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I just got a baby northern water snake about a week ago. Skippy is currently living in a 10-gallon tank with carpet, a rock/water bowl, stick, and 50 watt basking lamp. He has yet to eat while I've had him. He initially had cloudy eyes and a couple of days ago he shed. He still has remnants of his old skin. Should I help him get rid of it? If so, how? Also, I tried feeding earthworms, crickets, and rosy reds. He wasn't interested in either, though he probably wasn't hungry because of the shedding ordeal. The snake is 10.5" long. What else can I feed him that he'd be more interested in, if he still wont eat after another day or so? I'm just assuming that pinkies are too big. That's about all I can think of. He/she is a good snake, well tempered now. It enjoys moving around on my hands and whatnot. Anything that I'm missing to make life for it better/healthier/happier? Thanks for any advice you have.

A 10" water snake can eat pinkies.

Help it get rid of the skin it didn't shed off. Put it in a container with about an inch of water. Make the container be so small that the snake curls around on the bottom a couple times. And leave the container undisturbed. The snake will move around, the water will loosen up the skin and it should come off.

A couple days after that, put some live rosy reds in a water bowl. It will eat them if it can find them.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Diadophisdude@yahoo.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Good luck with little Skippy. If you don't have a hide for him, I'd suggest putting something in he can hide under like a cave or a piece of cork bark or one of the half logs or something along those lines. As for food, I've never had a baby water so I can't help there. I got my water snake full sized and already eating mice, rats, and large minnows. Be sure your heat lamp is on one side or the other to try to create as much of a gradient as you can. Hope your little guy gets eating soon for you!

This is my Banded Water "Bubbles"

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Lyns Lair
WNY Herpetological Society

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Thanks for the help. I have the lamp set up on one side. He has a hide too, under the water dish. It's one of those ornamental type things. I got pinkies yesterday, but I think they're too big. I'd say about 50% wider than the biggest part of his body. The pinkies were the smallest ones the pet store had. He refuses guppies still. I even put him in a dish with only guppies. Do snakes have a big appetite after a shed? I'm starting to get concerned...

It's been said before, a 10" plus water can eat pinkies! BUT, some of mine will and some don't like them, scented or not.
I'm a firm believer in appropriate temperatures for snakes (day and night)and that young ones are more responsive/reactive to this. A post-shed, 10" water snake should try to eat it's water dish if it smells like fish!

Now that I think about it, my Florida Green male would hardly venture near it's (shallow water) food dish until I dropped in a clean, plastic aquarium plant. This offered both shelter and traction. Eventually, I removed the plant because he refused to leave the dish! However, he eats just fine now.
Michael

When you have a new animal that won't acclimate to current conditions (a recently shed, very young water snake that doesn't eat is an animal that is likely failing to feel cozey) you have to start considering what you might change besides food. In other words, the fasting might be a symptom instead of a problem.

You could start by replacing the carpet with a not-too-deep layer of leaves. These will smell more natural (it does make a difference for some specimens) and will provide a more suitable hiding place - everywhere in the tank. The advantage of being able to dive into seclusion on the warm side or the cool side of the tank cannot go without note. Little water snakes hide unless they're hunting or sunning. Uncomfortable snakes won't sun and cool snakes (that can only hide under a chilly water bowl) won't hunt. Leaves also provide superior humidity to a plastic dome over carpet, which might fix the shedding problem.

You didn't mention what color the water bowl is. Get one that's dark on the inside. Sometimes, new specimens can be skittish of bright white (or green or blue or purple depending on the petshop dish) hunting grounds.

Don't handle the animal until it adjusts. New water snakes that "behave" for handling aren't necessarily good snakes. They are more likely scared snakes. Resigning to quiescence is a sign of silent stress just as often as it is a sign of acclimation. If it's stress, the animal won't eat.

You said you had a fifty watt bulb for a basking site. Did you get a thermometer as well? Get a digital thermometer with one of those cord sensors attatched (ten bucks at any large retail store like WalMart or Home Depot) and make sure it tells you that the basking end of the tank is warm enough. In a little ten gallon tank, an air-conditioned room can have a very chilling effect.

Consider putting up an infrared bulb for warmth at night. During the summer months, many water snakes go nocturnal and shun hunting by day. If you turn the little fifty watt energy supply off during the animal's business hours, it will stay, accordingly, closed. Good luck.

Thank you so much. This is probably the best advice I've heard yet. I'll pick up a better substrate for the little guy, and make a few changes in the tank. The water dish is dark gray. I'll provide another hide as well, in addition to handling him less. Thank you so much for the advice. Hopefully, I can get him eating. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.
-- Branson