A couple questions about dekayi care

[Tora]

Okay, so he's not actually a Storeria Dekayi, he's a Storeria Victa, but I just have a couple questions about feeding.

He's fed twice for me so far, both times he ate some cut up nightcrawler pieces. However, I'm wondering how often to feed? I have him on a weekly schedule currently, but I do wonder if it's supposed to be more frequent.

He's in a 10 gallon tank with a 25 watt mini halogen bulb, I'll have him on a uth after my new thermostat gets here, which has a temp of 84. His cool side is at 78, and he has a humid hide on the cool side. He's got various plants as well as eco earth to burrow in, and he has two other hides. He's about 7-8" which leads me to believe he is an adult, as victa are usually smaller than their northern cousins. I'll get a few pictures in a little bit, he's a really pretty red orange/brownish color.

[guidofatherof5]

Looking forward to seeing the photos. Photos will also help us give advice on feeding.

[Tora]

14352

This is the best picture I could manage, still have to find my actual camera, but that's him next to an average sized pen. I fed him on sunday night(kinda like his own little xmas feast lol), and he had the slight bulge from the worm pieces that he ate.

[guidofatherof5]

14352

This is the best picture I could manage, still have to find my actual camera, but that's him next to an average sized pen. I fed him on sunday night(kinda like his own little xmas feast lol), and he had the slight bulge from the worm pieces that he ate.

"Slight bulge" is a good way to judge the amount of food you are giving. Depending on how soon the budge disappears might help to know how many times you feed. Twice to 3 times a week could work very well.
They also love to eat slugs.

[Tora]

I'd love to find some slugs for him after it rains today, if it rains. Its been pretty dry here for the past couple weeks, only enough of a sprinkle to wet the roads a little. I might step it up to twice a week, he's been pacing today, similarly to the corn snakes I took care of for a friend over the summer. I'll see if I can find some slugs in a little bit. The area I usually find them in, no one uses pesticides in about a 1 mile radius, so it's a good spot!

[guidofatherof5]

I'd love to find some slugs for him after it rains today, if it rains. Its been pretty dry here for the past couple weeks, only enough of a sprinkle to wet the roads a little. I might step it up to twice a week, he's been pacing today, similarly to the corn snakes I took care of for a friend over the summer. I'll see if I can find some slugs in a little bit. The area I usually find them in, no one uses pesticides in about a 1 mile radius, so it's a good spot!

Please keep us posted on this situation. Love hearing about Storeria.

[Tora]

I found a couple slugs after the rains on thursday and he ate them pretty readily while he was in my hands. I'll feed him Sunday or Monday, depending on how soon he starts pacing again.

[Tora]

Well, little storeria is definitely pacing looking for food tonight, so I get him set up in his feeding container, I only use it just to make sure he doesn't ingest any substrate, and when I opened up my container of worms, they were all dead. The three walmarts within an hour of me are all out of worms for the next week to week and a half, and the only bait shop in proximity to me only has trout worms which I know are bad. Have any of you had luck with maybe small guppies? I know live fish often have parasites, but I don't want him to go a week without food and even after the rain on Thursday, its now bone dry and I have had no luck finding any slugs or earthworms in my normal slug hunting grounds.

Thanks again!

[guidofatherof5]

Don't think Storeria is a fish eater. Many convenience stores sell worm just like Walmart. Check Craigslist also. Having to wait a week certainly isn't dangerous in my opinion.

[Tora]

Okie, that actually helped to calm my nerves a bit. The convenience stores around here are quite scuzzy feeling lol, so I'll just hope for some rain or an early shipment to walmart. I'll also keep checking the bait shop because the owner said they do get them in, they just sell out quicker than the trout worms. I'm thinking that there are probably quite a few garter/other worm eater keepers around me lol

[Tora]

So the past few weeks my little dude has had a small lump on the side of his neck developing. The vet has already looked it over but since they don't often deal with reptiles of any size, they didn't have much for me. It's really soft, like it squishes under my finger and doesn't seem to cause him any pain. Should I see if I can maybe poke it with a sterilized needle and get whatever is in it out? I have bacitracin and colloidal silver so I have antibiotic ointments to keep it from getting infected, I just wanted to see if maybe you guys have any experience with this sort of thing. I'll get a picture up in a little bit so you guys can see it. It's not like he's got a swollen throat, it's just a lump, about 1-2 mm in diameter on the side of his neck.

[guidofatherof5]

A photo would be great before any advice can be given.

[Tora]

I'll get one when I get home! my internet when out so I couldn't post one last night.

[Tora]

http://i63.tinypic.com/suy493.jpg

This is the best picture I can get. He's actually reddish brown, but the picture came out really dark on my phone for some reason. The vet basically told me, since he's not a reptile vet he can't do anything, but still charged me $90 for the visit.

He still eats cut up night crawlers every 3-4 days, drinks, defecates, and everything like normal, and even just completed his second shed with me. He displays typical Storeria behavior, nothing odd at all aside from the soft, for lack of a better word, lump.

[guidofatherof5]

Looks a little large for a subcutaneous worm but the location is right. Do you have a Vet. College near you? If so, they might treat for free. What does the area feel like?

[Tora]

The area is really soft, and when pressed it goes down to his muscle where you can feel it's firm, but supple.

Unfortunately, no. I was looking for a vet college close by when I was looking at what colleges I wanted to go to, but it's a good 4 hour drive one way. I live in the middle of nowhere :/

[guidofatherof5]

I can only guess but it sounds like a subcutaneous worm.

[Tora]

Thank you for the insight! :)

[Tora]

20cm roundworm has been removed and disposed of. Little Dude was especially calm while I worked, though he did jump when I made the small cut. He's on paper towel for a few days so that I can make sure his cut is closed up before letting him back into his tank with his eco earth/cypress substrate. I was worried he was going to be a wiggle butt while I worked, but overall, he just chilled while watching me with his big red/brown eyes. His face was the cutest afterwards sorta like he was saying 'dude, why did you just cut me and squeeze me?'

Do you think he could have gotten the roundworm from the night crawlers? Do you think I could possibly freeze and thaw night crawlers as I need them, and maybe that would kill parasites?

[Qwerty3159]

Was he wild caught? He could have had the worm from there.

[Tora]

Yes he was, my neighbor had been moving her plants from her garage back outside after our first freeze at the beginning of December and he was hiding under one of the pots. She called me over because I was outside working on something, and that's how I ended up with Little Dude. He didn't have a lump until around the 2nd week of January, and even then it looked more like he just bumped something because out how small it was. It didn't really grow until a couple weeks ago when it got more and more noticeable.

[guidofatherof5]

20cm roundworm has been removed and disposed of. Little Dude was especially calm while I worked, though he did jump when I made the small cut. He's on paper towel for a few days so that I can make sure his cut is closed up before letting him back into his tank with his eco earth/cypress substrate. I was worried he was going to be a wiggle butt while I worked, but overall, he just chilled while watching me with his big red/brown eyes. His face was the cutest afterwards sorta like he was saying 'dude, why did you just cut me and squeeze me?'

Do you think he could have gotten the roundworm from the night crawlers? Do you think I could possibly freeze and thaw night crawlers as I need them, and maybe that would kill parasites?

Awesome, removed a few of those in my time. How did or did you seal the incision?
I doubt it was night crawler related but that is just a guess at this point.

[boyer45]

I am glad the little guy is doing well.I agree with Steve I don't think it was night crawler related.I keep Storeria dekayi on a diet of cut up night crawlers(store bought) with a vitamin supplement occasionally. I have never had a problem with them. In answer to your original post, they love slugs and will eat worms out of your yard with relish. I have even gotten one to eat a small pinkie.They will not eat fish and I tend to feed them every couple days.I love these little snakes and if yours acts anything like dekayi you are in for a lot of fun.

[Tora]

As it was very small, I didn't want to leave a large incision on him, I just put some bacitracin over it and have him on paper towels for the next week or so to watch for infection.