Reptile & Amphibian Forums

which category do you think water snakes are in? good pets for newbies.. or bad pets for newbies?..(especially to young hobbyist)
water snakes are beautiful creatures (wouldnt you agree) and doesnt grow TOO BIG for owners. my first experience with them was hard. after i got them from a local store i was worried because they didnt eat for almost 2 weeks (i tried everything from tadpoles to pre-killed fishes).. now their doing ok.. *and i think they ate fish pellets for my guppies.. ??

nice day

I have had some they are biters at first but they do settel they eat minnows they can be a interesting and diffent pet at first wen you catch one it will bite alot but with work they can calm down all you need is what you would use for a garter snake with a bigger water bowl

i have caught and purchased many water snakes and have never had them bite as long as handeled with care. as for getting them to eat. you will never go wrong by collecting wild frogs from the river or stream. their instincs kick right in and they will chase the frogs down and eat as many as possiable. don't offer to many because they will eat so many that it makes them sick and they will regurgitate them.

It is a toss up. Some water snakes are pretty easy to work with while others are nasty little biters. I have kept almost every species of North American water snake at one time or another. I have found the redbelly and plainbelly to be the easiest to work with but the least hardy. Northern water snakes tend to be biters but I did have one which was relatively easy to work with. Diamondbacks and browns have the reputation of being the worst tempered but I have never had problems with either. I would never trust a child to handle one. It is a good way to develop fear in a young herper.