Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My kids and I went for a walk and found three 12-15" Northern Waters all within 10 feet of each other. We are seeing if the local nature center might want one as they are 'building' a herp exhibit.
My question is ....how would you set them up? This second I have them in shoe boxed sized tubs, cereal bowl sized water dish and on paper towel. Hide tube. They have mellowed overnight, after two of them getting all the way home (in a sock) rinsed in a tepid bath and put in clean enclosures THEN they regurged minnows. The third hasn't been as torqued, quite.
I wondered about a damp moss set up. Bigger tubs? Since they are pretty active??
Any input would be great. I haven't kept one in years.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Well, everything sound bout right. Maybe make the water bowl smaller. Don't ever let it get damp in there and I always just put a few layers of paper towels in the box and that serves as plenty of a hide. They realy don't require a big bowl at all. I donn't even have it big enough for them to soak in. Perhaps most will but they never have problems with shedding or anything.
I personally don't like to use moss as it starts to mold with snake crap on it. But if youre willing to change almost daily with moss it will be fine. Use imagination. Mostly depnds on if you want a natural looking vivarium or easy to do setup. They are happy either way if you do it correct.
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Justin

I would keep them just like a cornsnake but with a bigger water bowl. I prefer to keep a heat lamp over the water bowl to allow them to bask in their dish. Keep the substrate DRY or the snakes will get lesions. I like aspen for the substrate. They snakes usually like to burrow under their water bowl so they can come out halway into the bowl but still have half of their body in their "hide" under the bowl.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains

I am keeping the cage dry, so that is good. So far these three like to hang on the rim of the water bowls and watch the world. None of them are hiding and they are out scoping out everything all the time. Figured, since two regurged the day home, I wouldn't offer food for another week. I don't have them on heat....but I am thinking I like the idea of a light over the water dishes. Though that may be work with the tubs they are in. So they may go to tanks. So far it is just room temps upstairs of 75-80. Once I get past quarantine they will go to the cooler part of the reptile room.....about the same temps but more control over them.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron