Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a call from a local petshop. Woman brought in what does appear to be a diamondback watersnake that looks like a pretty young one--less than 18". Said her cat dragged it in. It's got some wounds about 1/3 of the way down it's body but they're healing up. The petshop says they may just give it to me cause the woman wants it gone and they don't know what the hell to do with it and they're not sure if it's legal to actually sell (and besides how many people WANT one?). Does anyone have experience caring for these, or any nerodia? I find yellow bellies all the dang time up here but haven't found these (WHY WHY WHY do non herpers find cool snakes when I can't?!?).

My *guess* would be that they're very much a semi-aquatic snake, more so than Thamnophis, just based on where I find them? The woman whose cat dragged it in lives right by a big old drainage pond so I am not too surprised. Like go with a decent sized water bowl (maybe a kitty litter pan?) with some plastic plants in it (or maybe just anacrhis or similar aquatic plants) for cover, and a good dry substrate with fairly standard N. American colubrid temps? Do these adapt well to rodents or would I be looking at needing to get tilapia or other large fish eventually?
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.

If it is healed up and in decent shape I would take some pics and let it go. If you keep it, just keep in dry cage w/ water bowl, UV light source, and hide box. Try offering frogs and minnows.
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2 tham radix
1 Chicago Tham s. semifasciatus
2 elaphe vulpina
1 gray tiger salamander
4 Aphonopelma hentzi
1 G rosea
1 Haplo minax
1 Brachy angustum
1 Brachy sabulosum
1 Brachy vagans
1 Cent. hentzi scorp

I can't verify or deny the legality of keeping N. rhombifer where you are; I'm fortunate enough to live in South Carolina where they are all legal, and I breed several species of Nerodia.

If you want to kill a Nerodia, keep it damp. You'll be guaranteed a snake with lethal "scale rot", a severe bacterial infection, in no time flat. Contrary to their common name and where they often are found in the wild, these snakes absolutely require a DRY, CLEAN substrate. I provide mine with a bowl just large enough to drink from, and they shed, eat and poop just fine. Another way to kill one is by feeding it fish in the Carp family, including goldfish and Shiners(sold as bait minnows)and "Rosy Reds"(Fathead Minnows) or catfish. All of those contain high levels of an enzyme called Thiaminase which prevens the snake's body from using Vitamin B, which is necessary for many vital functions, especially nervous system functions. You can find a list of which fish contain Thiaminase and which ones don't in the link I've included. Most Nerodia will readily eat fresh cut strips of fish from the supermarket or fish market off tongs, and most can easily be switched over to rodents by scenting f/t rodents with fish. Those that eat fish or amphibians tend to have much runnier, smellier and more frequent poop, so that means more clean-up. Their care is basically the same as a Garter Snake, just with more room requirement due to their size, and N. rhombifers can be big, bulky snakes, especially the females. I love my Water Snakes; they tame down really fast and become dog-tame, and most are extremely laid-back snakes except when it comes to feeding time, when they turn into mini Retics.
Thiaminase

Sharon I know you are an expert, but the poster said they were using dry bedding so perhaps the "if you want to kill it" advice should be reserved for people who have actually got it wrong. No disrespect intended. I know when you are a professional it's tempting to paste a standard message for everyone who asks (imagine the primate boards), but I believe Varanid is a long-term contributor to this board and not the general public. We ourselves were collecting our first stock not long ago, and certain institutions might consider you or I to be standing on the public side of the counter, so it's important to give advice positively. I want to say your work with Nerodia and breeding accomplishments have been an absolute necessity to the popularizing of this genus, which no breeder of more universal reptiles can say, and anyone else here would be lucky to do the same.
Varanid I use a large water basin in all my tanks including corns, kings and tropicals because all snakes like a good soak from time to time. In the wild Nerodia almost always shed underwater so it comes off easier (which is why it's hard to find an intact skin). Although a clean, dry tank is essential I've always wondered about not providing the amount of time a wild snake spends submerged every day.
In my experience a wild snake will not take cut food (or anything it doesn't recognize) until you can provoke a feeding response, so I start off with toads until the snake associates my hand with eating, only then do I drop a fish in front of it. Starting with fish has led me to find dead fish because a snake isn't used to finding them on land. (Rhombifer might be different since they are not primarily toad-eaters, I think someone posted recently about them taking dead bait and carrion on shore.) I've noticed garters hunt by smell but N. Sipedon in the same tank are completely motion-based hunters. The ones I have now will not acclimate at all because they will not eat while I am watching, so I might have to consider a tank-within-a-tank to keep the fish alive. I have used carp and other minnows in moderation because they are a part of the snake's natural diet along with other prey. Once the feeding response is achieved they will take anything.

Len