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Could someone please provide care info for fwc's? Also, how safe are they to keep. I am interested in purchasing a pair but want to know what I am in for before hand.
Thanks in advance.
Jeff

>>Could someone please provide care info for fwc's? Also, how safe are they to keep. I am interested in purchasing a pair but want to know what I am in for before hand.
>>Thanks in advance.
>>Jeff

Well, let's see if I can maybe help answer your questions without turning this into a bit of a novella of sorts. I've been known to do that, especially when speaking of this species.

First off, what age and size of snakes are you wanting to purchase? As I'm sure you know, FWCs are some of the biggest and heaviest-bodied colubrids on the planet. Adults can be over 7' and very girthy. It is for this reason that a very roomy cage needs to be provided. FWCs are active snakes, both during the day and in the evening (haven't noticed it much at night). They like to crawl all over the cage in search of food. Also, a large water bowl needs to be provided because of the snake's partially aquatic nature. I give my pair of adults a medium cat pan for a water bowl, acquired from Wal Mart for around $2.

Now, you asked about how safe these snakes are to keep. I'm not going to tell you that they are incredibly docile snakes, as I have known people that had been tagged by them for seemingly no apparent reason (probably just a slight food smell on their hands they didn't know about). They aren't very hot snakes, and have a very poor venom delivery apparatus. It is for this reason that I free-handle my adults with no worries. HOWEVER, I make sure to use a hook to lift the snake before I ever put my hands on it. Why is this? Well, have you ever seen a FWC's feeding responce? It is out of this world. My male will chase my hand all day on the outside of the cage thinking it is food. Recently though, just yesterday I believe, I tried a little experiment, though I DO NOT recommend you try this. Just to see if he actually would grab me like he always likes to "pretend" to want to do, I moved my hand a little and then gritted my teeth and just presented it to him. I wasn't too very surprised that he quickly shot toward it, checked it out for a split second, then didn't do anything. So that just goes to show that they are snakes that are at least capable of discerning food from non-food. That being said, NEVER handle a FWC of any size aftering handling prey items or anything that would even remotely smell like that. They are likely to latch on then, and even though they don't have a good delivery system, they still have some of the "bulldog jaws" of the snake world and a bite is always going to be painful.

But yeah, if you haven't actually seen a FWC in feeding mode, it's probably just something you'll need to watch to understand. For this reason, always feed adults separately. I made the mistake once of not doing that, and the male promptly latched onto the female's head as soon as he finished his rat. Needless to say, I've never made that same mistake. All in all, FWCs are not a hard species to keep. They aren't arboreal (at all), they eat almost anything (usually), they aren't super aggressive, and their husbandry requirements are easily met, as long as you provide ample space and water. But anyway, I could go on for days about these snakes, but I'll stop it here. If you have any more questions I'd be glad to do what I can to help.

"But yeah, if you haven't actually seen a FWC in feeding mode, it's probably just something you'll need to watch to understand."

I'll back this up 100%, 110% actually. While I don't use a hook to take my female out of her tank, I wouldn't go ANYWHERE near her with my hands if she's in the feeding box and hasn't been feed yet. The only time she's ever tagged me was when I made that mistake... I had put her in the box too soon and her food hadn't thawed out all the way yet, so I went to put her back into her tank... even though she let go after she realized I wasn't food, I still had to clean all that blood up. Amazing feeding habits... when they're ready to eat you'd swear they were from Ethiopia instead of South America. She'll take it off the feeding tongs, the floor, and when you catch her turned around right I'd swear she catches it in mid air.

Aside from feeding time though, she's amazing docile and, from what I've seen, very laid back for a FWC. I've had her since she hatched and I've pampered her since day 1. She will not hood up for any reason anymore, it seems. Even when I took her to a friends store to have him look at her, one of the guys behind the counter would tap her on the back of the head to get her to hood out to, so he could impress some customers... she's so tame she just made him look like a jack-ass... no hood, no bitting, no nothing. Just don't come between them and their food... that's about it.

I love FWCs...they're my favorite snake.

Chance pretty much covered it but I have just a couple things to add.

I've had a retic for 19 years. He's 14 feet long and 40-some pounds...he's quite a handful, in a gangly way. But, my largest FWC is only 59 inches and I could swear she's stronger. She's much lighter of course, but her muscle power is amazing. Even the tip of her tail can offer quite a bit of resistance. It awes me all the time. It just doesn't seem right that a snake this small could be so darn strong! LOL!

Chance is right about them being active too. They watch you as you go by, following you around as you go past. They have a lot of personality. I love their little hoods but I never get to see them. I have 3 and they all like me so they never get defensive.

I don't use, or even own, a snake hook...whenever I pick up a snake, any snake, I first touch their body and pet them a bit so they aren't startled by my touch. Then, I pick it up. It seems to work very well with the FWCs. I think, just as with any snake, you learn eachother and go with what works. None of them have an aggressive feeding response when I first open the door and I plan on keeping it that way. My biggest FWC has only ever eatten f/t so she doesn't associate warmth and movement with food. My other two, I feed in a seperate container. So, I can just reach in when I want to.

From what I've seen, these snakes are very smart and are easily tamed...I'm sure you'll love them too. One of mine comes out to see me when I open the door, like she's been waiting for me to hold her all day. LOL!

Oh!! One flaw...they're stinky. I don't know what it is but their potty is stinkier than most and when they shed, they have an odor. I have a very sensitive nose and you may not even notice but I do. LOL!

Thanks to Chance and Sybella for the info on Fwc's. I have a pair of babies coming next week and will post pics when they arrive. Thanks again,
Jeff

Next week Chance and I can do the happy dance..."Success!! Another coverted FWC lover!!!" LOL!

Seems to have been pretty well covered by Sybella and Chance.

I have had a pair for over a year, and I think they're great. They are eating machines. Mine, although only around 3' long, have eaten every sized rodent up to medium rats. They absolutely INHALE smaller prey. Their head is bigger than other colubrids of the same length.

Definitely a "bite first, ask questions later" kind of snake when their feeding response is triggered. Not very accurate in their strikes, either, in my experience. Long tongs/forceps are required.

I wouldn't feed them live rodents, either. The few times I have had to do that (once had power failure spoil all my frozen feed stock) have noticed they don't have much in the way of means to subdue a mouse other than chewing it to death, which puts those rodent teeth in close proximity to the snake's head.

Chance has mentioned this in the past, and may have above, but if not - these snakes have a sort of "fear" of heights. They are very very much terrestrial snakes and do not seem to be too comfortable being carried or on a hook. They tend to freak out little like someone afraid of falling and grab on anyway they can. The first time you handle one you'll notice this. I was used to handling corn and rat snakes (natural climbers) the first time I picked up a FWC. The snake turned its head onto my thumb and I thought it was going to bite me, but then I realized it was just trying to hand on with its head.

I've seen this mentioned here before, that they don't like to be picked up, but none of my 3 seem to be bothered by it. I carry them around the house and everything. As long as they are well supported, there's no problem...I think they sense if you are confident in your handling of them, like most snakes do. I believe, that if you handle them often, they'll be fine with it. In fact, my cherished female, Anyanka, has gotten so relaxed on my shoulders that she's literally slid right off of me! I caught her half way down my backside, thank goodness! LOL!

Both my FWCs are very uncomfortable being lifted off the ground for long periods of time. They will wriggle about, holding on for deal life. Sybella, you may have just lucked out and gotten some that don't mind it, but their more "normal" nature just goes to show exactly how terrestrial they are. Sometimes it does scare people when they first handle these snakes, thinking that they are being aggressive and trying to bite. I've yet to be bitten by mine though, I just try to make it a point to only handle them when absolutely necessary only. I've also noticed that the musculature of this species is different from most others. They seem a bit more...."rigid" I think is what you could call it...like they aren't as flexible as other types of snakes. Of they are, but especially when holding them above the ground they seem to be a little stiff at times.