Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have a Blacktail Rattlesnake that I caught in July. I have him set up in a rack system with flexwatt heat tape. He is on newspaper wth a hide box and a water bowl. There are a lot of ventilation holes in the boxes for good air flow. I've offered mice and rats both dead and alive with no success. Does anyone have any advice for getting Blacktails to feed in captivity?
Thanks,
Drew

I may be able to help you out...I've run into similar situations with wc molossus (particularly adults).

My advice is to try a gerbil. I've NEVER had a wc molossus turn one down. Also, if you live in an area where you can get some DOR kangaroo rats or field mice, you may try this as well. Be sure to freeze the DORs before offering.

If this animal is an adult wc, now is the time that they tend to "bed down" for the winter. Many wc animals stop feeding this time of year...just because you take it out of the wild doesn't mean its "biological clock" stops telling it what to do.

If you try a gerbil and/or DOR wild rodent and still can't get it to feed, I'd recommend cooling it for the winter. Often you'll find that when you bring it back up in the spring it will feed with enthusiasm. Make sure that the animal has good body weight and don't disturb it as it is cooling (other than to ensure that it has water available at all times).

-Kris

Instant success! I fed a brown gerbil and it worked like a charm. Thanks for the advice.

Wow thank you so much for the help. I will try a gerbil and then try cooling it down for the winter. I want to get a meal in him before he cools down so he doesn't starve. Do you think a rack is bad for the stress management of the animal since the animal is moving every time you pull the box out?
Drew

What kind of body weight does this animal have? I'm assuming good because you most likely wouldn't have collected it otherwise...Assuming it has good body weight, it will not starve if you put it down for the winter. Because these animals are ectothermic, their metabolism slows WAYYYY down the colder they get. If you feed it, be sure to wait a couple of weeks before putting it down...otherwise the food may rot in its stomach if it is not allowed to pass. You most likely would be ok putting it down for the winter without a meal.

As far as a "rack" system, I've never really used them with rattlesnakes....I've used them with colubrids, but not crotes. I'm a proponent of individually locked and secured enclosures for rattlesnakes.

From a stress level, you really shouldn't have to mess with the snake too much over the winter...Just ensure it has water at all times and you'll be fine....Keep it cool and dark.

-Kris

Don't know where he or you are although I assume you are in Az.
But in Ca. LOCKED is the LAW.

Viper

Yes, I am in Az. Law or not, common sense dictates that all crotes be kept in locked cages!

-Kris

Locked cages? Who said anything about locked cages? We're talking about a feeding problem here. By the way, there is also a law that says you have to use 114" plexiglas, but that's obviously not feasible. Strangely enough, reptile laws aren't meant to help reptiles. They're there to control people. It's an interesting take, but think about it for a minute!
Drew

Body weight looks good. If I can get it to eat a gerbil or hamster, I'll let it digest before I cool it. I'm having some cages being built right no so he won't be in the rack for too much longer. How do you set up the temperatures for cooling in the winter? I have flexwatt heat tape in the rack. What should the ambient room temperature be and what should the heat tape temperature be?

Where are you located? I've had success brumating crotes at temps in the low 60s. No heat is necessary as long as you don't have a draft and the temps don't fall below the high 50s. Everything about these animals slows down at those temps and that's ok. Those are temps that they brumate at in the wild. Again, just check the water on a weekly basis. Because the animal's metabolism is slowed to a crawl, it really shouldn't drop any weight.

-Kris

I regularily hibernate my molossus at abourt 50F, sometimes the room temps at their level even drops to 45 and I have never had any problems and my two oldest are 34 and 22 years. Make sure to keep them at regular temps for about a month and a half with no food in order to clear their digestive systems before hibernation. Some will tell you that two weeks is enough, but it is not for crotes. Even at one month I have had snakes leave really bad smelly fecals during hibernation indicating that the food was going bad in the gut. I stop feeding in mid Oct. At the beginning of December I turn the heat off. My room ranges from 40 F. at floor level to 55 at five feet above. I keep various species to take advantage of air stratification, cooler temp species on the floor level, hot species higher. I turn the heat back on at the beginnof to mid April depending on what is happening in the outside world. I turn the temps on and off suddenly. Some people try to do it gradually but this can cause respitory problems. I let everything bask for at least a month before offering food.

Rich