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[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i decided to giv that herping thing one last shot went outside thinking maybe id find a brumating snake and a lizard, i found 1 unknown snake and 10 salamanders they are both very cold and bearly moving so i was thinkin they are brumating? i put the at the very highest spot in my refridge which is like 47-48 should i continu brumating them? the snake is very pretty though so i qould like to keep him, what should i do? found out what type it is Contia tenuis - Sharp-tailed Snake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.tenuis.html) it has a lot of red, apparently they eat the salamanders i found where he was

[Loren]

Hi, Reed, You may have very possibly found a sharp- tailed snake. I will tell you from experience though, that they can be very difficult to care for. They eat only slugs and slender salamanders, and in my experience, they only seem to eat slender salamanders. They like it cool and moist, and do not get very big at all. I have tried treefrogs, worms, fish- you name it- and only had success with slender salamanders. Slugs are nasty to work with too.
If you know that you can find a steady, nearly year round supply of slender salamanders B. attenuatus - California Slender Salamander (http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/b.attenuatus.html), then you might attempt it, but otherwise I would advise taking some nice pictures of it and releasing it. It probably is brumating, although they can be active in far cooler temps than other snakes.
I have kept a large variety of west coast native snakes, and they have been one the the toughtest for me. I do not currently keep them, or plan to.
Heres one I used to have
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/sharp_tailed_snake.jpg
Hope this helps.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

yes it does thank you very much

[Cazador]

What a pretty snake. I'd consider myself lucky and take the pictures, perhaps even brumate it in safety, but come spring, I'd let it go unless you know how to care for them. Just my opinion.

Rick

[Snaky]

I think the same as Rick. If it's quite difficult to care for and you don't have any experience with it, you can hibernate it till spring, but I would let it go after that...

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

ya i might as well do that i have plenty of room in my fridge

[anji1971]

Too bad they're such a pain to keep, it really is a beautiful little snake!

[adamanteus]

I can't see why you would want to brumate it in your fridge... surely it would be better to just replace it where you found it and let it take care of it's own brumation.

[Cazador]

I'm certainly not arguing that people should brumate every wild snake they find in their fridge and then release them. Most of the time, I argue against releasing captive snakes, but in my opinion brumation creates extenuating circumstances. Since their metabolism is slow, they're less likely to acquire diseases or suffer from marginal husbandry practices. They're also protected from predators, like cats and raccoons while they're at their most vulnerable. By keeping the snake during brumation (when it needs minimal attention), it might inspire admiration, research, and more learning about how to properly care for the species when it awakens. If not, it can be released where it was found without harm.

Of course, there are counter-arguments, including potentially introducing mites into the fridge or not knowing about some unusual requirement this species needs during the winter, but this would be a compromise between immediate release and keeping it indefinitely.

Rick

[adamanteus]

I wasn't intending to be argumentative, but if you collect a snake which is already brumating, and stick it in your fridge with a view to releasing it when it comes out of brumation, you will have very little opportunity for observation or research. I really can't see the point. It just seems like unnecessary disturbance to me. If you intend to keep the snake I guess this would be a convenient time to collect it, but I can't see the logic in collecting a torpid specimen if your intention is to release it when it's activity levels return to normal. Surely better just to leave it alone?

[Cazador]

Sound logic indeed, James, and you bring up good counterpoints. As for observation, all you'd get to do is have a peek at a lethargic (but beautiful) snake once in a while. I suppose if that would motivate someone to learn more about it, then keeping it might be worthwhile. If not, it's definitely worth releasing right away. Best,

Rick

[RZL36]

I would be reticent to take a snake that was in the middle of brumation.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i didnt realize he was brumating until i took him back to the house and realized he wasnt really moving and he was cold

[adamanteus]

Reed, we weren't 'having a go at you'. I realize what your thinking was. If your local temperatures aren't dangerously low, I would simply release the snake exactly where you found it. Failing that, you may be obliged to artificially brumate it at home.

[Loren]

Reed, I dont have a problem with what you did either- its really tough not to keep things sometimes. I would personally advise though, to enjoy him for a day or 2, get good pics and then release him right where you found it or into a very similar habitat. Try not to expose him to anything "exotic" like anything used with animals from outside your natural range, or anything used with any other animals, for that matter. Try to put him where he can find a good hiding spot- they love rotting logs. Technically, we are not supposed to release captives, but if he's only been in your possesion for a few days, and hasnt been exposed to anything that could cause him to bring non-native disease into the wild, I would go for it.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

ok ill release him onto my hill where i found him, i have to giant log piles that i spread out close to each other but not on top of each other, i hav found many herps there thats where i found him