Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today I spent a total of about 7 hours shopping and putting together a cage for a snake I have been lusting after for a while. We met in Live Cargo (reptile store) not long ago, and I thought how awesome he would be to have. I chose the more tame of the two, acts more like my long-held California Kings than a timid water snake. So, now that I have done so, I have some questions unless someone can post a link to a caresheet.

1) How often can I feed him and what variety of food?
2) What is the optimal temperature on the high side and low side?
3) What is the optimal humidity?
4) Any other useful information

I will post some pictures up shortly.

That's nice. I have a large 3 1/2 foot female banded and she is very placid, eats well, and is one of my ovrall favorite Nerodias. She is the only banded I have because they are not in my range. I bought.

Feed it every few days, decent sized fish or even better switch it to mice. I keep the temps just like all my other snakes.
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Justin

All it ate at the store was mice, and this was kind of a turn off because I was stoked on the idea of seeing it eat fish. So we bought two minnows and I put them in his water section, and an hour later they were gone. I was driving home and my girl (it's at her house) was in the bathroom when it happened. Sweet!

Heres one of part of his cage.

Heres him just getting used to the enviroment. The cage wasn't tall enough to build a canopy system overhanging the water and earth and even if it was there just wasn't the resources in all the places I looked to build it. It will go on my to-do list. Also on the list is to dry out that substrate. I made it today and it's not completely wet, but it's not dry either. I'm sure this water snake will love his new cage.

Be sure if you feed it a fish "'only diet" to supplent it with vitamins/minerals every now and then. I like to use small bream(remove spikey fins) or hybrid bream or rockbass, they work geat, easy to keep, live a while(minnows may die if they flop out of bowland snake don't eat immediatly) I usually don't even put them i a bowl. I just put in front of the snake and the more it flops the more the snake is interested. I find if the fish flops on or by the neck of the snake it turns and bites almost everytime. I use a basically fish diet myself because mice can get expensive and fish are cheap. I do offer a mouse from time to time though. Over the last 3 years that I have been keeping waters I found that shiners work just fine as long as you put vitamin/minerals on one fish about every 4 feedings. All my waters will eat from my hand so what I do is i put the supplements on tail end of fish and put head towards snake and move it alot. Some snakes require little or no movement at all and will eat for the scent. Yours probably will if it was eating mice at a store with no poblems. But they have different personalities.

Here is a pic of my big female one.

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Justin

another pic

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Justin

Wops same pic

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Justin

Since I get mice and rats for other snakes, do you think giving him one of these every few weeks would hold enough vitamins and whatnot to not require the suppliments?

It Should. I do that with a few of my waters. There are a few of mine that won't take mice and that is the ones a supplement with.
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Justin

The problems I ran into with the expandable substrate for snakes is: 1) blisters. This stuff holds water amazingly well, and when a snake is wet for long periods, it will develop lesions. 2) When this stuff dries, it gets very dusty. This could be a problem for the snakes respiratory system. Just keep an eye on it. I always keep my snakes on aspen. It doesn't look as natural, but in the wild, a lot of water snakes have lesions and blisters all over their bodies.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

And the sign says "No long hair freaky people need not apply." So I put my hair under my hat and I went in to ask him why. He said you look like a fine outstanding young man I think you'll do. So I took off my hat I said "Imagine that Huh Me working for you."-Tesla

Great points made. I use paper towels and change every day or 2 or 3.
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Justin

Good points. I have actually already expierenced blisters in my ball pythons. We were handling them the other day and my girlfriend noticed slight redding then checked out a book we have for kingsnakes and saw the blister picture. Since then we've let the substrate dry (don't spray nearly as much) and tonight the blisters were pretty much non existant. Gone within 3 days, but it was just the beginnings of the problem. But, I had to make some fast for the water snakes cage and it is very wet, though I don't think it will be a problem becuase he spends most his time above the ground.

Also, today I tried to feed him a small mouse but all he would do is be defensive. I know the place I got him from only fed him mice, so I'm going to guesse it was pinkys.

Tomorrow, what I should have done today but had no time for since I graduated high school, I will install the water filter and purify the water. Then stock it with a few minnows. Everyone still stands on the idea that wild caught food is not worth it because of the potential for diseases and whatnot? I read they eat crawfish (crawdads) and I know where a ton are and I don't want to have to pay $5 to some fish place to get a friggin crawdad. It's like paying for a fence lizard, or the rock in your front yard...

The only problem I had with them eating crayfish was the crayfish being defensive (countered by pulling off claws) and the potential for the snake to choke as they are so hard and spiny bodied. That is why most snakes that feed on crayfish feed on the soft shelled ones that have just shed (EX: Regina ssp). And I really would be careful with WC crayfish...they will pick up anything in the water.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

And the sign says "No long hair freaky people need not apply." So I put my hair under my hat and I went in to ask him why. He said you look like a fine outstanding young man I think you'll do. So I took off my hat I said "Imagine that Huh Me working for you."-Tesla

LOL, it's a good thing your here to talk sense into me. I just woke up and I need to go get that longer tubing to make everything work. I think the coolest thing with building snake cages is I finally am putting my hands to work. I cut plexiglass with a jigsaw to fix a hole cut in the tank, it was rad.

Yea there is a slight risk of parisites but there are risks with just about anything. I have had no problems though. I hear about crayfish carrying parisites more thn fish, which is sensible because they eat anything in the water. I have started raising crayfish and hopefully next year I'll hve a good supply of them. When I have them to molt I'll freeze a few for a queen or something. I will figure out how to keep the queens eventually. They are pretty common at Tenn. river. I go to Wilson dam in Florence AL. pretty often and see pelnty, but they usualy swim into a bunch roots in the water or something and am unable to get them.
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Justin

but you can actually make them shed. You just snip off their eyeballs and this will induce a shed (they will regrow the eyes). Sounds gross, but I understand that it works rather well. I havn't done it in years though.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

And the sign says "No long hair freaky people need not apply." So I put my hair under my hat and I went in to ask him why. He said you look like a fine outstanding young man I think you'll do. So I took off my hat I said "Imagine that Huh Me working for you."-Tesla

Yea I saw that soemwhere on this forum months ago. I tried it but they just died. I tried it with 7-8 carwfish. When I get another good supply of them I'll try again. Youcan also feed them heavily and they will in like a week or so. Eye snipping would work better though i think.
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Justin

Hey i shop there as well, Live cargo in San diego? Those guys are good people and very good friends of mine. Glad to hear another peroson got what they wanted from there! how much did you pay for him>?

LOL, I just checked this far down and saw your response. I got him for asking price which wasn't that bad. You are a friend of the manager? Live cargo is definately a cool place. I'm thinking about buying the other banded also. Of course, I want the amazon tree boa they have, but I just cant afford it. And now I can't hold it either (I can but I am abstaining to reduce stress on the snake and hopefully get it to eat). I could go on and on...

Wow this weird, That is my snake!!!!!! i gave it to them about 3 weeks ago. the dull yellow and green one? she has been mine for about 3 years. I will be honest with you, i held her yesterday when i was in there and she is not good right now. she has a respitory infection pretty bad right now. we just noticed yesterday. They are going to keep her for one week at high temps to she if she can shake it off and if she can't i will take her back and nurse her back to health. that and i don't want it spreading to the rest of their animals. the respitory infection causes her to throw her food back up and until she recovers she can't hold a meal down. so take some time to save up cus she has about a three week recovery process before she will be better. and if i have to take her back i can sell her to you directly for less than what they wanna charge. my e-mail address is p928gts1@yahoo.com. drop me a line if you want more info on her

Yikes! I wish I would have known that before we took her back. I didn't even know it was a her. I chose that snake because it was the most tame, a very nice snake. I will check her out tomorrow morning when I go over there (just re-did the 20 gallon aquaterrium). What could give that snake the respitory infection? Humidity? Food? Water quality?

LOL. You are talking about the amazon tree boa they have. I even met you before, asked if you bred them and said how I liked them a lot (I was just hangin out helping out a little). I cross referenced everything you said to find out it was the ATB and not my pretty banded water snake. My girl (if it is a girl...) is doing great, fed her 4 fish and a tadpole (all from a fish farm so its as clean as where they came from). The respitory infection was a new one because I couldn't see it happening to the water snake. But for the ATB I do see that happening. I actually feel a little guilty, like it is somewhat my fault, I love that ATB and kind of took it on as a project of mine. I sure as hell don't want it ending up like those unlucky mangrove snakes. I took her out today (but stayed in the hot room) and she was doing well until I put her back, then I saw a bubble from a nostril. They were going to put the heatlamps or whatever on her today, hopefully that happened. I will be in there on Friday, maybe Thursday if I feel like going there before I work (1 to 9 pm.). Anyway, I'll email you more.