would be "affecting nature" but it would be by all means the right thing to do..

Parasites don't pose as much a problem 'in nature' as they do in a captive snake. In a tank, a snake with parasites could easily 'reinfest' itself (through close proximity to feces, parasite eggs, etc) and the parasite is much more likely to take over and cause harm to the snake. Mites, for example. I don't think wild snakes ever have such bad mite infestations as some captive snakes, simply because the wild snakes don't stay in the same place to be reinfested by them.
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

Okay, if you would rather risk killing them by stressing them and paying a fortune for any possible problems, go ahead. But you really do need to check with your local authorities on legislation regarding snakes. Someone, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember reading somewhere that eastern hognose snakes are illegal to own, at least in some, if not all, areas (and someone mentioned somewhere in this thread poaching charges). If you aren't going to do what's best for the snakes, then at least think more of yourself. I still don't see the purpose of removing a snake from it's natural habitat when you can go get a perfectly good snake from a breeder. Actually, if your sole purpose is "rescuing" there are quite a few snakes in pet stores that need the rescuing. Go save them.
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Male Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

You know.. in a way you are right.. but what im saying is.. it's New Jersey, there is no way any snake can survive the winter in New Jersey... I havemt even seen a wild snake in New Jersey before .. i have no idea how it got here

>>You know.. in a way you are right.. but what im saying is.. it's New Jersey, there is no way any snake can survive the winter in New Jersey... I havemt even seen a wild snake in New Jersey before .. i have no idea how it got here

Believe it or not, snakes can survive the winters there. Heck, garter snakes live in Canada! They find ways.
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

Here in Colorado we have wild snakes, and it gets purdy darn cold here sometimes (lol) in the winter. Snakes brumate, or hibernate all winter. Their bodies kinda slow down, they dont need food or heat. I'm sure you have heard that some snakes need to be cooled down in order to breed.
And yes there are snakes in New Jersey.
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DogStar

"Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." --Antoine de Saint Exupery

how about one of the largest snakes in the U.S.the northern pine, and how about the milksnakes and cornsnakes . There was a good artical on herping in the NJ. pine barrens a few months ago in reptiles magazine you should try to get a copy. Herps come from a lot of cold climates and have survived a lot of storms, blizzards you name it. The bigger threat is mankind destroying thier habitat.you might have saved them from that.
Jason

If its NJ the snakes are probably protected, threatened or endangered. Most snakes in NJ have that status due to overcollecting and habitat loss due to new home construction.

Laws are very strict about taking from the wild. There is a wide variety of snakes in NJ and they survive just fine through the winter. Corn snakes, Pine snakes, and Timber rattlers are just some of the extremely rare finds in NJ.

Also, there is a field guide in PDF format to download from the Div of Wildlife website that may help you identify the snake.

Once in a while I try to photograph wildlife and do not bring anything other than a camera (and bug spray) since if seen by a wildlife agent, you will be found guilty of poaching before you can even prove you're innocent and I have heard fines are hefty.

I have read actual studies of tracked animals in certain areas throughout that range and its SAD! You should simply leave the animals alone in nature to live on their own as they already have many challenges to compete with brought on by humans. Reptiles survived long before we came along! Besides, you can buy almost any snake captive born and bred these days.

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"Even on cloudy days, NEVER stop looking for the sunshine!"

Well you are right, and i will put the snakes back in my backyard, but before i do so id like to know what kind of snake it is, and make sure it is a snake that can live and survive in the wild. I mean hey maybe someone bought a snake and released it into the wild for whatever stupid reason... Post links if you can of North american snakes, ill be searching in the meantime

honestly, i never knew snakes actually can survive such harsh winters.......and its for like almost 4 months. do they store food or something? what do they do when they get hungry? or do they seek refuge in fast food restaurants? lol
well, maybe just keep them a bit before u put them back, things could get worst u know but just leave them alone so that they can calm down.

good luck
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"Isn't it funny you hear a phone ring and it could be anybody, but a ringing phone has to be answered doesn't it?"

That's true, i actually never heard about snakes living such harsh winters til now

np

Since snakes are cold blooded this makes them the ideal hibernator. Being from the northeast (upstate NY- WHOLE LOTS OF SNOW) it's pretty cool to watch nature at it's best when spring comes around.

If animals like snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, all cold blooded could not hibernate (actually most burry themselves in the mud) then we would have run out of fish, frogs, toads, snakes a long time ago, yet froggies get it on in the spring, fish fill the ponds, etc.

When winter comes, these animals don't need massive food stores because the are capable of slowing their metabolic processes. This means the need for energy from food and fat stores reduces dramatically. They just let their temps lower, slow things down until the warmth comes back.

NOW, you want to talk about cool hibernation (because cold blooded animals are suppose to be able to deal with low temps), do some research on bear's. They are warm blooded and hibernate too for months and months. From what I understand they lower their metabolism quite a bit for the winter but unlike reptiles require massive fat storage to survive the winter of "sleep" because their min. temps can't decrease safely as excessively as reptiles.

a Bachelors in Science, research and the Discovery Channel, what else do you need

BOTTOM LINE: If you don't have access to local breeders and can't afford an online breeder and really want a snake keep it. The east coast has been receiving a "hurricane season" for millions of years before we got here and the snakes have survived just fine. In fact snakes out-survived the dinosaurs. They can definitely handle a little water.

Think about it - if snakes couldn't survive the winter, they'd be confined to tropical areas. For most species, breeding is in the spring, snakes are born in the summer-fall. They have to be able to stand the winter, 'cause they wouldn't be able to sustain the species - they'd die out in a generation. And snakes aren't going to trek from Central America all the way to Canada.

You've heard about bears hibernating in the winter, right? Snakes do kind of the same thing. Snakes are cold-blooded, so when the temperature drops, so does their metabolism. They don't really go out looking for food in the middle of winter - snakes are readily able to stand a months-long fast, especially when their metabolism is slowed (in captivity, when people brumate their snakes, the snakes shouldn't really lose weight at all - if they do, the temp is probably still too high)
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-audri
Webpage/Pics

I never leave home w/o it:

half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=805515&meta_id=1
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Male Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

I can relate to that. I have the same book and never leave home without it.
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-BloughchiBoy

Bloughchi is a footbag kicking style. footbag.com

1.0.1 corn (george and asmodeus)
0.1 west highland white terrier (chili)
0.1 jack russell terror(no typo)(charlie)
1.0 green cheeked conure (kiwi)
0.1 cat (highway)

i live in jersey and i see wild snakes almost all times of the year..also alot of snake holes
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0.0.1 pacific gopher snake ; Mich
0.0.1 albino corn snake ; Shmee
0.0.1 motley corn snake ; Bernie

n/p
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Male Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

Ones about 5 inches, the other is a little more broad, and about 7 and a half inches.. extremely small snakes.. A brownish color on top, black eyes black tongue

Ones about 5 inches, the other is a little more broad, and about 7 and a half inches.. extremely small snakes.. A brownish color on top, black eyes black tongue

n/p
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0.1 Okeetee corn snake- baby
1.0 bubblegum snow corn snake- adult
0.1 creamsicle corn snake- adult