Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a spare 5 gallon aquarium lying around and i know that there are worm snakes where i live but i was wondering if anybody here had any expierience with them. Where should i look for them? Can i setup traps for them or something? Can i just put a board out in the middle of some forest or field and periodically check under it. I didn't realize how neat these snakes were until i had researched them. Plus they are easy to care for (they eat worms!). I would also like some info on their care. Do they require dirt? Like HerperHelmz said it ruins the colors on em. I i figure it can also lead to mites or infections etc. Thanks alot please post, im just waitng for a nice warm spring day here in pa to go find some snakes!
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-Doug Daly

"Brian theres a message in my Alpha-Bits, it says: "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH""
"Peter Those are Cheerios..."

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake

I've lived in western PA for 25 years, I've been herping here for the last 17, I have yet to find a worm snake. I am probably about 300 miles from their closest range to me. I know people in eastern PA that come across them, under boards, rocks and debris, etc. usually with ringneck snakes and brown snakes. I could get my hands on a few if I wanted to, they aren't complicated to keep, but they require soil or some equivalent substrate so they can burrow and stay moist.

Mike
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated better caresheets
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Here in Maryland they are most commonly found in the fall, under small loose shale, or debre. They are fairly easy to keep and given their subtrainean life style mites won't be an issue.
The best way to set them up is to create a gap at the bottom of tank of about an inch or two with an egg crate platform covered with screen securely glued into place. Cut a hole in one corner of the platform about 3 inches in diameter to run a PVC pipe from the top of the tank down to the platform. Use a small computer fan on top of the tank to blow air through the pipe. fill the tank on top of the platform with lose soil, perferably from the location were the worm snake was caught. This type of set up will manage drainage of the soil and prevent build up of harmful aenerobic bacteria. Most people screw up with subtraineans becuase they don't realize that a tank of dirt is just like a tank of water, there is biological process that has to be maintained to keep the animals living in it healthy. What I have decribed above is basically a dirt version of an under gravel filter system, and it works pretty well. I have used it with worm snakes, caecilians,and currently with amphisbaenians. If you velcro a sheet of black felt to the front of the aquarium they will dig their burrows right up against the glass, and they can then be viewed when you remove it.

Hey,

What species of caecilians have you kept? I have kept a pair of Dermophis Mexicanus, as well as numerous Typhlonectes. I should try that system some time. Fascinating little creatures!
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DAVE

1.0 Western green toad
1.1 green treefrogs
1.0 Florida blue garter snake
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
0.0.3 southern ringneck snakes
0.0.1 night snake
0.0.1 Florida brown snake
0.1 Pine woods snake
0.0.2 rough earth snakes

Ichthyophis glutinosus the yellow striped caecilian. Do you have a good source? They are hard to get a hold of.

keep them in plain sight 24/7 yet keep them alive at the smae time or do they need to have dirt?
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-Doug Daly

"Brian theres a message in my Alpha-Bits, it says: "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH""
"Peter Those are Cheerios..."

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake

They need dirt or at least some substrate to feel secure. I'm applying for a grant to study the effects of soil moisture on their distribution since it appears they dislike dry environments (so you'd want to keep at least part of the dirt a bit damp).

Where did you get your worm snake(s)? If you caught them wild any tips for me?
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-Doug Daly

"Brian theres a message in my Alpha-Bits, it says: "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH""
"Peter Those are Cheerios..."

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake

All of the ones I've seen were found on my property. I do have some important advice-check your state regulations before catching any. These snakes are so secretive in nature that their population numbers in the wild are uncertain. Here in WV, the DNR has them on the rare, threatened, and endangered animals list. Make sure it won't conflict with your local laws to collect them before you do anything. That said, my best advice is to check beneath any stones, stumps, logs, or other cover objects. If the soil in the area is very dry, look somewhere else. I'm sure there are more experienced people here who have found more than I have, but I've only found them beneath objects with damp soil conditions. Also, large enough objects to be used by other snake species may not contain worm snakes(larger snakes may eat them).

Thanks Kevin, i live in Pa. They are considered Rare but not threatened or endangered. The only endangered ones around here are (i think) the Kirtland's Snake and the Rough Green Snake (threatened). Thanks for your help. I live near a pond and a creek so the soils always wet around there, ill set up some boards and tin and stuff like that and hope for some luck!
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-Doug Daly

"Brian theres a message in my Alpha-Bits, it says: "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH""
"Peter Those are Cheerios..."

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake