Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am planning to get a pair of adult breeders of diamond back waters i have time to change though but is a diamond back a good watersnake for a begginer ws person. I saw that it gets large so whats the minimum size of tank for two of these. Is there another small variety that gets the size of a garter but heavier built. WhaT SHOULD I FEED THEM im thinking on getting them on a fish/rodent diet. what species would fit a pair in a 20 gallon?
Sorry for such a long post just want to do everything right.
chris

Diamondback Water snakes can get pretty big - big enough that I'd say a 20-gallon might not be big enough for an adult pair. It's not so much the length but the girth. Maximum length is probably 4-5 feet, but I've seen 4-footers that were as big around as a man's forearm. They eat mostly fish, but frogs and large tadpoles are also on the diet. I don't know if D'backs can be switched to rodents, but that may not be a good idea anyway as mice may not satisfy their nutritional requirements.

Another thing to watch out for is their disposition. D'backs can be downright nasty! I've found that most will tame down after a while in captivity, but don't count on it! michaelb

Would they live separetly in 20 gallons

Probably. I believe females tend to be bigger than males (someone else may need to correct me on this). If you have a pair that are both 3 feet or so, they probably can be housed in a single 20-gallon. But if you end up with a big fat one that's pushing 4 feet, a 20-gallon might be too small. It just depends on the size of the snake(s).

are they hard to breed or easy like most snakes
should i hibernate them?
chris

I'm not sure of how easy or how hard they are to breed, but I would think that a brumation period would be needed for any type of snake that normally hibernates (or more properly, brumates) during the winter.

I'll share an interesting story along these lines. While herping a few years ago, I herd a strange sort of commotion along an embankment on the edge of a lake, and upon investigating found five Diamondback Water snakes, uhh, "having a go" - one rather large female being courted by four smaller males. Per the Golden Rule, I didn't disturb them. But I found it rather fascinating, as I had never witnessed this in the wild.

If that's any indication, they should be easy to breed!

To start off, I'd like to say that I agree with everything michaelb has said about Diamondbacks. They have the potential to reach monstrous proportions and are second only to Florida Greens in size. Females can easily reach 4 feet and a twenty gallon would be much too small for a Nerodia of that size. Males can probably be housed in a 20 gallon their entire lives as they don't usually exceed 36". I reccomend at least a 30 gallon aquarium for an adult pair and a 50 to 75 gallon semi-aquatic cage would be ideal.

Fish are their staple diet in captivity but they can be fed mice (you'd need to scent). I'd even venture to say they'd do ok nutritionally on an all-mouse diet (much like their Thamnophis cousins).

As for smaller species of Nerodia, your best bet are the Salt Marsh Snakes (Nerodia clarkii). Females average only 30" and the males around 24". They can comfortably live in a 20 gal. their entire lives.

Hope this helps and let us know your decision.
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

Which one is the easiest to breed
thanx in advance
chris

I bred Mangroves for the first time this year and my Diamondbacks are still a few years off from adulthood so I don't know from experience. Based on what I know of the snakes' natural histories, I'd say that Mangroves would be slightly easier just because they don't need as pronounced a winter temperature drop as the D'backs. From what I've heard, Diamonbacks are fairly easy to breed as long as you treat them like any other large temperate colubrid.
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture