Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Forgive me, I know that the Scarlet Snake is not a Kingsnake but I didn't quite know where to post this.
I'm the proud owner of one of a beautiful Scarlet Snake. I purchased him at a Flea Market in FL. The Seller told me that he had him for a few weeks and it hadn't eatten. I gave him $30 for it not knowing anything about the Snake. I researched and researched everywhere possible and I couldn't find any info on them. I looked on the internet, in books, I even asked a close friend who is a herpotologist and he had nothing to say other then it's gonna die.
I tried feeding it pinkies, fish, anoles, treefrogs, even a mediterainian gecko and wouldn't take anything. Well, I finally found out that in the wild they eat eggs and for the most part nothing else. And for that reason they are almost never kept as pets.
Well I got mine to finally eat strips of raw chicken soaked in a raw beatten egg. I've got him sat up in a 5 gallon tank with a loose dirt/sand mix because he likes to dig and I give him one spray a day. It stays bettween 75 and 80 degrees and I give him fresh water daily.
The reason for this post is that I would like to know if there are any other owners out there and if so what they feed it and how they house it. I would also like to know if anybody knows anyone who sells these beauties and what a healthy, eating, beautiful Scarlet would go for. If you have any info please leave a post. Thanks

I've never kept a scarlet snake myself, but I once heard of someone keeping one for several years feeding just beat up eggs in a water bowl. The snake would basically drink the egg like water. If you have yours eating the chiken with egg on it, I think you're probably doing pretty well.

Todd

Lehr Brisbin did that study with the beaten egg. The only way he got them to do it was to dehydrate them first by not having any water available in the cage. The snakes then drank the diluted egg as their only source of food or water.

I don't know that egg covered chicken strips is a very nutritious diet. I think I would cover a skink in egg instead and see if it would take that.
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Chris Harrison

Actually, the person I knew of was someone else in Jacksonville,Fl. I agree about trying to soak skinks or possibly pinkies in the egg for a more nutritious diet. Either way, I think its pretty clear why more people don't keep Scarlet snakes in captivity.

Todd

You have done the hard part. Now try egg scented pinkies then gradually reduce the amount of egg. I've heard of a few people that got them on pinkies that way.