Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi !

I have some question about the Eastern indigo snake.

Some people tell me that their poop really smell worst. It seem that this its the strongest scent they have smell in all of the snake family.

I really want to have an eastern but I want to know a little bit about the cleaning maintains.

I have heard also that this snake must be fed above 2 times a week, although they are adult ( so a lot of poop... )

I have other question, what is the average length of an adult male eastern indigo ? ( I know that they are bigger than female )

Thank you a lot

MarilyN

Good questions:

1) Although an eastern indigo's feces does indeed have quite a pungent odor, it is really not that much worse than some of the other herps that we keep at our wildlife center (and my home). Some of the rattlesnakes we keep will put an indigo snake's poop to shame (in terms of mass), a fully grown bullsnake will certainly provide some rather unpleasant experiences for the nasal passages, but, with all being equal, the indigo's "odor per capita" probably do (not "doo" reign supreme in this department. Personally, I don't find this to be a problem as I stay on top of cleaning. If you clean the cage shortly after a defecation, the odor doesn't become a problem, simple as that.

2) Feeding: in nature, these are animals that are always on the prowl, and the will cover VAST expanses of territory looking for food (which equates to burning lots of calories compared to life in captivity). In a captive setting, feeding twice a week is MORE than ample and in, perhaps, most cases, probably too much due to the limited amount of exercise that these animals get in a confined setting. So, if you do feed twice a week, I always recommend smaller prey (my full grown adults never get anything larger than a small rat).

3) Size: Males do indeed reach larger/bulkier sizes but I have a female or two that are oftentimes mistaken for males. I would say that an average adult length for a male indigo (in a captive setting) to be in the 6-7' range. That is ONLY based on my small colony of 10 adults (and in talking with other serious dry folks who keep them). Eight footers are certainly a real possibility; and, perhaps in rare cases, some 9 footers are probably looming out there somewhere.

Hope this helps,
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

>>Hi !
>>
>>I have some question about the Eastern indigo snake.
>>
>>Some people tell me that their poop really smell worst. It seem that this its the strongest scent they have smell in all of the snake family.
>>
>>I really want to have an eastern but I want to know a little bit about the cleaning maintains.
>>
>>I have heard also that this snake must be fed above 2 times a week, although they are adult ( so a lot of poop... )
>>
>>I have other question, what is the average length of an adult male eastern indigo ? ( I know that they are bigger than female )
>>
>>Thank you a lot
>>
>>MarilyN
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

your explanations reassures me much Thank you a lot !

I have other question about them: I often saw eastern indigo with red face (chin-leaps) or diluted white-red-brown like this pictures:

For me, my favorite is the "black head"... They are all black ( except maybe a little bit of white under the chin ) And I'm wondering if this coloration is a locality of eastern or maybe a "phase" ( a kind of particularity ). I think that they are unfortunately very rare because I dont saw this kind of couperi a lot comparatively with the other "coloured head" eastern...

MarilyN =)

To my knowledge, the colorered phases don't represent a specific locality, however, I can tell you that the red chinned animals are usually in higher demand. Like you, though, I prefer the jet black phased animals and that is what I generally breed out. There's nothing more impressive than a 7' jet black snake.
>>your explanations reassures me much Thank you a lot !
>>
>>I have other question about them: I often saw eastern indigo with red face (chin-leaps) or diluted white-red-brown like this pictures:
>>
>>
>>
>>For me, my favorite is the "black head"... They are all black ( except maybe a little bit of white under the chin ) And I'm wondering if this coloration is a locality of eastern or maybe a "phase" ( a kind of particularity ). I think that they are unfortunately very rare because I dont saw this kind of couperi a lot comparatively with the other "coloured head" eastern...
>>
>>MarilyN =)
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Do you have some picture of your indigo ???

I'm also wondering what size will be perfect for an adulte male indigo ? (lenght-width-height)

Thank you again!

MarilyN

If you email me directly I will be happy to email some pics of my adults to you (I have no idea how to do it here).

In terms of ideal cage sizes, I prefer to give my adults a cage that measures approximately 72" wide x 36" deep x 18" high (like a 6' Vision). The 54" model will also work fine too. These are animals that just don't do as well in crampt quarters os provide as much space as you can. Hope this helps. Rob

>>Do you have some picture of your indigo ???
>>
>>I'm also wondering what size will be perfect for an adulte male indigo ? (lenght-width-height)
>>
>>Thank you again!
>>
>>MarilyN
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Odor is largely due to what you feed them: frogs or fish, it will be really bad. Feeding rodents: no worse than pine snakes or large kings. Feeding twice a week is too much for adults.