Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you still have those longnose snakes?, the hatchlings. I was just wondering if you had sold them all. Where did you get the parents from, were they wc or cb? Thanks
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1.0 Albino Corn "Lucky"
1.0 Snow Corn "Snow"
0.0.1 Southern Ringneck "Lazy"
1.0 Green Amevia "Gizard"

and they are taking down scented rodents like champs.

Dan

different story. She was wild caught and reacts very fearful of rodents and their scent. So I fixed that. I sew rodents to a lizards and she gets a bellys worth for free. Keeps me from having to feed her 4 big anoles a week. I do this twice a month and she is happy and decent shape.

Dan

down the rodent train:

finished and now to sleep for a day or two:

Wow, thats pretty amazing the train thing and all, great pictures.Glad it all worked out. Do you happen to know if anybody sells them, captive bred? Thanks for the info
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1.0 Albino Corn "Lucky"
1.0 Snow Corn "Snow"
0.0.1 Southern Ringneck "Lazy"
1.0 Green Amevia "Gizard"

Actually I don't know if anyone is really breeding them or not to even have them to offer as captive bred specimens? If I ever decide to move any of mine I will let you know but I am learning from their growth and development so wish to keep them for now and breed them myself in a few years.

Dan

I've been thinking of collecting one of these guys at some point. Is there a certain age / size at which they're easier to switch (I found some little tiny 8 inchers in AZ last summer and was really tempted)? What types of lizards do you find work best for scenting? Is rubbing a rodent on a live lizard sufficient for scenting?

Thanks,
Alice

It has been my experience that the younger the snake, the better the opportunity and/or chances of conditioning it to accept a varied diet, especially when converting them from lizards to rodents. Now in the case of the longnose snake, many adults in the wild do indeed eat rodents. But those that do not perhaps had rash encounters with rodents as they not only will not accept them as food, they display that they are fearful of their scent and presence.

To scent a rodent, I use a Cuban brown anole found locally in South Florida although any lizard species should work, especially lizards located in the same locale as the longnose snake. I usually keep a lizard frozen and then heat it in hot water. The heat fosters the lizard to emit a strong scent that is easily transferable to defrosted and rinsed pinks. However the case, I have had lizard eating snakes take a pink one-second after rubbing it against a bearded dragon, so almost any lizard species should work.

And scenting a rodent with a lizard is not the only thing that conditions snakes to eat rodents. Sometime you have to reverse-scent. Reverse scenting is when you start this process of conversion by scenting their usual prey (a lizard) with the rodent. This permits the snake to become familiar with the rodent scent and not fearful of it. And the next time you feed, offer a small meal (a tiny lizard) and also leave behind a rodent scented with a lizard. And often the rodent has to be dead because in most instances, the snakes are finding their lizard prey asleep in rocks and trees, so a frailing rodent does not look natural or appealing to them. Also, leaving a live lizard and a live rodent in with the snake will rouse the snake to conditioned itself that it's feeding time, and often the snake will it both. Lately I've had a few baby vipers and Pacific Island ground boas that have refused to take to lizard and frog scented rodents. Tease feeding and assist feeding is not working and they are too small to accept both a small lizard and a small pink without risking them vomiting both, as that would too large of a meal. As such, I tried a new method and put their usual live lizard prey in a small plastic container inside the cage with the snake. And in with the snake, I placed a scented pink. So far, the anole jumping around in the container entices and enrages the snake to eat the pink, so it is working. And if it works, I say do it.

Another method to try to convert a snake to accept rodents is to dance a lizard near the snake allowing it to become roused and eager to eat. I have some newly hatched corns here that will eat lizards but displayed to more than very stubborn to accept a scented pink. I mean I have fed thousands of baby corns and never met a one that would not take scented until I met these ones. These were unfortunately starved for two months without food with someone else who did not try another method. As such, I dance a defrosted lizard near them and they get alert and active to eat. And when they are alert and ready to take the lizard, I present a defrosted and wash and scented rodent on forceps. They bite and sometimes let go, but eventually they eat the rodent. I do this a few times and they are on to rodents for good.

One thing of importance is that when a snake is converted to eating rodents, it is best to offer small meals more frequently and do not wait too long before another feeding. If you go more then a week or 10 days, then you perhaps might risk going through the extra effort again of persuading the snake to accept a rodent.

A couple years ago I obtained an adult wildcaught desert glossy snake and one of it captive hatched babies. For months, perhaps a year, the mother ran like nut away from rodents or their scent. For months I tried to get it to take a scented rodent and it would not take it no matter what I did. So I tried another method - starvation. I conditioned the glossy to take a dead lizard from forceps the second I opened the lid on its cage. Essentially, the glossy associated my presence with food, the forceps with food, and the opening of its cage with feeding. Then I starved the snake for three weeks and proceeded to have an anole in the forceps and then a small dead and scented pink in another pair of forceps. I allowed it to view the lizard through the container and get very excited then took the lizard to the top of the cage and it followed. And the nano second I opened the lid, I presented the pink. The glossy bit it and took it back into the cage as it did with a lizard but spit it out. I had to do this about three times and it did not eat it. I eventually exited from view of the glossy and left the scented pink in there with the starved snake and it ate it. After doing this a few times, it now accepts live rodents.

And of course, the baby glossy was much easier to convert. It was not as fearful of humans as the mother and took scented day-old pinks after a few lizard feedings. Another hint to condition a snake for conversion to rodents is to reduce the stress of the snake by never ever handling it unless you must to clean its cage. And if you can change the water and remove poop with forceps without ever handling or touching the snake while it rests in its hide box, then you are much better off. I find that never touching a snake during the conversion process a very essential part of the process, especially with these jumpy sensitive snakes like glossy and longnose snakes.

Also, being very patient and reading a snakes body language is important. If it's a male snake we are talking about, it may be seeking a female and be off-feed. In this instance, you are wasting your time. And if the snake is stressed by seeking proper temps, a proper hide spot, or if it's during it usual brumation period or accidentally exposed to cooler than normal temps, efforts to convert it will be a waste of time. Some folks will force feed snakes to convert them to accept rodents, however I don't agree with that method as force feeding should be a last resort to save a snake's life and to administer medication. If you force feed a snake that is not hungry, you may risk the snake improperly digesting a meal, and that can lead to bacteria and parasitic problems which eventually demises the snake months later when you though all was fine with the animal.

Dan

Here is the momma glossy eating a rodent.

Hi,Dan.I glad you come back. I like yours replys.My opinion
is you can save it can be good book. Thanks.My question is
about yours small stuff like lined snake,black-striped snake
How this guys doing? and can you tell me about Shovel-nosed
snakes.Do you have males and females?What in you plans? to breed
their? Are you hibernate their? I have nice female and I do it.
I need a male and I work on that,so I have hope.Thank you.Sergei.
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K00KABURA

It's an odd thing that you mentioned book because last week I was offered to write a book with someone about tree vipers so I may consider doing it. I don't have a lined snake but had one before and they are neat little snakes. The black striped snake is doing fine and I recently figured it was the central American/Mexican species I have here and not the North American species, so I don't know if I will ever be able to pair it up? The shovel nose snakes are also OK but I have not made any plans to breed them as they all are different subspecies and from different locales and I have not even checked the sexes. I once saw some breeding activity in a male but never saw any eggs yet. I think you can get some from locating some of the sellers in the western states and they can either connect you with someone who finds them or eventually lead you to them.

Dan

O,yeep,better do it,for same reason I can tell you:"Someboddy
upper really want it."Thank you for your support.You have to belive too and you can find half for yours blk-strip snake.You
even can't image way what it can come from.My female shovel-
nosed snake is Colorado Desert ssp.(Chionactis occipitalis
anulata),so I got big chances find a male.I will be have good
camera only next January now only link.Take care.Sergei.
http://tucsonherpsociety.org/CHOCAN1.jpg
Link

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K00KABURA

Would you say they hide more than other snakes? I ask because you dont ever hear much about them. I saw one a show but was eating skinks only so I didnt buy it.
Thanks

I don't think they hide any more than other snakes. Actually I see them more often on the surface of the substrate then any corn or king I ever had. They are not as popular because you said it yourself, they eat skinks, snakes, lizards, and some eat rodents. And if you could produce some piedball albinos, I am sure some snake investor would make them popular for his pockets worth.

Dan