Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found this little guy in my closet, in my shoe.

I'm in Pensacola, Florida..

Tell me if I should take brighter photos or something, he's very small, and faded black, but you can see a diamond formation under that, maybe it's an age thing, and he hasn't developed color pigment or something?

Here's some pics of him.
http://aaronw.ecritters.biz/snake1.jpg
http://aaronw.ecritters.biz/snake2.jpg
http://aaronw.ecritters.biz/snake3.jpg

So, what kind of snake is this? Is it poisinous?

You've got a juvenile racer there. I'm not sure if it's a black racer or an Eastern Yellowbellied racer, maybe one of the other posters can tell you for sure. Either way, it is not venomous, although they can be quite feisty. Don't be surprised if you pick it up and it nips you once or twice.
Cheers!

More than likely, southern black racer. Flaviventris doesn range down into FL.

>>You've got a juvenile racer there. I'm not sure if it's a black racer or an Eastern Yellowbellied racer, maybe one of the other posters can tell you for sure. Either way, it is not venomous, although they can be quite feisty. Don't be surprised if you pick it up and it nips you once or twice.
>>Cheers!
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

MILKS
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)
Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Thanks for your help. I did some googling on it, and found a description of a young black racer. It's already bitten me twice! Haha.. I expected that though. I'm keeping it. Any ideas on what I should feed it? So far I've read that they eat pretty much anything from fish to insects to other snakes!

Anyone know the life span of the Racer?

For a start young anoles (lizards) and frogs will get the best response. Keep the food small as Racers don't constrict and larger prey can get loose from it's bite easily.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

>>Thanks for your help. I did some googling on it, and found a description of a young black racer. It's already bitten me twice! Haha.. I expected that though. I'm keeping it. Any ideas on what I should feed it? So far I've read that they eat pretty much anything from fish to insects to other snakes!

Good luck with that. Chances are you will have to release it. Wild caught Racers are one of the hardest to get to eat tha tI have ever found. And diet, well, as far as the ones in the west go, thier favorite is lizards. They arent much for rodents.
So just getting them thier diet can be a pain enough.
No idea on thier life span. But I do know that cahnces are he will starve to eath before he eats for you.
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Crazy ZooLady

Racers are one of the few snakes that are sight hunters. That is why when you observe them out in the wild hunting, you will see them with their head held high above the grass. They key in on movement, and if it is something that they can eat, its lunch. Racers are not constrictors, so they do not normally eat larger mice or snakes. However they will eat juvenile mice, any lizard, small snakes, and, believe it or not, cicadas. They will gorge themselves on these when they are emerging.

But as far as yours, if you can get it to eat small live pinky mice, it will do fine. You may have to put it in a deli cup with a pinky and leave it for a few hours or even overnight.

But if you cant get it to eat in a couple of weeks, then it would be better off to release it. You could try small lizards, and if it eats one, drop in a live pink and see if it will eat it as well.

I have an eastern yellow belly racer that is doing great on F/T mice.

>>Thanks for your help. I did some googling on it, and found a description of a young black racer. It's already bitten me twice! Haha.. I expected that though. I'm keeping it. Any ideas on what I should feed it? So far I've read that they eat pretty much anything from fish to insects to other snakes!
>>
>>Anyone know the life span of the Racer?

-----

RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

MILKS
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)
Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Beautiful snake, by the way. How long is it?

Thanks for the comment! I havent measured him, as he is a typical racer, pretty high strung and quick. But I would estimate he is probably right around 36" +/- a few inches.

>>Beautiful snake, by the way. How long is it?

-----

RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

MILKS
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)
Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

I had one that someone brought me one time that would eat nothing but crickets. Unfortunately, that snake died after about a month. It did not, however, appear to have starved or died from malnutrition because it had pretty good weight at the time of it's death.
Good Luck!

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try all the different food ideas. What should I do about water? Someone suggested putting a cotton ball soaked in water in there.. And tomorrow I'm going to go buy a heat rock.. Thanks again!

The someone who suggested the soaked cottonball doesn't keep snakes, right? Put a bowl of water in the cage.

~~Greg~~
Florida's Venomous Snakes

I would also favor an under the tank heater to a hot rock. There have been numerous examples of reptiles getting burns from inside heaters.

As to feeding...I would give it three weeks tops. If it hasn't eaten by then definitly release it. My racers are usually doing fine on lizards before that.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

I'll probably get a heat rock. I went to a local 'exotic pet shop' that I frequented back when I had a couple hairless rats. They suggested putting a rag or something over the rock, so it doesn't burn itself. I'll probably put a sock on it.. I had actually already put a small dish type thing in the tank I cleaned out for it. I'm guessing it's almost impossible to tell it's sex without some expensive vet testing, or without it laying eggs..?

I think you'd be well served to follow rearfang's advice. In fact, even a regular human heating pad placed under the cage would be better than a heat rock. Plus, since those heating pads have temp settings, you'll get a built in thermostat!
Cheers!

First off, let me say that if you only have one racer, & it is too young to breed, there really is no hurry in finding out its sex, unless you're looking for an appropriate name. If that is the case, don't bother. They don't come when you call them anyway.
Most vets would not be able to make that determination. The most accurate method is by probing. This is a procedure that can be done by a lot of herps, but to try to lay the procedure out on a keyboard is more than I care to undertake. Some of these other guys or gals may wish to try. On a snake that young, I would not even try, though.

~~Greg~~

Looks small enough to pop, but without someone experienced doing it I would not suggest it. If you check around town for some breeders they may help you if you really want to have it done.

When it gets bigger, the easiest way to tell is either by "probing" or possibly just looking at the tail. If it drops off quickly after the vent = females (at least I think that rule includes racers), and if not = male.

Don't know if that helps.
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

I agree with everyone about the heating pad. Much better idea than the rock. And putting a sock over it you would be risking it catching fire. If its enough to burn the snake, it is enough to burn cloth. And those heat rocks are not kept at one certain temp. They may say they are safe. But they are a bit screwy. And can overheat easilly and without you knowing it.
Heatpads are awsome for putting under the tank. I personally also prefer to use a UV lamp for basking and helping keep it warm. The UV rays are very good for thier skin. And Racers LOVE the sun!

As for water, obviously the person that told you to use a cotton ball must have arachnids or something other than reptiles. lol
A small dish works great. I use a reptile water dish made out of rock for my snakes. But I try to keep things as natural as possible for mine.
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Crazy ZooLady

Good stuff to keep in mind. Not sure where I can get a heater, but I'll keep a look out. All I can find is about eight different kinds of heat rocks. But the point is, my snake is freezing when I get him from the tank. How long can he go cold like this? I've got some cloth in there, so it's burrowing in that, but he's still cold. Any suggestions for temporary natural heat?

For one snake, cobra heat mats under the enclosure work very well. My room is fairly warm itself, but I have a 6x11 heat mat under every one of my cages. The cobra heat mats keep at about 100f all the time, which is warm enough, but not too hot.

If your using an aquarium (which I don't really reccomend...) you can use the Zoo-med heat pads that stick to the bottom of the tank. Aquariums are somewhat hard to escape proof and don't have adequate ventilation for a snake, unless the cage is on it's side.

For some reason or another (just my experience) my snakes are almost more "grumpy" in an aquarium than one of my wood cages.

As for water bowls, anything from short glasses to crock bowls will work. My suggestion is something slightly heavy and low to the ground to keep the snake from tipping it over.
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

Go to Walmart and you can get a heating pad to put under the tank. Just a normal heating pad for people. Or even a high Wat light bulb will give him temporary heat. Depending what kind of encloser/lid you have for him. Ifit is a screen/wire top you can put the light right over the lid and shine the light on him, and that will heat him up after a few hours and keep him warm enough till you can get something else for him.
The heating pad can be used perminantly though.
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Crazy ZooLady

Alright, looks like I'm going to Wally World tomorrow.. Heh, my quick fix is I moved the tank to my garage, where it's warm. Only problem with that is temperature isn't very stable here. Ranging from 34-60 at night, to 60-93 during the day.. Especially now, between HOT and COLD seasons.. That's all florida has... HOT and COLD.

Thanks again!

Just don't pull in the garage and shut the door immediately, and keep the snake off the floor where fumes will collect. Otherwise it can kill your snake, so be careful.
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

We don't park in the garage, it's more of a storage type room. It was on my freezer anyway. But I went and got this theraputic heat pad from Wal Mart, It seems to be doing nicely. I've got it on the lowest setting, which keeps the glass comfortable. I also put a branch in there, with lots of small limbs. It seems to enjoy being in the limbs than on the grass, or in the pile of cloth.

How hot should I keep the glass? A friend suggested folding it in half, so it had a cold, and hot place to go. I also found a bait shop, but I haven't been there yet, it's a bit out of the way. I'm far too lazy to hunt crickets myself, considering scarce is an understatement for my yard and crickets.. I don't think it could swallow any of the frogs out here.. What's the proportion for how big an object a snake can swallow?

Er, I got it a some crickets. They're currently just.. in his cage.. Bad idea? Anyway, he hasn't so much as snapped at them. I'm not surprised, but my sister put a plastic frog thing next to him, and he immediately struck. So, I'm off to look for some small frogs tomorrow. ...

I'm looking at it as a last resort, but how would I go about force feeding? Just pry open mouth, insert cricket? >_> I really don't want to do that, but I really want to keep it..

Why don't just eventually eat when they get hungry? -_-

Doubt you'ld get it to eat crix. Go get the fish like someone else has suggested. Small frogs would be good as well.

Alright, everyone in town suggests crickets, but they're rare at my house/area. My snake isn't that into them. So, tomorrow, I'm going to a friend's house, where very small frogs are really common. On a side note, the crickets are eating eachother. O.O

They will also chew on your snake. Do not leave them in there. With your snake having a wound and being in a weakened state, they could kill it.

OK, scratch that part about the wound and all; I confused this with the snake above. Still, Racers aren't really known as insectivores so I still doubt it will eat the crix. They do eat a range of prey though. The frogs would be good. I think you would probably have more luck with small Anoles or Skinks. It would probably take a small pinkie mouse as well. The lizards should be easy enough to find in the P-cola area.

Aye, my main problem is finding anything living and catchable. My house turned into a wasteland the second I need a frog. Of course they're everwhere when I don't want them.. Are you in the Pensacola area?

Used to be. I moved to AZ this spring. I was actually over in the Ft Walton area for the past 13 years. Things are slowing down there this time of year, but I think if you could get a couple of good meals in him, then you could probably brumate him this winter and bring him back up next spring when food is more abundant. Have you tried a pinkie? I would give it a shot and if he eats it, you have it made. You could also probably get an anole at a local pet store. They are kind of expensive for a feeder, but if it is just to get a couple of meals before next spring, then it's not too bad. I have a Scarlet King that I brought with me that only eats Anoles. Not too bad when I was in FL, but kinda sucks now. It won't even look at one of my local lizards. Good luck.

I've had good luck with feeder guppies in a shallow dish. Makes for a real show watching them catch em... lol
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

I found a small lizard recently, and put it in a small bowl with my black racer. Within twenty minutes, it struck! He has completely eaten it now, and I watched him squirm himself so it slid down into his middle! I moved him back to his cage to rest the food. Thanks everyone who gave me any advice!

My friends decided I should name it Muffin, just to spite snakes' reputation for being evil. I think it's a great name. When you tell someone you have a pet named muffin, they expect a cat or something. Haahahah!

Thanks again.