Brown snake help?

[Haerodiel]

I joined because at first I thought what I had was a baby garter snake, but as I looked at pictures of garter snakes, I started thinking he wasn't one. I've never had a snake before, so I'm really nervous, cause I don't want anything to happen to him.

I've finally after much searching identified him as a brown snake, and not a baby; brown snakes are just small. They still are supposed to eat worms and some fish, but they are much to small to eat mice. I've done lots of research on garter snakes, but I'm not sure so much on the care and keeping of a brown snake, so if anyone has info or help I would be grateful.

I know they eat worms, snails and slugs, and they have special teeth to eat the slugs. I also found one site that said they don't like to be handled and may take a little longer than usual to start eating. Does anyone have any idea how long they will take to eat? I've had him for three days and he doesn't seem even remotely interested in worms. Also, what should I use for substrate? All I have currently are paper towels.

Well thanks for reading, and if you have any other tips for the care and keeping of a wild brown snake I'd love anything. Thanks! :)

[Zephyr]

I kept a brown snake over the summer for a few days. It took him/her about a week to eat. The good news to this is that I was on vacation when he was fed by mother, so after a period of acclimation it can't be too hard to feed them even if you're a total n00b.
Just make sure you keep his/her tank warm with tons of things to hide in/under. I used rotting vegetation to simulate the compost heap I found mine in. These aren't the kind of snake that likes to roam around *Like garters* although on a few of my herping expeditions I've found them crawling above ground just before dark and before storms.
If you're going to go the rotting route, maybe try finding a whole bunch of garden worms from a pesticide free local area, get some potting soil and dead oak leaves *these are high in nutrients* and set up a compost heap-like tank for your little dekay's. :P
Good luck!

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

Most snakes take a while to settle in try leaving him alone stress free for like 3-4 days then try feeding him,
Reed

[salzar]

hi ,
I have a brown snake and they are easy to keep.
they will not take big earth worms so cut them up in to 1/2 inch pieses, they adore slugs and mine will eat them over worms 2 to 1 .
mine loves to be handled and I do so like 7 times a day he is a very nice snake and really only likes me and trusts me, they shy easy so slow movement is important.
keep handling him he will get use to it , just do not over handle him, he may get to stressed out, mine took to eating right away, and is not a normal behaving snake.
he likes to eat from my hand and drinks from his bowl whilst I am holding him tottaly spoiled!!!!
i offer him water everytime I pick him up.
I use aspen chips but paper towles work well.
they do like to hide a lot but are day feeders so use coconut shells or u shaped bark I also use cut off long sleaves from a sweat shirt with peek holes cut in them, he loves that. there are shots of my cage and sal in the gallery look under salzar. hope you have good luck with him, they are fun!!
bye
michelle

[anji1971]

I also have a Dekay's snake, and like Michelle said, they are pretty easy to keep.:cool:
I use aspen at the moment, and Stitch is happy with that. They do like to hide a lot, so at least a couple good hides are essential. I have a little wooden "house" and a cardboard tube which he hides both inside of and underneath of. But every so often I'll find him climbing the vines and exploring around the higher areas of the tank.
I feed Stitch twice a week, a couple of slugs, and a few small worms, or pieces of nightcrawler. At first he would only come out to eat once a week, and would only take one small item. But over time he's become quite comfy and darts out to see me as soon as I come near the tank!! And he's got quite the appetite, too!!:eek:
As long as you are slow and pick him up gently, your brown snake should let you handle it. But be careful not to twitch or move suddenly, or he'll startle and go a bit spazzy!!
That's about all I can think of for now (you're probably sick of reading it anyway!) so welcome, and feel free to ask about anything else we may have missed here!:):)

[adamanteus]

Years ago I kept a couple of Dekays Snakes. I found them pretty easy to care for, but rather shy. Lovely little snakes, I bred them and struggled to rear the neonates on tiny (match head size) slugs.

[Zephyr]

Hmm... Maybe I should get me a pair of Dekay's... I saw some crimson neonates last fall, failed to catch them though. Maybe we could get some color varieites out of these guys. :P
What temps do you guys keep yours at? Do you have a temp gradient?

[adamanteus]

It's a long time ago... but I think I kept mine relatively cool.

[Sid]

I keep one or two off and on. I use aspen shaving. Keep in my reptile room which is 80 to 85 degrees in the day time and 75 degrees at night. No other heat is needed. I feed whole worms and slugs.

[anji1971]

I've never kept mine at anything other than normal house temp -- between 68 and 72F. I have a little tiny heating pad in one corner of the tank, but a lot of the time Stitch is in his little house on the opposite side. He uses the heat mainly right after eating.

[anji1971]

[quote=Zephyr;44356]Hmm... Maybe I should get me a pair of Dekay's... I saw some crimson neonates last fall, failed to catch them though. Maybe we could get some color varieites out of these guys. :P


They have a crimson variation??? That does sound cool!!:cool:
I live relatively close to your area, I wonder if there would be any around here?
Hmmm, think I have a new mission in field herping this season!!;)

[Zephyr]

[quote=Zephyr;44356]Hmm... Maybe I should get me a pair of Dekay's... I saw some crimson neonates last fall, failed to catch them though. Maybe we could get some color varieites out of these guys. :P


They have a crimson variation??? That does sound cool!!:cool:
I live relatively close to your area, I wonder if there would be any around here?
Hmmm, think I have a new mission in field herping this season!!;)
Yeah, I've seen TONS of different dekays in the fall. Brown, pink, a beautiful crimson, and yellow. However, they seem to disappear during the summer months and pop up in September to October.

[Odie]

Hi, Haerodiel, from Oregon :)

[drache]

Sean says that many of them will take the can o' snail stuff
lovely snakes

[Haerodiel]

Well guys, thanks a lot for replying, it helped. :) I currently have a large, thick shell for him to hide under, but I guess I'll add more, since they seem to like that. And thanks for the tips on feeding. Being my first time with a snake (or a n00b, as was said) I was very eager for him to eat, but I'm relieved to find that not eating for some time is ok at first. Thanks again!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Just a note, if it is a wild caught snake, it may not feed in captivity if i's already an adult. I have never been able to get a Dekay's snake to eat. They are very shy but the cute thing about them is, like red-bellied snakes, they don't bite, instead they curl up their upper lip into this funny looking little snarl! It's sooo cute....

[salzar]

my wc deyays ate like 4 days after i got him, and has never been hard to feed. he is a perfict eater except if he is going to shed, but thats still normal..
i would love to get one from texas there color is so cool. there are a lot of them in my front yard in the spring, last year alone we caught 7 or8 of them ... bye
michelle

[anji1971]

I've certainly had no problem getting Stitch to eat!! He was a little shy at first, but once he figured out that the little white dish meant food, he was right in there!!:D
I do find that he is easily distracted by movement nearby, sometimes he'll 'forget' about his dinner for a few minutes. Doesn't usually last long though.

[adamanteus]

All the Dekays I have had were wild caught (except for the ones I bred myself). I never had a problem feeding them.

[salzar]

some times sal will be watching the boys play in there room for a long time he comes out at dusk or in the mornings and will wander around his cage from hide to hide and then to the heating pad thingy under his tank, they are great because there is no cord in the tank for him to climb out with..
I would like to have another one , but I also would like a garter as well. soooo need another tank, and am going to be looking for one as soon as the weather gets better and there are some garage sales ,,
bye
michelle

[Squeaky10199]

i had two dekay's snakes and one was so small it looked smaller than an earth worm!! but after some time it died from eating issues. it couldnt ever eat a small piece of worm. it would take 30 minutes for him to finish one small piece. but every other time he would spit it out and leave it be. so i think it was form starvation. it was very sad. i felt bad but they dont get very big at all about 15 inches. right?

[anji1971]

I think 15 inches is the average. Stitch is a bit longer than that. It's more that they are so darned skinny overall that makes them look so small! And they have a really tiny head!

[Snake lover 3-25]

I've had lots of brown snakes, also called Brovn Dekay's snakes, they usually love worms and that was all that I fed mine... feed it often and keep it in a warm place with lots of hiding places. I love Brown Dekay's snakes, they are so cute and so tame. I catch wild ones all the time and have never gotten bit or even striked at by one. Good Luck!!!

P.S.

Try putting reptivite on it's food after it already has it in it's mouth... it keeps them healthy.

[salzar]

the femails are bigger and fatter, more agressive too.
caught one last year it thought it was a baby rattler , it was to funny seein it coiled up and tryin to strike me, should have kept that one, for her coloring was beautiful...
bye michelle

[Haerodiel]

Aidas hasn't eaten for a week and two days now. Should I be worried? He also seems different form the Dekays snakes you like talking about. I've never one seen him under his shell. He prefers to wrap around it and often is seen stretching up the sides of the tank; he's almost never out of sight.

Any advise for feeding? Does it matter any that he's different and doesn't like hiding? Please help. :confused:

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

maybe posting a picture to make sure you identified it correctly?, and the fact that he doesnt like hiding might actually feel comfortable, idk about the feeding though

[Tori]

I kept Dekays for a couple of years. I never had any trouble getting them to eat if they weren't newborn. They even got very friendly and crawled all over me at feeding time looking for the food. I would like to mention that the females are larger than the males and considering the time of year the one you found may be gravid. I stopped keeping Dekays because I could not get the babies to eat and had to release them. I wouldn't go through that again.

[Zephyr]

I kept Dekays for a couple of years. I never had any trouble getting them to eat if they weren't newborn. They even got very friendly and crawled all over me at feeding time looking for the food. I would like to mention that the females are larger than the males and considering the time of year the one you found may be gravid. I stopped keeping Dekays because I could not get the babies to eat and had to release them. I wouldn't go through that again.Hmm...
I think I may have a solution to the feeding dilemna.
Apparently, from my research, dekays also eat insects. So, maybe babies require small insects, such as crickets, roaches, or grubs, to eat.

[Haerodiel]

Well I'm possitive it's a Dekays; I searched for days to find a picture of him, and thought maybe he was a juvinile and looked different from an adult, but when I finally found one, I jumped up and down cause it couldn't possibly look more like my Aidas. But I'll try to get you a picture so you can see. :)

[Haerodiel]

Hmm...
I think I may have a solution to the feeding dilemna.
Apparently, from my research, dekays also eat insects. So, maybe babies require small insects, such as crickets, roaches, or grubs, to eat.

He's not quite a baby. He's over 7 in. long, so he not too far from being a full adult, from what I've read. I think he's somewhere between juvinle and adult.

[Zephyr]

He's not quite a baby. He's over 7 in. long, so he not too far from being a full adult, from what I've read. I think he's somewhere between juvinle and adult.I was speaking for baby dekays in general. :P
Maybe try crickets? Or grubs?

[Tori]

I tried pinheads, even they were too large for Dekay babies. Some did eat bloodworms (the live kind you can get to feed baby tropical fish). Couldn't find any grubs. I had to give up or watch them all die.

[Haerodiel]

I tried pinheads, even they were too large for Dekay babies. Some did eat bloodworms (the live kind you can get to feed baby tropical fish). Couldn't find any grubs. I had to give up or watch them all die.

Do they sell bloodworms at pet stores?

[Tori]

They do at the one I use, V.I.Pets in Holland, Michigan

[drache]

pretty much all the stores that carry a decent selection of tropical fish will carry them, or blackworms, which are tiny clumping aquatic worms
my ringneck snake ate those

[Haerodiel]

Well I went to the pet store, and I wasn't sure my snake would eat anything that didn't move, and neither did the lady at the store, so she suggested the small crickets. Their advantage over worms is that I can keep them in the cage with the snake for a good while without them dying.

So I've had one cricket in there for a couple days now, but it still remains uneaten. What's more, he hasn't moved from his position wrapped around the bottom of a twig in all that time.

Then just today I picked him up, and he looks kind of flakey. Just in a couple spots near his tail, and I don't know what shedding looks like, but it doesn't look like I think it would. It's only single scales here and there. Also, up by his head, he had this one part on his underside where the scales seem sticking quite out, and underneath doesn't look quite healthy.

As for eating, it there anything that might affect it? Temperature? Cage size? Amount of water? As for the scales, I was fairly sure I had a healthy snake; I checked him over and not a scale looked out of place, and he was plenty lively. I'll try to get pictures soon (I'm pretty positive he's a Dekays snake) but anyone have any help?

[Snake lover 3-25]

i would place him in a small bowl of warm water he may be thirsty and it could help with his scales... thy feeding him cricket parts or tiny worms how big is your cage too big and it could scare him they like to feel safe... good luck!

[Snake lover 3-25]

what temp is your cage at? that could also affect his diet, and he might be trying to bermutate which would cause his lack in eating

[Snake lover 3-25]

Oh right also check the humidity levels, my snake refused to eat so i stole my brother's humidifier and roes the humidity in my room from low 30's to high 50's and she magically started eating... Best of luck :)

[Haerodiel]

i would place him in a small bowl of warm water he may be thirsty and it could help with his scales... thy feeding him cricket parts or tiny worms how big is your cage too big and it could scare him they like to feel safe... good luck!
I was wondering actually if my cage was too small. It's a fish tank for about 2 fish i would think; approx. 8.5in x 4in and 5.5in tall. Causes problems with trying to get water in there; I have water, just not enough to fit his entire body in.


what temp is your cage at? that could also affect his diet, and he might be trying to bermutate which would cause his lack in eating
If he is trying to brumate, what temp should it be at? I'll have to scour the house for a good thermometer...


Oh right also check the humidity levels, my snake refused to eat so i stole my brother's humidifier and roes the humidity in my room from low 30's to high 50's and she magically started eating... Best of luck :)
No humidifier, I wonder if I could find some other way to raise humidity...

[Snake lover 3-25]

if you try and brumate him then don't worry about humidity just lower the temp down in steps between high 40's and low 50's and i'd give him a little extra substrate also make it increasingly darker you could start by putting him under a bed then in the bathroom then in the basement or maybee the garage but the cage shouldn't bee to small how long is the snake?? :)

[Haerodiel]

Well, he doesn't like to cooperate when I try to measure him, but he's between 7 and 8 inches.

[Snake lover 3-25]

okay than that cage is just fine i'd try to bermutate him :)

[adamanteus]

No. That cage is way too small. The flakiness is most likely caused by low relative humidity... you need to get a decent water bowl in there. Dekays Snakes are more likely to accept small slugs and worms, rather than crickets.

[Snake lover 3-25]

oh sorry... i always thaught that the rule was that a cage had to be at least one body length in length and half in depth... sorry :(

[adamanteus]

i always thaught that the rule was that a cage had to be at least one body length in length

Indeed, but a viv only eight inches in length is just too small to provide a thermal gradient, adequate water vessel etc. Only when an enclosure is big enough to 'control' can other factors be considered.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

ooooo that makes sense! thanks for the correction! :)

[Haerodiel]

Well the next biggest thing I have is a ten gallon tank. Is that ok? My mom said I can't use it, but I'm sure that with enough pestering she'd let me.

[Snake lover 3-25]

maybee?? i'm not sure you'll need to ask someone more expierienced than me... i'd say yes...

[Haerodiel]

And, how long should brumating go on? I mean, winter's pretty much over here in Georgia, and days are getting warm. Currently I have him at room temperature in my room and have a adjustable light, currently rather dim, though bright enough that reading is easy, (my room has no windows) and I can later move him into a room that is cool and dark, but I'm wondering how long I need to do this if winter is pretty much done.

[adamanteus]

In my view it's a little late in the year to be considering starting brumation, especially where you live.

[Haerodiel]

Ya, I was kinda thinking that. But he often sits in the same position for days at a time. What does that mean?

[infernalis]

All the Dekays I have had were wild caught (except for the ones I bred myself). I never had a problem feeding them.


Dekayi snakes roam the UK James?

[adamanteus]

Dekayi snakes roam the UK James?

I wish! No, they were wild caught imports, bought in a crappy pet shop.

[infernalis]

On the subject of Dekayi's.......

Just found about 2 dozen slugs in the yard, in December:D

The babies are gonna be happy for a minute or two.

[reptile3]

On the subject of Dekayi's.......

Just found about 2 dozen slugs in the yard, in December:D

The babies are gonna be happy for a minute or two.


I am sooooooooooooo jealous!!!!!!!!

[Mommy2many]

My 4 year old just found one on Thursday. I, too thought it was a garter, they are so similar but it didn't have the right color. It also appeared to be a baby but must be and adult.

I have been trying to feed it worms but now I see maybe slugs would be preferred and I have plenty of those outside!!!

It does spaz out when startled but seems to be handled quite well. Thanks for all the info! It really is a pretty snake.

Also, can I keep it in the same vivarium with my garters?

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds like my little Dekayi when I first got it. Refused worms and ate slugs only. I've been putting a few small earthworms in with its slugs at feeding time(I feed it in a small ziplock container) and it's now taking worms and slugs. I don't think housing it with like size garters should be a problems. The one I have lives with a group of babies and seem to be doing fine. Under the hide, it's right with the group. The only thing I do different is the feeding container. I'm hoping to get it to hand feed soon. Good luck. They are a great little snake.

[Mommy2many]

Thanks! I'll keep working on it. Also, my little garter ate some more guppies today! I'm really happy about that!:)

[TwizzlerGal1]

Hello, I have a brown snake named Peeps! At first I thought it was a male (because that's what one of my friends said) but then it had 7 babies! So then I knew that it had to be a female. I keep them in a 10-gallon tank. The substrate I use in my tank is woodchips (a special version made for reptiles, I think it's called "Repti Bark"). She seems to like it a lot. But the babies are burrowing in it, which makes it really hard to find them when I take them out to feed them. She eats earthworms and slugs. Actually she LOVES slugs. She can eat them all the time. Well, I guess that's about it. I hope you guys have fun with your brown snakes! They're really fun to play with and very good swimmers!
Bye bye!



:) ~ TwizzlerGal1 ~ :)

[infernalis]

Also, can I keep it in the same vivarium with my garters?

Don't know about that:cool::p

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/reptile3/reptile3-3/DSC02619-1.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/snakies/pcincexena.jpg

http://www.thamfriends.com/pic/duo2.jpg

[kibakiba]

The last one looks like hes making a :p face. So cute.

[RedSidedSPR]

I had no idea that worked... do you have to keep it same sex? They wouldn't breed would they?

[d_virginiana]

idk, but I doubt they would. They share territory with several garter species in the wild, so if they could interbreed I imagine there would already be the occasional hybrid wandering around in the wild... I wonder if there are now? :p

[RedSidedSPR]

Lol. Heck, a lot of the garters now are probably from some garter-garter hybrid. something like that. Ya know? Like, a red sided bred with something and the fitchi was born :D:D Whatevr, still, I doubt it "started out" with this many species.

[Mommy2many]

My brown snake has resided quite comfortably with all the boy garters now for the past 2 years, since I first posted on this thread.

[GaiusIuliusTabernarius]

I'm curious, exactly what is the ideal level of humidity for a dekayi? Since I set up my encloser for garters I want to make sure the two have similar housing needs. Tiamat seems comfortable under the substrait but it is a lot less moist than the soil and underbrush in my yard, especially in the morning. Though she does have a full water dish.