Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i just got a western ? ribbon snake sex unknown . any way i could not find much on this snake as a pet mainly wild life info on it i was looking for more info on this snake as a pet . I got him from some one that kept him in a 10 gallon tank ( he is pretty big probally almost 2 ft ) on very wet garden mulch with a little bowl of water ( which had dead fish and old skin in it )with a heat rock . I know this is not a good inviorment for him so far i set him up in a 30 gallon aquarium with repti bark and moss with a very nice size filtered pool of water ,grape vines that cross around the takn with silk vines a hiding house and a heat lamp , he said that he only eats small comets is their any thing else he might eat or anything else you think i should do for him ? thank you .

The setup you moved it too sounds good.

You should feed it either two pinkie rats (or more) a week, or a fuzzie. Pinkies are new borns a few days old. Fuzzies are rats that are starting to grow hair. You can pick them up at any pet store.

You may or may not have to scent it with fish. My garter snake eats unscented pinkies. I feed mine once a week. I place a jar lid with a pinkie in it in the enclosure. He pounces on it ussaly.

You'd have to feed it too many crickets. Like 20 - 30 a week (Large size crickets). All through the week. Rodents are better for them.
-----

1 Garter Snake
1 Green Anole
1 Red Eared Slider
1 Russian Campbell Drawf Hamster
3 Love Able muts

Sounds like you saved this snakes life. Wet conditions will cause blisters on Thamnophis (and Nerodia) that will kill it. Your vines and heat lamp will be great for it.

Ribbons feed (generally) on fish and frogs in the wild. They don't eat worms, and are not fond of crickets. As someone suggested, you can probably get it transferred to pinky or fuzzy mice by scenting them with fish - at least initially.

A very lite sprinkling of repto-min will help too, but don't over do it. Better to under-do it. I usually feed bait minnow rather than goldfish - look up info on "Thiamine deficiency" in Thamnophis when you get a chance - it's important to understand.

Ribbon snakes are much more interesting than most snakes people peddle these days - good luck.

You are very mistaken on ribbons not liking/eating worms. Ours LOVES them. We tried other food before trying worms and as soon as we tried a worm...there was no time wasted! It might be a good idea just to try a few different things that are typical for ribbons to eat to see what yours likes best.

It may be so. Do yhou have a pic of your ribbon? Do you know what subspecies it is or where it came from?

Thanks...

all mine eats so far is fish