My Story: Storeria dekayi

[Herp Derp]

Found it July 5th, 2014, 13" under a sunny rock along with a larger S occipitomaculata(which I first thought was a dekayi until i saw the underside, this one got away though.. I was too excited). I arrived at home, quickly emptied a 20g fish tank wash it added some cactus mix soil and a small plastic potted aloe plant. I later added a clump of natural ground cover(clover, dandelion, sorel, grass etc) into a plastic bbq chicken container) and aplastic container of water. My research was fast and i caught a few slugs but it did not eat. I read this was normal. The snake did eat the next day though and everyday about 4-6slgs(maybe 1-2cm stretched mode)/day. This was awesome because I was reading up other ppls experiences of weeks with no eating. I became concerned when I read that dull colours could mean it was dehydrated... on the 10th an unexpected thing happened, it shed and I was fortunate enough to see it happen in 5mins. The skin was all in one piece it was cool and soft/moist to the touch. Two days after that I've fed slugs off my finger to it, usually I use a small thin stick or drop some down on the grassy area. I believe it's female from the diagrams I have found on this site about sexing them, since there seems to be a tapering of the tail right after the cloaca. For the most part she has been diurnal however just recently she seems to be hiding more during the day and sticks her head out from under her rock a lot, maybe she was out a lot more because she was about to shed.

Would anyone know if copper it toxic to these snakes or snakes in general. Since these snakes eat slugs I'm trying to find other ways to keep them in the tank... the dry cactus soil seems to keep them in the grassy area, and Ive read they don't like to go over copper. I would like to try and make a "slug habitat" inside the enclosure surrounded by pennies or copper tape so there would be a steady amount of food during winter. Which brings me to my other question... do snakes have to brumate or can I just keep them year round in the same conditions and lighting? How many slugs should she be eating .. is it per day or week? For the more experienced dekayi owners how small are the neonates? If they are really tiny would they eat white worms? I have read adults eat snails and beetles(not sure what kind)... I have yet to see this and does anyone know the full spectrum of their diet. I would like to give it a variety.

[slipknot711]

Brown snakes can live in almost any substrate. i have seen an 80/20 soil/sand mix working well if you like the more natural look. This allows these snakes to burrow as they would naturally. You may wish to use peat moss or leaves to simulate the forest floor. Provide a small dish for water, and you may wish to mist the cage on occasion. id like to see a picture of yours. sorry i do not know much about the penny thing. dekays like worms too! and as far as the babies they are soooo tiny. i know someone on here has kept and bred them before so im sure others will chime in. 10838

[Saji]

I was going to recommend talking with Ashley but she has aready given her two cents:-)

[slipknot711]

I have one but it stays with my garters. No special treatment

[Herp Derp]

That's great Ashley, I've read they'll hibernate with garters and northern red bellys. Do you think 2 dekayis would be too crowded for a 20g tank(high not long)? Do they do better alone or with company? What I like about this species is that it stays small and seems pretty easy to take care of. I haven't quite figured out how I want to set up the tank yet. I'll probably do 1/4th cactus soil with an aloe plant and a flat rock hide, maybe 1/2 grass/vegetation, and the last 1/4 water dish and maybe loose substrate for it to burrow . I think i have a pic in my profile or gallery thing, it looks a lot smaller in the pic, I'll try and get a better pic 1083910840108401084010840

[Herp Derp]

not sure why it did copies of the same pic doh!!

[guidofatherof5]

Did you load your photos from the forum gallery?

[Herp Derp]

Um I did load some photos up through the gallery, but I didnt know how to get them into a post so I ended up just uploading them from comp to post. Does that make sense?

[joeysgreen]

Why are you using cactus soil and an aloe plant? Consider replicating the habitat where you found it. Skip the copper, you don't want to add a potential risk factor. Copper is toxic to any animal if in high enough concentrations. This could simply be from eating a tonne of slugs that kissed the pennies before turning around. The food chain has a habit of magnifying toxins; think of DDT in rapters.

Brumation isn't necessary and can poke holes in imperfect husbandry. What may work for summer foraging behavior in a healthy snake may not suffice in a snake going through the rigors of winter - the season that kills animals of all sorts. Unless breeding is the goal, stick with normal summer perimeters.

For food, offer what you find in your back yard. Then create breeding colonies to become self reliant during droughts, winter, pet store shortages etc. Both worms and slugs are super easy to culture.

I'm no expert on Storeria but I hope this advice proves useful.

Ian

[slipknot711]

ian said pretty much what i came back to say! try adding hides too. whether it is the half log kind etc or a flat piece of let say... wood. yes they may burrow but should have options.

[slipknot711]

also two should be fine in that size tank, i always like to go bigger but its fine. brownies like to climb so if you can add some height to the tank thatd be great. i wouldnt suggest breeding them, i have read alot (some on here) that the babies are very very tiny and can be difficult to feed... or atleast hold off for a couple years until you know what works best.

[guidofatherof5]

also two should be fine in that size tank, i always like to go bigger but its fine. brownies like to climb so if you can add some height to the tank thatd be great. i wouldn't suggest breeding them, i have read alot (some on here) that the babies are very very tiny and can be difficult to feed... or at least hold off for a couple years until you know what works best.

Good advice Ashley. The neonates diameter is about the same as a piece of spaghetti. Slugs and earthworms are needed and can be difficult to impossible to find in certain seasons. I had very limited success with my neonates. I think nature does a much better job providing for these little scrubs.

[Herp Derp]

Yes Ian I do plan to replicate it's habitat as best as I can. I used the cactus soil(the aloe plant sort of went with the soil) after reading up on blisters being caused from too much moisture in captive environments so I thought cactus soil is pretty dry for a substrate. The copper thing was just an idea to keep slugs in a certain area inside the tank and have them breed(I guess I'll just breed them in a separate container), I am looking ahead of time for ways to make it self-sufficient as possible. I have been researching breeding colonies for food

[guidofatherof5]

Can you explain with a little more depth "self-sufficient"

[Herp Derp]

Hey Ashley, if I do need to go bigger I can, I had read up that too big a tank may intimidate a small snake. I am still looking for as much info as I can on these snakes so any input is good. You mentioned they like to climb which puzzles me since they are said to live underground. I think snakes in general seem to like to climb because in captivity they dont like being confined to a small area(even if it was the size of a backyard) and are looking to get out and roam. I don't plan to breed them right away, but if this snake needs a companion I'll go look for another. I'm asking for future considerations, knowledge and the odd chance this one gives birth, say in about 3-4 months(read somewhere they have babies around sept/oct). Back to the bigger, I do have a 150g(5'x2'x2', got it for 50$ badly cracked drilled bottom) that I could convert into a home... probably would never find the snake in that lol.

Back to underground(sorry my mind wanders off into many directions), if they live mostly underground, making an natural habitat would be kind of pointless since you would never see it.

[Herp Derp]

Thank you Steve for the comparison of size of neonates I can now visualize how "tiny" tiny is. I really do wonder if they would eat white worms(more known in aquaria world I think), those worms are tiny. As for self-sufficient it would mean having the slugs and worms grow in the enclosure and the snake could hunt and eat at its own leisure and low maintenance. I keep fish and Ive been looking into turning it into some sort of aquaponics system to take the nitrates out of the water so water changes would be less or non at all and just topping off the water. I noticed a funny thing the other day, I had a few snails in the tank and one of them ate the black part of the snakes feces, but left the white part... so by self-suffiecient, I mean I`d like to create a mini environment where everything sort of works together.

[Herp Derp]

So the other day I was handling my snake as I normally do for the short amount of time I`ve had her. Letting her slither around my hands and fingers and she pooped on me... is that a natural occurrence? I was also reading some other thread about snakes dying of impaction... and I thought perhaps the problem is the enclosure not having enough places for the snake to wedge between to assist in eliminating the blockage.

[Herp Derp]

I have too many questions, hopefully I'm not overly monopolizing, but I really don't want to forget my random questions. I just saw my snake look like it wanted to throw up(nothing came out though) and is roaming the tank... what does that mean? When a snake sheds its skin and you measure it.. is that the same length of your snake? how fast should the pulse/breathing beat?

[guidofatherof5]

Not sure what to tell you about the throwing up thing. Maybe too much water. If it continues then there could be a problem.
As a rule sheds are longer then the actual snake.
Can't answer your last question. Sorry.

[slipknot711]

my brownie likes to hide a lot, but sometimes she comes out and likes to get up high and relax. breathing i do not know. Pooping yes :) wild animals poop when and where they want. and am i thinking of the correct white worm you described? those tiny white squiggles you get in water tanks? if im incorrect my apologies. if I am correct I would not feed them to the neonates... if you mean grubs those would be ok BUT good luck getting enough. sorry you wrote so much im trying to keep up

[Herp Derp]

They aren't the kind in the water. Enchytraeus albidusis the latin name. another type would be Enchytraeus buchholzi or Grindal worms which are slightly bigger than the white worms. In either case some aquarists will make cultures (container with dirt and a piece of bread soaked in water,/milk or yogurt is what is normally used, but i'm sure you can feed the worms other things) of these worms to feed their fish and small fry.

[joeysgreen]

THis thread sure took off. I'm not sure I'll address all the points:
Grindel worms; I culture these in my enclosures but they are hard to harvest. I would have them and any variety of detritovores in the substrate of a storeria cage; most certainly if offspring were expected.
150gallon; you may never see your snake, but it would be so happy. Having several snakes inside may favor sightings. You could also include various cover that can be flipped to visualize your snake. Note; big cages don't overwhelm small snakes - big, empty/poorly thought out cages overwhelm small snakes.
Self-sustaining - remember the food triangle. One 10g snake needs a culture of 1000 g's of prey items to live, which in need 10,000g's of plants material... You either have to feed the snake, or it's food, or that food; not to mention the waste and water cycle... Even the wilderness outdoors is in constant flux and battle to be self- sustaining.
Heart and resp. rate normal ranges are variable with temperature and metabolic rate. I'd expect to see HR's of 40-70bpm and 5-15 resp.rate. Outside of these ranges I still wouldn't worry unless something is clearly out of sorts.

Ian

[Herp Derp]

Not sure what to tell you about the throwing up thing. Maybe too much water. If it continues then there could be a problem.
As a rule sheds are longer then the actual snake.
Can't answer your last question. Sorry.

Ah ty for that bit of info, I first estimated a writhing snake next to a tape measure to be about 13", the shed measures 15"... is there a "safe" way to measure, as I did not want to pull or hold the snake by the tail. They really dont like to stay still when you want to measure them.

[guidofatherof5]

Sometimes it comes down to applying a little force to them.
There is also a snake measuring widget out there. Looks like they kept it up to date for the newer browsers. Don't know much about it.
Serpwidgets - Snake Measurer (http://serpwidgets.com/main/measure)

[Herp Derp]

EXCELLENT!!!!
Ian Thank you enormously for the info. 10g snake= 1000g food = 10000gs of food for food lol , so that is in a years cycle? I'm trying to narrow down how much food (slugs or worms) per day. OR should I only be feeding twice a week or weekly? As of now I'm feeding from 4-10 slugs a day... I think I'm going to need a gram scale when I get the chance.
If I make that 150g a vivarium, I will definitely plan it out.
Since grindal worms are in your enclosure its very tough to harvest... but I think if you put a piece of bread or any food source they will eat, under a piece of glass or something it will be easier to harvest for you. if you youtube them you will see how they kind of just stick to the piece of glass.
If I make that 150g a vivarium, I will definitely plan it out, I tend to overthink sometimes because I dont want to make a mistake so it will take a while before I attempt this vivarium.
As for wastes... wouldn't the worms(nightcrawlers, grindal +/or white worms, Aporrectodea rosea) help break it down?
Water cycle I think I could figure out or have that as one of the minor maintenance.
It will probably end up more like a trial and error thing to see what will work.

[joeysgreen]

Herp, my computer is sluggish on these forums so I have to keep my posts to a minimum. The concepts I am bringing up are a lot more indepth than they may first appear. For example, the water cycle. Water is a wonderful thing, it waters plants, provides drinking opportunities, replenishes wetlands, washes away wastes... wait a minute? How can it wash away wastes when you've contained it in an aquarium? Water in the environment drains down into the water table, or flows into the river system, evaporates via standing water or plant respiration. All of this can't be contained in an aquarium, hence you need a flow through system. I"ll get back to that in a second.
The 10g snake, 1000g food, 10000g plant was an example, not a definitive number. Recall junior high ecology; if any one layer of the food pyramid is depleted the whole thing collapses. So if your snake eats your slugs faster than they can reproduce then your snake will starve. If your slugs reproduce too fast then your plants will die, starving your slugs, and then your snake. In your enclosure you will still need to "play god" by adding or subtracting components that are leading to an imbalance. Ie, most keepers do this by adding prey items. Food cultured in the enclosure is great to cycle wastes and supplement the diet but won't be enough to maintain your desired organism, the snake. On this note, it will be very hard to have enough detritovores to completely cycle wastes into plant food and enough plants to utilize the nutrients etc.

If you are adding something to the system, you have to subtract something from the system to maintain balance. Back to the flow through system. If you have a drilled hole near the bottom of the tank water can escape, taking with it any imbalanced toxins it collects as it first travels through the substrate. You can have water enter from above via a constant or timed flow, via a misting system, a dripper bar, stream outlet or any combination thereof. Through coordinated valves and pipe elevations you can vary the water level inside the tank to coincide with flooding events, seasonal changes, rainstorms, planned cage flushes, whatever you desire. Drained water can go to your sewer, or be filtered for re-entry to the tank; but that is another discussion all in itself.

Ian

[slipknot711]

and that right there is why ill stick to my jugs of tap :) Ian you're so smart :D

[Herp Derp]

I've been doing some research on water and purification(random things I learn from fishkeeping(about2yrs) and started reading into aquaponics. wastes end up being broken down by bacteria leaving nitrates, which can only be taken out by plants or water changes(which only really dilutes it), so the cycle is ammonia->nitrites->nitrates. I do know I'll have to play "god" here and there. I don't consider myself an expert, but things aren't as complicated with understanding and it's all fascinating to me.
I think maybe making a tiny compost area within the enclosure would augment the pop. of worms though
lol I usually have to re log in while making my posts as I take a while to write up what I want to say and hope it comes out clear and concise.
Finding that balance will take a while and thats the fun part about it.

[Herp Derp]

I've noticed my dekay(still thinking for a good name) has bright pattern and colour about 2/3rds of the body from head to tail and the last 1/3rd is a bit dull in pattern and colour is that a normal thing?

[guidofatherof5]

It could just be body expansion were the lungs and stomach are at. Gravid dekayis get a whitish look/scales where they have scale spread.

[infernalis]

Why are you using cactus soil and an aloe plant? Consider replicating the habitat where you found it. Skip the copper, you don't want to add a potential risk factor. Copper is toxic to any animal if in high enough concentrations. This could simply be from eating a tonne of slugs that kissed the pennies before turning around. The food chain has a habit of magnifying toxins; think of DDT in rapters.

Brumation isn't necessary and can poke holes in imperfect husbandry. What may work for summer foraging behavior in a healthy snake may not suffice in a snake going through the rigors of winter - the season that kills animals of all sorts. Unless breeding is the goal, stick with normal summer perimeters.

For food, offer what you find in your back yard. Then create breeding colonies to become self reliant during droughts, winter, pet store shortages etc. Both worms and slugs are super easy to culture.

I'm no expert on Storeria but I hope this advice proves useful.

Ian


I don't think I could have said it better.. in my past experience, Storeria snake will share a tank well, since they are about the calmest mannered snake ever.

[Herp Derp]

It could just be body expansion were the lungs and stomach are at. Gravid dekayis get a whitish look/scales where they have scale spread.

my eyesight must be getting worse, at first it looked like the white was just colouring/patterns on the scales, dekays are just so tiny. I shone a light and found out the white isnt part of the scales

[Herp Derp]

I find her skittish, but once she settles down when I pick her up she stays in my hand for about an hr. It's like when my cats used to sleep on me, I'd rarely move so I wouldn't wake them.

[slipknot711]

Ok so I called out of work today cuz I felt like it and well I woke up to my brownie having babies... very unexpected. Only two so far... since it wasn't expected she moved over I put babies and momma in a container in case she had more. They already shed. Pics soon!

[guidofatherof5]

That is awesome, mom. That first shed is very different then the rest they will have in their lives. That first shed material is very thin, almost ash like. I've read in a few books where that first shed is called a slough.

[slipknot711]

ive seen the slough coming off, very exciting. was not expecting this today. 1085910860108611086210863

[slipknot711]

108641086510866

[Herp Derp]

O- my- G -O - ESS -H. congrats. Those are adorable, thank you for posting the pics... so you have to put them on wet paper towels? The babies look a lot bigger than I was expecting. Let me know their progress and definitely their first bites to eat.

[slipknot711]

Herp sorry I posted these here i hope you dont mind. but this seems to have become the dekay spot

[Herp Derp]

Oh I don't mind I love the pics. I'm so excited for you lol:D:)

[Herp Derp]

Did you notice any change in behavior, appetite or anything at all? I think you had her with other garter snakes so it probably would be a bit harder to notice.

[slipknot711]

i saw her out climbing this morning, she does that sometimes. my bf went in the tank to feed the garters their pinkies and saw two babies so he just yelled to grab the baby bin. i would have left momma in there but she slithered away and i didnt want them to get hurt so decided to throw her in the bin with a small hide to do her business. checked a cpl hrs later and now there is 8 babies. I didnt notice anything except that the days i call out of work someone has babies of some sort.

[slipknot711]

Oh I don't mind I love the pics. I'm so excited for you lol:D:)

im excited but nevous... they are so tiny, food will be my issue

[Herp Derp]

finding slugs are easy, if not in the morning, rain brings them out too, under logs and rocks, under pots, garden edges, sides of the house basically anywhere they can hide and stay moist.

[slipknot711]

thnx i was gonna go look for them tomorrow morning :)

[Saji]

thnx i was gonna go look for them tomorrow morning :)

You are a very lucky individual my dream would be to raise a Dekayi neonate.

Saji

[Herp Derp]

This just my opinion but:

Neonates - daily(small meals)
Yearlings - 3 times a week(no stuffing them)
Adults - Twice a week(good size meals)


Not to derail the other post, I brought this here. I'm not familiar with quantities.... of daily small amounts and good size meals, is there a size of snake to size/amount of food per feeding? I know other bigger snakes may eat a huge prey and not eat for months.

[guidofatherof5]

I apologize for not making my post more clear.
Garters have a high metabolisms (little sports car engines) and require fuel more often then most larger snakes.

Much of this depends on the individual size of the snake.
Give them a nice bulge in the belly, no sausage looking snakes.
I know, I know. What is a "nice bulge"?

I hope this helps but for some reason I don't feel I've done any better then my first attempt.

Someone help me out here.

[Herp Derp]

I'm not sure that helped me much more lol but thats ok, it's part of the learning curve.
Since dekays mainly eat slugs and worms which are squishy so I assume it looks like they haven't eaten.
On a similar note of digestion... how often do they defecate?

When I read that they moslty live underground what does that mean? under rocks and logs, rock piles or actually in the ground/earth... are they burrowing(for movement or to make a den?) or just crawling through wormholes(not sci-fi ones)? has anyone dug up a dekay like an earthworm (not from a den)?

[guidofatherof5]

You'll still see some stomach distension when they eat. Giving a food amount just less then a third of their body length might be a good way to describe how much.
I'm not sure "underground" is the best word. More like "undercover". Being a smaller snake they are low on the food chain and need to stay out of sight to stay alive. I've never found a dekayi out in the open, its always been under some kind of cover/hide.

[Herp Derp]

So you think it's best to feed only twice a week, rather than a few slugs a day?
Right now(past 2 days) she doesn't seem to be interested in eating(she may be eating on her own time, there are slugs inside), she ignores the slugs I put in front of her. She may be tired of just slugs, so I'll have to try out some worms. There's snails in there as well but she hasnt bothered with them. I won't really be worried about her eating until a week, it's more of a mental note thing.

Does anyone keep log journals(if so handwritten or computer)?

Undercover makes a lot more sense to me.

[guidofatherof5]

No, it's just a schedule you could use. Not feeding everyday allows them to get hungry. Everyday feeding is fine but you must realize they will go off food every now and then. If that happens on a everyday feeding schedule it tend to create stress..............in us. ;)
I think most garter would like to eat everyday but that's not how it usually works out in nature.
Hungry snakes are less likely to be picky eaters also.
Much of what you are asking will eventually turn into the keeper's personal preference after some trial and error.
There are a lot of different ways to keep them and those differences (within reason) seem to produce content thriving snakes.

[infernalis]

im excited but nevous... they are so tiny, food will be my issue

Look for tiny slugs under blades of grass early in the morning while the dew is still clinging to the ground. I found it easier to harvest them if I used a toothpick to knock them off the grass carefully into a small cup. Gather as many as you can, as the babies will consume 2-4 slugs each per feeding.

Good luck!

[slipknot711]

thnx, ill try that

[Herp Derp]

Has anyone tried feeding salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)? They are found in moist woody areas. They are supposively very abundant. I think raising them would be too much work. I happen to run into picture while trying to find other random information on google searches and saw one chasing down a salamander.

Has anyone had any luck feeding dekays anything other than slugs and worms? I wonder if they eat ants... the 3 times I've every found them they were near or sharing space with those tiny orangy ants underneath a rock.

[guidofatherof5]

No bugs as they can't digest the exoskeleton(chitin) but I do believe soft-bodied insects are on the menu.
The problem with feeding salamanders/frogs you run the real risk of introducing parasites to the snake.

Chitin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin)

[slipknot711]

yes steve soft bodied insects can be eaten, for example ... grubs... delish! lol ew not so much

[Herp Derp]

10922um that's a pic of a salamander I found under a piece of bark, the first thing I happened to turn over.I did not keep it though. Saw some deers10923 and caught some west nile virus :eek: while doing a little hike(too many mosquitoes for a long hike).

So back to feeding... wonder why information sites say they eat beetles? Today I finally got to see her drink some water... YAY!! Anyone ever notice that when it rains or if there's thunder of lightning your dekay or garter start to roam the enclosure like they want to get out and have some fun?

[guidofatherof5]

10922um that's a pic of a salamander I found under a piece of bark, the first thing I happened to turn over.I did not keep it though. Saw some deers10923 and caught some west nile virus :eek: while doing a little hike(too many mosquitoes for a long hike).

So back to feeding... wonder why information sites say they eat beetles? Today I finally got to see her drink some water... YAY!! Anyone ever notice that when it rains or if there's thunder of lightning your dekay or garter start to roam the enclosure like they want to get out and have some fun?

Spring rain and windows open seem to get them more active.

[joeysgreen]

That's a beautie blue spotted salamander; I miss all the herps out east. I don't get to make the trip near often enough.

[Mommy2many]

I did notice that when it rains or when we get a storm coming all of my snakes seem to get more active. Also, if you spritz their tank, they will all come out as well. Maybe it's an indication that a food source would be available if they were in the wild?

[Herp Derp]

@joey well since I went camping about 4yrs ago. I've slowly been getting back into nature, enjoying, learning, exploring and observing and trying very hard not to take everything home and leave the habitat as best as I have found it(a lot of people don't and I notice). Thanks for identifying it for me... I assumed it was a red back salamander with just different markings depending on the season. I've found a few of red backs in big city parks. Still looking to find one of those stick insects though.

@mommy yes I believe that's just their excitement of an abundance of food trying not to drown or stay dry.

[Herp Derp]

I saw some really big slugs 2" and thicker than my dekay up in the woods. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't eat it. Mind you the biggest slugs I've seen were out west in Vancouver, B.C. and they were as big as cigars, some bigger!!

My dekay seems to recognize me at first when I come in she's a bit scared and hides.. then I say something and she's like oh its you and pops her head out and flickers her tongue a lot.

[guidofatherof5]

They will get to know you by sight, sound and smell and they are ever observant to change.

[joeysgreen]

I found those very same banana slugs out in Vancouver too :) Also found the western redbacks among many other species of salamander out there. It's also a nice place to find valley garters and northwestern garters.

Depending on where you are, the ambystoma species can be various super cool polyploidy hybrid species. The blue spotted's, Jefferson's, and I think the spotted's sometimes join the party too. Nonetheless, the resultant hybrids are parthenogenic, but still require the physical stimulation of a parent species male to instigate reproduction. A great example of the fluid nature of what defines a species.

Ian

[infernalis]

They don't like banana slugs. spit them right out. They prefer the little grey ones.

[Sparksvonrou]

I have a baby or fairly young Pa Brown Snake. I guess he came to the family about a week and a half ago. I am getting worried because I have not seen him eat anything. I have offered small worms since I am having an awful time finding any small slugs. I will post a picture here of him and maybe someone can tell me what the largest size slug I should get for him. Also I have seen posts where raising slugs is easy and something about on cabbage. But I have not seen any real directions about it. Can someone assist here? For now he has been in this plastic tote with the small water dish. He likes to sit on the edge of it and slide through the water. It is a bit bare at the moment because I took all the old grass out and cleaned things up a bit. I have not actually seen him drink. How does he do that? Dip? Tongue? Absorbsion?
Thanks
Sparks

[slipknot711]

make sure he has plenty of hiding spots. try feeding at entry point of a hide. its WC so it may take a bit to get it to eat.

[Herp Derp]

I've been kind of busy, so the story continues... I released the brown snake a month later(last year) back to her original spot where i caught her, so she would have enough time to eat and find a hibernation spot, in case she needed to travel to it. I did not have the time to attempt a slug colony or worm farm. So i wasnt about to risk her life for my own fascination and addiction to observing. This year with more knowledge, I went to the same area (a month ago)and got to see a lot of garter snakes of various sizes. I also spotted and held a tiny snapping turtle(a mini "Tank", Guido/Steve) to be continued...

[joeysgreen]

That was a very respectable decision to let the snake go. It sounds like you have a nice area to view wildlife.

[Zdravko092368]

Very nice that you released it since you didn't think you could provide proper care. Hope she's doing well out there and just found herself a nice mate this spring and is growing babies right now.

I have a pet brown snake myself, they are so personable.

[Herp Derp]

@joey surprisingly there's lots of places to see wildlife even in a big city, I had to learn about what I was looking for as well as serendipitously being at the right time at the right place. I turn into a kid when I'm in nature and I try to observe everything.

not to hijack other posts and since this is my own. anything goes lol
about the feeder fish thiamine post, Im just getting into breeding convicts(1.5yrs) as feeders for my other fish... they're actually in the basement with no heater so the growth rate is very slow. I took about 4 babies and brought them upstairs(no heater as well) and they grew faster and have babies already. so about 100convicts now 2x20 gal tanks for the breeding pair and a 50 gal for the grow out of babies. the original parents might be breeding again but its hard to tell at the moment. as for a variety of diet I have obtained a few marvelous marbled crayfish(10gal ) which are suppose to clone themselves, if I succeed, I cant wait to see those tiny crayfish. I still need to work on a worm farm (they're just too easy to forget to take care of and just as easy to purchase), I've also tried breeding crickets which went so so they did breed and have babies but forgetfulness,time and procrastination did not help their cause. I'm babbling too much. I guess the thing is, its like the story of an old lady that swallowed a fly. The more I try to keep up with feeders the less time I have to do so many other thing.

[Herp Derp]

@zdravko I hope she is doing well also, there's so many predators out there. They really are likeable. I would like to one day breed them. Would be nice to also find a smooth greensnake Opheodrys vernalis. The wiki info on diet seems to be more accepting to eat things other than worms and slugs.

[Herp Derp]

Well I've taken on another dekayi. this one looks to be male and about 5", he was found under a rocks and seemed to be injured or have parasites? there were three bumps/bulges along his body. I ve had him for about a month now. he eaten small worms(those smalll pink ones that you find on the street or sidewalks when it rains i forget the species name for the worms) and slugs and has fattened up a lot and now those bumps seemed to have disappeared.

HE will not touch black slugs and I have yet to witness a dekayi eat a snail(eventhough a lot of info on brown snakes say they have special teeth to eat them).
For the garden slugs i do catch I put them in a transparent plastic container and just toss in green leaves( you will notice which ones they eat, grass and dead leaves. and use a spray to moisten inside the container once in a while. best time to catch them is early morning, daytime under logs and rocks, they will come out with rain too just look at the undersides of some leaves.

He seems happy and recognizes me sometimes. I have made a more natural habitat with soil and some plants. I used two same plastic containers (philly cheese or dip containers), one to stay in the dirt and the other to take out of it for water changes. I've given him a log and leave litter and dried up grass. he likes to sleep in the dried grass or the crumpled dried leaves. I've put worms and slugs and snails in the 10g tank.

If you need a trick to hydrate your snake mist the area so that beads of water remain in some places... I've seen Slinky(his name) take his first drink from the water that collected on a leaf(he does know there is a water bowl now)

[Herp Derp]

Is it normal for a snake to shed every 3weeks? Slinky has shed about 5 times since I've had him and his last shed was only 2.5wks after the 4th. On side note I saw a camel cricket that was in the aquarium with Slinky start eating his molted skin. Another summer is almost over and I will be releasing Slinky soon... he has grown quite a bit :)

[Rushthezeppelin]

Hmmm just read your previous post to this new one. You need to throw some woodlice and springtails in that tank (if they aren't there already) and make it fully bioactive. Those guys will cleanup snake poop as well as control fungi and just generally make the soil healthier for plants.

[Zdravko092368]

Funny yours won't touch black coloured slugs, my babies love the black the ones the most. I also have not seen a Dekayi eat snails despite most sources saying they do.

If he was only 5 inches then he was born this year and since you are probably feeding him a lot he's shedding like crazy because he's growing so fast.