Micro babies

[Sid]

Well, while doing viv maintenance today, I got a big suprise. Four little microscopic baby Red-bellies! The color does not show at all on this photo, they are a neat reddish brown.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//589/baby_red-bellie-1.JPG

[Snake lover 3-25]

OMG wow those are tiny!!!!! how long??? and more importantly what the heck are you going to feed them!!!!:eek:

[jitami]

Wow.... itty bitty babies! Good luck with them Sid!

[Sid]

I can get plent of baby slugs in my back yard. As soon as they are eating I have a spot where I find these to release them.

[ssssnakeluvr]

wow!!!! cool little babies!

[Snake lover 3-25]

good thing you have your sources!!!! good luck!!!:D:D

[anji1971]

Oh my God, are they ever tiny!!:eek:
I just had to call my husband and kids to come see that picture.
I'd be afraid to even attempt to pick up one of those itty-bitties...........I'd worry about smooshing it!!

[Garter_Gertie]

Jeez, Sid! What tiny babies! You really think you can get them to eat? What, fly motes? Holy Crow, but they're little!

By the way, CONGRATULATIONS on the birth. You've got your work cut out for you!

P.S. More pics and pics of when/where you let them loose. I've never heard of ANYONE keping red bellies and/or getting them to live in captivity! GOOD LUCK! You go, boyfriend! PICS, PICS, PICS!

[count dewclaw]

Those are so tiny! I, too, would be worried about squashing them.

[Stefan-A]

Congratulations! :)

[garterchick]

congrats on the tiny cuties. what are red bellies?

[Stefan-A]

congrats on the tiny cuties. what are red bellies?
Storeria occipitomaculata

[drache]

congrats, Sid
I'm so happy you know how to take care of them
most of our nightcrawlers are bigger than that little guy
it's a good thing it's baby slug season

[Snaky]

Those are indeed very tiny. Congrats with them, hopefully you can raise them :).

[infernalis]

YAY Sid!!! That is a small litter, maybe her fist, my red belly had 28 of those last year.

Congradulations..... I see you stirred up some questions so I'll toss a couple photos on here.

This is why we call them red bellies.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snakes/red.jpg

these are half a year old, the blue glass seashell behind them is the size of a silver dollar.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/SN/red.jpg

here they are eating, the slugs and worms are all tiny little ones.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/SN/redfeeding.jpg

and here is one who should try out for the next super hero snaky

http://www.reformedsniper.net/SN/SM.jpg

Red belly snakes are close relatives to dekay brown snakes.

there fancy names are..Storeria occipitomaculata red belly and Storeria dekayi

Sid - we use the long wooden stick from medical q-tips, I cut the end with wire cutters to a sharp angle, then you have a long toothpick, it aids greatly with those tiny "booger" size slugs for scraping them off the leaves, or the bottom of the rock.

Babies will pluck the slug right off the tip of the stick:D

[reptileparadise]

That is soooooooooooooooooo cool!
Congratulations!

[Sid]

Thanks to all of you for your comments. Here's a little better photo:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//589/Red_babies.JPG

and one of their 8" long mommy:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//589/mommy_back.JPG

[Zephyr]

Aww! So cute! Makes me a little more anxious for my dekay's. :P

[Garter_Gertie]

Bless my stars and garters, Sid! I've never seen such a wee wee snake! They are so darling! We've them up here and I've turned over many logs looking for a red belly because I want to see one so badly. I'll be danged if I can find one!

Are you going to keep them? What do they eat when adults?

I'm looking at your picture and then comparing to my hand. YIKES! What? You could put the two of those on a quarter? What wonderful animals!

[jitami]

Oh my goooodnessss :)

[Garter_Gertie]

I missed the mom pic originally! What a precious snake!

Dave says, in his presentation, they're hard to keep. Are they? I just LOVE their small size and that 'gartery' face! You could keep quite a few happy in a 20 gal L!

[Sid]

Bless my stars and garters, Sid! I've never seen such a wee wee snake! They are so darling! We've them up here and I've turned over many logs looking for a red belly because I want to see one so badly. I'll be danged if I can find one!

Are you going to keep them? What do they eat when adults?

I'm looking at your picture and then comparing to my hand. YIKES! What? You could put the two of those on a quarter? What wonderful animals!
Gertie, they aren't that easy to find, nocturnal and stay mainly under logs. I have even found them inside decayed logs.

I'm only keeping them long enough to insure they eat and the main diet is worms and slugs with the latter being prefered.

[Garter_Gertie]

Thanks, Sid.

I need to go camping and go skulking in the middle of the night with a flashlight!

[Zephyr]

I'm pretty sure they'd be easy to keep inside a modified compost bin.

[Garter_Gertie]

One of the Prairie Care Species Stewards in Dave's Prairie Care Program (BORING!! History, culture and anjamuls is the way to go! :D) has a fox snake lay eggs in his compost pile every year.

[infernalis]

I'm pretty sure they'd be easy to keep inside a modified compost bin.

Kyle, They are hard to keep. We lost more than I care to admit, and will never disturb them again.

They are cute, but even my momma red belly was MISERABLE in captivity, I couldn't take it any longer and we released her where we found her.

In contrast, you could keep a dekay in a "critter keeper" and it will thrive.

[zooplan]

OMG wow those are tiny!!!!! how long??? and more importantly what the heck are you going to feed them!!!!:eek:
That was my first thought as well:)

[Lori P]

Amazing, Sid!!!