Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, I just got my hands on a Brown, and she never leaves the water... I've watched her from my office for hours and she doesnt come out. I have a basking light over a branch in the water, half land with plenty of moss and hides, and she stays in the water. I can pull her out and she sits for a few minutes to make sure I'm gone, then goes right back in the water...

Should I worry?
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Common Snapping Turtle 0.1 (Sherman) (RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

Do you have her in a half land/half water set up? What is the set up like? If you don't already have the tank like this, I would switch the snake to just aspen with a hide box and a large water bowl. It might just be the cage is set up. Keep an eye out for blisters. If the snake soaks too much, they will pop up at some point, especially if there is any other place in the tank that is damp as well. Mine usually soak a fair amount, but they often burrow in the aspen more.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: thekingofproduct
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

"A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika. Nothin' proper about ya propaganda. Fools follow rules when the set commands ya. Said it was blue when ya blood was red. That's how ya got a bullet blasted through ya head"- Rage Against the Machine

Its more of a 2/3 land 1/3 water setup, and there is mulch in the land area, and branches, moss and hides for her... she just never comes out... I tried another cage with just aspen and a water bowl, and she goes right to the water...
Maybe she comes out at night, but I haven't seen her yet
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Brown Water Snake 0.1 (Fang)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Tiger)
(RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

I've never kept Browns so this is not from experience. I have had Nerodia and others develop blisters when kept damp, I'm not sure they will develop it because they stay emerged.

I wonder why this snake stays submerged? Seeking safety maybe? That is their basic defense in the wild - head for the water!. Maybe a water bowl and more-or-less dry enclosure is worth trying. I personally like a deep layer of Cyprus mulch as a substrate. Larger snakes can burrow down into it easily. They can burrow into the warmer dryer areas under the heat light if needed to - not restricted to whatever the hide box temp happens to be.

Keep us posted.

From personal experience, Browns will develop blisters, just as readily as any other nerodia. I tend to keep my basking lamp off to the side away from the water so that the water does not warm. This generally prevents the snakes from "soaking" however, the snake may remain in it's dish until it's fed to the point that it feels the need to bask! Notwithstanding, I would restrict accessibility or limit "wet" time until the snake finds an alternative hide, as security is also found in water.

Long time no read, man. The Florida Room still crawling? How are the clarkii doing for you?
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

Yup, have'nt stroked out yet! It has taken an extraordinary amount of time to get into this "new" house and we are by no means settled in yet. As you can see, internet is hooked up now ... and I thought I could just weasel back in without much notice however, I'm baaaaaack! Choirs of angels, drumrolls, applause ... you're too kind!
Temporary conditions are in place for the nerodia (located in the out-house as my wife lovingly calls it). The shed is windowed so the little ones finally get to see sunlight, blue sky and green hedges.
The Mangroves. Well, the Mangroves are ... what's another word for fish-sucking, insatiable, bottomless pits with puppy-dog eyes that seem to cloud up with tears up when I enter the room and plead for more food? That word escapes me at the moment. Nevertheless, they remain gentle as long as kept apart at meal times!
As well are the Gulfs, Greens and Northern. Each trying to out-do the other with regard to food intake.
I lost my big Florida pictiventris to old age I believe, about 3 months ago. And both Browns where struck by what-I-don't-know but within 2 weeks of each other (and still feeding heavily) they wasted and died! (They had been in their own individual terrariums for about a year and where separated from each other by 4 other terrariums with nerodia ranging from yearlings to adults).
In the meantime, my wife continues to ask when I'm going to build the conservatory/sunroom and release the little ones into it? Tune in next week for the continuing ... it's good to see you out there,

Michael E.

I wasn't aware that you were moving. You mentioned green hedges...you're still in Canadia right? I wasn't aware you had anything but snow.

I'm very glad to hear the clarkii are doing well. Quite the little piscivores aren't they?

Sorry to hear about the pictiventris and Browns. I've had similar experiences with taxis. Quite enigmatic creatures. I wonder if they need catfish in their diet for some reason.

So your floridana are doing well? Mine both succumbed to that horrible blister disease despte being kept dry at all times. How are you keeping them if I may ask?
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

Yes, still in Canada. The hedges are actually Christmas trees left to grow tall enough to shade us from the Northern Lights! The move was to reduce debt (what a joke!!) and to get closer to work. I just switched companies after working for the same place for 28 years. I, like the proverbial turtle tank, was becoming stagnant without change.
The Floridana are kept in a 30 gallon tank with a heat lamp above. Water is offered (at all times) only in an approx. 2 cup stainless steel dish and of late, a rectangular styrofoam 2" deep dish with water depth at about 1/2", for feeding.
They had a much larger basin but the female in particular, would not leave it! This may be (as mentioned in an earlier post) that she had not eaten/was not fed sufficiently. In fact, I'm late here this evening because the little 12" female was eating her 8th 3/4" long goldfish! This was not intentional! She was clearly stuffed so, I scooted her out of the "trough" and offered a few fish to the male (he's a bit shy). Before he could clear the edge of the dish, she was gulping down his supper! I had to run her off and force her to hide to allow the male to eat.
Substrate is wood (burning & pet litter) pellets. I am concerned that it may be too dry (hydroscopic) and it IS messy. It "explodes" into sawdust immediately upon contact with water. Fortuneatly, the Greens eat in the water.
The male still has a spot or blemish which is suspect. I constantly worry that this may develop or re-occur as blister disease or whatever those "wounds" where when we got these guys.
For this reason theirs and the other's tanks are kept very dry but room humidity is maintained between 50% and 60%. Shedding problems have been reduced significantly with this and misting as well, though misting alone did not prevent bits of tail loss in some (Greens and 1 Pictiventris).
Got to go for now, the timber wolves are acting up, again!
Michael