Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a snake recently and was given a little bit of information by the person who had sold it to me. It was listed as a Green Snake on the cage and a Green Vine Snake on the recipt. She did mention it was a vine snake. But to my main point. I am kind of confused and was told there were 2 differnt Green snakes like this one. So I am looking for more information to find out exactly what I have. Thanks.

How pet shops can sell animals that they know that little about is beyond me, but that's another story. If it is a green snake, it could be in the genus Opheodris, & would be harmless. If it is a vine snake, it most likely is rear-fanged & should be treated with extreme respect. One possibility is the genus Dryophis, another is Ahaetulla. Run searches on those three & see if you find any pix that match what you have. Not knowing what part of the planet the snake originated in makes this a tad more difficult.

~~Greg~~

Greg gave good advice but just scratched the surface on this one. You might want to post a photo of this. Some quick questions;
Are the eyes (pupils) round or oval (cat like)?
Is the head long and pointed, or more like a cornsnake?
Is the underside yellow, green, blue or white?
Are the scales rough (keeled) or smooth?
How large is it?
"Green" snakes are found in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Green vine snakes are just as widespread. This one of the problems with "common names" as several species fit under that label including (for the record; some Mambas). If it is an American green snake (rough or smooth)they are dandy little insect eaters (Roughs do well on crickets).
Frank

Something that I forgot to mention when I first posted. But would the way it eat's lead to which one it is? Right now I feed it crickets. I never caught it eating but my fiance did. He said it grabbed the cricket and like chewed on it a little then swallowed it down. Don't know if this helps any. But I will search for the ones you mention and see what I can find.

If you bought it in a pet store that doesn't specialize in reptiles and you didn't pay much for it, it's probably a rough or smooth green snake. They are harmless insect eaters.
I posted a photo of a rough green that I found in central FL. If it doesn't look like that then you probably want to do an internet search for photos of some of the alternative possibilities that the other guys mentioned.
Chris

N/P

I don't have the animal here right now. I have to house it at my fiance's. But that picture prety much looks like him. The place I got it from does special in reptiles. I usualy trust their information. But this one kinda scared me so I had to ask. Because when I searched for information I could only find the poisonous one. It was a cheapy he was only $18. He is only about 6 inches long and smaller then my pinky around.

For that price, you most likely have a rough green snake. Unfortunately, pet stores often assign all kinds of names to a particular animal in order to make it sound more enticing. (vine snake sounds cooler than green snake).
I'd go back to the store and talk to the most knowledgeable person that works there. Explain your concerns and see if he can give you a positive ID. If not, post a picture and someone here will be able to tell you for sure.

The rear fanged green vine snake (Oxybelis fulgidus) looks pretty different and I doubt you got one for $18.
Check out the link for a photo of Oxybelis fulgidus.
Chris
Oxybelis fulgidus

At the price which you mention later ($18) it is a Green Snake (yes, I know that it is a “green” snake, but that's what it’s really called); it’s not a “vine” snake at that price, so I wouldn’t worry.

They come in 2 varieties: “rough” and “smooth.”

Look closely at the scales (through a magnifying glass, if you have one). A Rough Green Snake will have a tiny raised ridge down the center of each scale. On a Smooth Green Snake, each scale is... well... smooth.

I agree...not only the price, but the fact that the snake is eating crickets makes it a safe bet that it is Opheodrys.

~~Greg~~