Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well i want to get into some venomous species so i started with one false water cobra, well can someone teach me whats the right requirements for this snakes? cage setup, temp, feeding.. etc.. hope someone can help. thanks..

Bear in mind that if yours is a juvie, the caging requirements will change over time, as they do get rather large. Over eight feet, & as thick as a man's wrist. Temp ranges should be about the same as for corns, kings, & Pituophis..Ranging from overnight lows in the seventies up to highs near ninety. This time of year, you can allow the temps to go somewhat lower once it's an adult, to spur breeding.

They are relatively easy to maintain & breed, & will take a variety of prey animals. Juvies tend to be a little snappy, but adults I have kept were mellow. I don't know of any life-threatening bites from these animals, but I believe the potential is there. There is no antivenin for the bite. Treat them as if they could kill you, & everything ought to be fine.

~~Greg~~
Florida's Venomous Snakes

Basicly Greg pretty much said it. The only things I would add is what I said on another forum earlier. Take care when you feed them. They can be extremely aggressive when there is food about. They strike hard, very fast and there is venom (I have been envenomated and it burns)....So watch your fingers! When moving them a hook is a very good idea because they often can be territorial/defensive while in their cage. They can be free handled (carefully) once out of it.
Frank
-----
"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

what should i feed the false water cobra? frogs, mice, chicks??? which is better? iam getting it tom. well hope everthing is ok.. can someone send me a pic of a tank setup for this species? simple ones....

btw what if i get bitten by this? no antivenom right? will i die with this species?

The toxicity of the venom is quite low, so much so that it would take over a hundred milligrams to kill. However, the typical adult would produce less than ten milligrams and due to the inefficiency of delivery, inject even less. The venom is rich in large enzymes that localised swelling. 3FTx (three-finger toxins) are also present in the venoms but in much lower quantities. In the most severe bite recorded, the victims arm swelled up quite a bit and there were some neurotoxic effects but the bite did not produce near-lethal symptoms. Thus, antivenom is not likely to be needed. The venom is quite similar to the American hognosed venoms (not entirely suprising since they are both in the Xenodontinae snake family, as compared to the Madagascar hognosed snakes which are in the Pseudoxyrhophiinae snake family, two utterly unrelated lineages). Download the LC/MS article from the publications section of my webpage. The link is below.

Cheers
B
Snake venom diversity

-----
Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry
Deputy Director
Australian Venom Research Unit
University of Melbourne

www.venomdoc.com

Start by offering it appropriate sized pre-killed rodents. You never did mention what size animal you are getting. They will also accept frogs, toads, chicks, or even strips of for human consumption chicken. Frogs & toads are probably going to have a parasite load you don't want to pass on to the snake. Chicks are okay once in a while, but not as a steady diet. Same for the grocery store chicken. Rodents are the best bet. Kill 'em first to avoid having the snake bitten by the prey. There will probably be no need to wiggle the mouse...just toss it in the cage. Mine used to catch them before they hit the cage floor. Great centerfielders.

~~Greg~~

well got some false water cobra few days ago, try to offer some mice but just wont touch in, what should i do? btw i forgot to mention they are about 2feet in lenght and 1.5finger in girth..pls help

Relax. Give the critters a little time to get accustomed to their new surroundings. Do you know when they ate last?

~~Greg~~

Another trick that can help is to put a hide box in the cage. Place a fuzzy in the box and let the nake go in and find it. Once it gets the idea that it is food , it should start getting more active in it's feeding..
Frank
-----
"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."