Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is our batch of juvenile red belly racers having some dinner.

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

Nice shot! Feeding frenzies can be really fun to watch.
Just curious, have you ever had a problem with multiple snakes grabbing onto the same food item? I've heard horror stories of snakes, especially young ones, that try to eat the same piece of food and one ends up swallowing the other.

Thanks for the compliment

we closely watch and participate in the feeding.

Yes 2 and 3 snakes have grabbed onto the same worm, and required intervention.

I would never mass feed without close supervision.

Since it is almost 70 out today, I am going out with my camera, and see what is out and about.

Peace,
Wayne A. Harvey

Some of our snakes

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1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garter Snakes
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - common Garter - Princess
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly Racers
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
1.2.0. Feline"Felix" "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Those guys look great. Can I trouble you for the care details for the babies? I've had really bad luck with neonate browns - how to get them to eat, balancing moisture/moisture gradients.

Billy

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Link

THANK YOU!

What I have found to work best is this...

Get a 10 gallon tank at wally world for 9.95

Obtain some top soil, (dig) take a 5 gallon pail and fill it up.

Place some of the dirt in a big baking pan, sift through it for worms and critters, chunks of wood, etc.

Bake the dirt at 450 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. This wipes out all parasites and eggs from the dirt.

Re-moisturize the dirt to the texture of potting soil, then spread it around and add grass seed. In a few days germination will begin and you will have a mini lawn.

The neonates will thrive in there. It is as close to nature as you can get in a tank. the food slugs will start chewing on the blades of grass, and the snakes will pluck them off just like in the woods.

I use a misting bottle once a day, and provide a steady supply of slugs and tiny earthworms. Take a plastic mayo jar out to a damp area and start flipping every little flat thing you see.

Take a few toothpicks, and gather the tiny little slugs the size of boogers, neonate night crawlers are the little worms with the bulb near the head. The babies will generaly take these no sweat, but many of mine are receptive to tease feedings.

Raising these little snakes takes a lot of time and dedication.

But to me it's worth it, they are fun to watch....

Oh, and supervise feeding!! the babies will fight over the food. I seperate by size, keep the alpha snakes away from the runts.

Peace,
Wayne A. Harvey

Some of our snakes

-----
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garter Snakes
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - common Garter - Princess
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly Racers
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
1.2.0. Feline"Felix" "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

That was really cool. Part of me wonders how I hadn't thought of the grass before - it's one of those great ideas that seems so obvious now that you've mentioned it (like wheels on suitcases).

Three more questions:

- do you bother with any water in dishes? I imagine the spraying should take care of things.

- Any difference in food preference between the redbellies and the browns, or do the redbellies take to mini worms just as well?

- What do you do during the winter? It gets near-impossible to gather small worms and slugs from October through March here. Do you cool them down?

Thanks again,

Billy

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Phillyherping

"Do you bother with any water in dishes? I imagine the spraying should take care of things."

Water - Yes they do sip from a water dish, and seldom, they will swim in it. The spray is more to keep it slightly damp and water your lawn.

“Any difference in food preference between the red bellies and the browns, or do the red bellies take to mini worms just as well?”

They both take the same food, but red bellies like slugs better. I have found that when I gather food, the slug smell gets all over the worms, so the reds think they are eating slugs.

Tiny snakes eat a lot more often than the big ones do. Neonates will feed twice a day.

"What do you do during the winter? It gets near-impossible to gather small worms and slugs from October through March here. Do you cool them down?"

If you scroll down, I posted about winter slugs, the thread opens with “Winter Slug Supply”

Another option, if you do not have room to breed slugs, is to put the snakes into brumation. (another whole article alone)

So many have asked, I think I will host a care section on my web site.

Peace,
Wayne A. Harvey

-----
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garter Snakes
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - common Garter - Princess
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly Racers
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
1.2.0. Feline"Felix" "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

I know that Wayne just answered your winter question a moment ago but I thought I should mention that the Red-bellied Snakes I've helped care for were successfully weened over to nightcrawler pieces or small worms. Like Wayne said, if they eat worms that have been in contact with slugs they think they are eating slugs. The red-bellied snakes I helped out with took a while to switch over -- for nearly two months we fed them slugs but always tried feeding them scented worm pieces first and eventually they started taking the worms. Luckily they started taking worms literally a week before winter hit.
Worms are of course just as hard to find in the wild in winter but much more available in stores

oh how nice looks like outside . Is it hard to keep it clean like that ?
Does the grass die or with light it will thrive?

Thanks

I purchased a fluorescent grow light. The red belly snake does not require a basking lamp. in fact Red Belly snakes roam during early morning and dusk when it is quite cool out.

I mow the grass with scissors, and since I turn down the tanks every few weeks, the grass is always small.

The snake droppings will fertilize your lawn, they are so tiny you wont notice anyhow.

Quite a few of these young snakes are getting released next week. I will miss them, but it was destiny. We were only supposed to get them going....

Peace,
Wayne A. Harvey

our critters

-----

1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garter Snakes
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - common Garter - Princess
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" CB
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
1.2.0. Feline"Felix" "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Thanks for the info that grass look is great . I am going to give it a try