Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there:

Tomorrow will be here... well, tomorrow! Anyway, I have a kind of weird question about housing. I am interested in breeding Southern ringnecks, and when the new ones come I will have an 0.0.3 trio. I asked about the Florida brown snake (which I am very excited about!) and they said that they were keeping it with the ringnecks. They said that it had always been in with their ringneck snakes, and they never bothered it, and lived together peacefully, because they were the same size.
I know that ringnecks often eat other snakes, but it sounds like these two species are living harmoniously together in the same vivarium. Plus, they are also from the same region. Nonetheless, I am thinking of keeping them seperately. Do you know anything about why they might be living together without any problems?

P.S. What can you tell me about the Florida brown snake? Are its habits any diiferent from those of the Northern brown snake?

Thanks!
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
0.1 Asian long-tailed grass lizard
1.0 Mediterranean gecko
1.1 Oriental fire-bellied toads
1.0 American bullfrog
0.1 Spanish ribbed newt
1.1 Eastern ribbon snakes
1.1red-cheeked mud turtles
0.1 Dubia day gecko
1.0 Sonoran gopher snake
1.1 rough green snakes
1.1 giant African black millipedes
1.0 Okeetee corn snake
0.1 Albino African clawed frog
1.0 Kenyan sand boa
0.0.1 Argentine flame-bellied toadlet
0.0.1 African bullfrog
1.0 yellow * Everglades rat snake intergrade
1.1 Western hognose snakes
0.1 fire salamander
1.0 scarlet kingsnake
0.0.1 Argentine horned frog
0.0.1 southern ringneck snake
0.0.1 night snake

The only thing that I can think of is that the southerns aren't big snake eaters. I was reading some venom studies done on ringnecks (I think regals) where a ringneck was allowed to bite a night snake. The night snake was then removed, but invariabley died a short time later. I've personally seen the effects of the venom when I've fed salamanders to ringnecks.

I think that it's a good idea to separate them, that way there's no chance of a lethal bite occurring. I think that Mike has also posted about having garter snakes in with ringnecks for extended periods before the ringneck finally decides it's hungry, so it may just be luck that the brown's still alive.

You also may want to consider quarentining your new ringnecks in a separate tank if you can afford to do so. This will give you a chance to make sure the new arrivals are healthy and eating, and if they're not your established ringneck will still be safe.

-Alice

Florida Brown Snakes and Northern Brown Snakes are pretty much the same thing, same diet, same sizes, everything the same. LOL, I could've gave you a northern brown snake for free if you wanted a brown snake, I have one that is about 11 inches long. Last night I fed it to my eastern king, the king constricted it for about half an hour and then swallowed it, I guess it regurgitated it when the brown was 3/4 the way down, I wrote it off as a meal in my feeder records. I checked on them a little while later and the brown was laying there, soaked, I was glad it was still alive though.

Southern ringneck snakes are not snake eaters. They prey on lizards, worms, fish, frogs and insect larvae in the wild. I've kept northern ringneck snakes with brown snakes hundreds of times, and still to this day have never had a northern ringneck eat a brown snake. My regal ringneck snake baby, who only ate snakes, would easily go after and take down a garter snake, which could be gone in a blink, but would not go after a brown snake for the simple fact that the brown snake did not move enough to get the regal's attention. Aside from that though, southerns are not snake eaters.

Dave, I am very interested in knowing what you plan on feeding the Rhad. Using lizard scent and such, is simply NOT going to work, NO MATTER how hard you try. I am not trying to sound rude, I am curious about how you will provide a snake that is so specialized in it's diet, that people with over 30 years of experience with snakes, and all the resources needed, over 50 different Rhad specimens, and not one food item taken that was not natural? Please fill in the blanks for me man, not 1 out of 50 pine woods snakes will accept a scented prey item, how much of a chance do you think you'll have?

Mike
Michael's Place

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