Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I find dozens of these snakes every year but I've never been able to get one feeding. I even caught a gravid female once who gave birth to close to a dozen tiny babies. I've never kept these snakes for very long as I can never get them to eat, and it was only by luck that the female gave birth while I had her. I have tried earth worms, crix and slugs. But I almost never find slugs, how do you guys find them successfully?

For those of you who have successfully kept them, what do you keep them on? how did you get them feeding and what did you feed them?

Well I guess I could try to help here.
Here is my technique for newly caught snakes that are usually difficult in captivity: After you catch the snake(s) and you decide you wanna keep it(them), set up a tank, in your case a 10 gallon would do just fine for 3 or 4 red-bellies, use a mis of soil and moss as the substrate and have alot of hiding spots in the form of flat rocks. Put the snake(s) in the tank and leave them alone. Let the snake(s) stay in the tank and don't bother them for about 4 or 5 days, in that time you will find suitable food for them in the form of earthworms, slugs and snails(with the shells). I suggest waiting for the snakes to venture around the tank and then put food in their faces and if they don't eat, give them another 3 days and try again.

Red-Bellied Snakes are very easy to keep in captivity after you get them to eat, they breed with no trouble at all and are good mannered. I have a page about them on my website.

Michael
Michael's Place