hello i'm a first time owner of a ribbon snake. (actualy of any snakes at all) i was told by the pet store that they enjoy water and that he'd be most happy in an environment that was mostly water. they had his tank set up with mostly water,floating rock for basking under the over head light and hanging tank plants. they also suggested to keep some small live feeder fish in the water so that he could feed as he pleases. however when i brought him home he seemed unhappy. i know that ribbon snakes are supposed to be active, but he hasnt been very active at all. i thought that maybe he wasnt warm enough becase the environment was mostly water so i added an extra rebtile light. but he still seemed unhappy. when i bought him he had just finished sheding. from what i read about snakes their scales tell how heathy they are. his arent very shiny, they are very dull. i know this shouldnt be.... especialy because he just shed his old skin. i'm not sure what i should do.. to make him more at ease or to stimulate him more.
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new owner of a ribbon snake
Replies (2)
Hi
About 13 years ago I also had a ribbon snake as my first snake. I kept him in a 4ft long 1ft wide aquarium with the tank split into 2.5 ft land and 1.5 ft water to a depth of 6inchs, in the water i just had live plants. The land consisted of bark chips (repti bark) and i had a basking area heated to around 85 degrees and at night he had an het pad. He spent most of his time on the land and only occasionaly used the water. His diet consisted mostly of Whitebait, sprats and earthworms to which I would add vitamin supliments. Apart from the worms he only ever recived live prey a couple of times, he was not a very good fisher and prefered his food on a small plate.
From your post it sounds as if in your set up you only a one small floating piece of land I don't think he will be very happy with this. Although they are water snakes they still live on land and only hunt in the water. Like all snakes he'll need several hides and places to thermoregulate.
Give him more land and places to hide and im sure he will be very happy.
Hope this helps, and good luck.
Clem
Hi.
Here's a link to a care sheet for ribbon snakes. You'll need to change your cage setup but it won't take long, and it will be much easier to maintain.
http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/Snakes/garter-ribbon-snake.html
Bill
