Hello from Erie, Pa. New to snakes and new to the forum.

[Sparksvonrou]

I recently aquired a quite small Pa Brown Snake. It was found in the living room of a friends home. At first we thought it was a Copper Head but quickly identified it as storeria dekayi.
I know this is a garter snake forum. Does anyone know of a Brown Snake forum? I have some concerns I want to address especially since I am not sure the snake has eaten since we caught him/her. I am feeding small worms and cant seem to find any small slugs. Big slugs are a few.
I would be most interested in someone emailing me with the method of growing slugs so I can feed them since most agree that is the food of choice. Thanks in advance for your replies.
Sparks

[guidofatherof5]

This forum welcomes all Storeria. I think we have an expert on S. dekayi here on the forum and he happens to be one of our Mods. Feel free to post any questions you might have.

View Profile: infernalis - Garter Snake Forum (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/members/infernalis.html)

[snakegirl909]

Welcome the the forum!!
This is a garter snakes forum, but we love brown snakes as well ;). We love pictures btw!!

[d_virginiana]

Welcome to the forum!
As for breeding slugs, I used to keep some really giant ones as pets. First make sure you've got the right species of slug (someone else can tell you which are good species better than I can); get a few and put them in a tupperware container in a cool, dark place. I like to use moist eco-earth for bedding. You can feed them vegetables (mine always liked steamed carrots) every couple of days. Just be sure to remove the uneaten food or you'll get mold. Before too long, you'll start to see little slugs.

[guidofatherof5]

Common garden slug (Arion distinctus)


Common garden slug videos, photos and facts - Arion distinctus | ARKive (http://www.arkive.org/common-garden-slug/arion-distinctus/)

[infernalis]

I had a "slug farm" in my basement for a couple years.

The most important step is a tightly sealed container, slugs can squeeze out of the smallest of cracks and escape.

I used a broken chest freezer, I filled the bottom with about a foot of lawn soil and the sealed freezer kept the humidity inside.

I fed them lettuce, pumpkin, squash and sliced cucumbers. Remove uneaten food daily, or it will rot and gnats will infest your "farm"

For "stock" I went outside at night and early morning when the grass still had dew on it, and looked under blades of grass to catch small grey slugs and black slugs.

Do NOT gather the orange/yellow "Banana slugs" Dekai do not like them, and they roll up into a hard ball that can choke the snake.

Worms alone are still good food, no worries there, if you do not succeed with the slugs, as long as your snake is eating worms it will be fine.

As for your snake....

Feed often, and keep the cage somewhat cool. Storeria snakes do not like heat, they bask really early in the day and spend most of the day hiding under things avoiding the sun.

Good luck!!!

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

[Sparksvonrou]

So far so good. The baby Brown Snake, now named Robert, is still alive and well. I have concerns. I just can't seem to get Robert to eat worms. I have seen him eat small slugs. The problem now is that we are into winter with a lot of snow already on the ground. So I need a source of food. I wonder if cutting night crawlers into pieces would work? I found some quite small snails with shells that crawl slowly all over. I put them in too because I read somewhere that these snakes have special jaws to be able to pull them out of the shell. I see that Petsmart sells snails already out of their shell. I wonder if these would work. Anyway, I am worried about the food supply. I guess I will get Aspen for the bedding next trip to the pet shop. One final question. I have a easy supply from the fishing bait shop for grubs or meal worms. Has anyone owning a Brown Snake been able to feed these?
Thanks

[infernalis]

Yes, try cut night crawlers. The brown snakes I had in the past ate them when cut up.

[guidofatherof5]

So far so good. The baby Brown Snake, now named Robert, is still alive and well. I have concerns. I just can't seem to get Robert to eat worms. I have seen him eat small slugs. The problem now is that we are into winter with a lot of snow already on the ground. So I need a source of food. I wonder if cutting night crawlers into pieces would work? I found some quite small snails with shells that crawl slowly all over. I put them in too because I read somewhere that these snakes have special jaws to be able to pull them out of the shell. I see that Petsmart sells snails already out of their shell. I wonder if these would work. Anyway, I am worried about the food supply. I guess I will get Aspen for the bedding next trip to the pet shop. One final question. I have a easy supply from the fishing bait shop for grubs or meal worms. Has anyone owning a Brown Snake been able to feed these?
Thanks

If you're talking about Can-O-Slugs or snails I would say it's a waste of money. You might try some small aquatic snails from the pet shop. If you get a few warm days I would grab a shovel and dig some earthworms.

[slipknot711]

i agree with Steve (no surprise) can-o-slugs is a total waste. u can try tiny pieces of worm, but since u r having success with slugs you can try snails and they breed like crazy too. easy to keep too, u can make a pretty planted snail tank, or get a critter keeper (tropical water temp) an air stone and feed them veggies and stuff.