Picture of my new member

[Aundrea]

Hi Everyone, I can post pics now.. WOOO HOOO. so heres a pic of the snake. I will take some better ones later today. Her cage got cleaned out earler and now shes happy as can be. I need to feed her. I keep calling her a her lol. Ill take some pics of her tail and if anyone can sex her that would be great. :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0540.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Nice Storeria. :)

[Garter_Gertie]

Is that a Dekay's, Stefan?

She looks quite comfy, Aundrea. So nice you came over from the dark side and fell in love with snakes. Same thing happened to me. But I'm still afraid of like corn, kings, "hot" snakes, stuff like that.

NICE water dish/swimming pool!

[infernalis]

I was waiting on the picture:D

I gathered by the desciption it may have been a Dekayi Brown snake.

Feed it some small worms and garden slugs, they LOVE garden slugs.

And they shuck snails from the shell very well also.

Enjoy, they are great little snakes.............:D

http://www.reformedsniper.net/mrblue/xener.jpg

[Garter_Gertie]

He-he! So I did ID it from sight correctly! YEE-HA!

Dekay, you're gettin' me to want a Dekay. I really like their brown eyes and sweet 'smiles.'

[Aundrea]

Thanks everyone. Very sweet snake. Has not shown any anger towards us lol. So is it a brown snake and not a garter?

[infernalis]

Correct it is not a Garter. Have you seen it eat for you?

The brown snakes make excellent pets as long as they will eat for you.

Brown snakes will not eat fish, nor pinkies.

They live exclusivly on slugs/snails/worms

[Aundrea]

Ohhhhhhhh ok. Awww can i still be in this group since I dont have a garter? LOL. Yes she has ate for me before. In fact she just ate a nice size worm. Thanks for tell me thats all they eat and slugs. I was thinking to go buy her some feeder fish. Shes been great. Great eater and is very sweet being held. She dont move alot being held and trying to get away. She just wraps around your finger or hand and is comfy. I used to be so scared of snakes but now they are great. How big will this snake get?

[Aundrea]

btw dekaybrown is that a pic of your snake?

[Garter_Gertie]

Never mind, Dekay. No want a Dekay brown! I like the easy, lazy snakes! :D

[infernalis]

That is an adult you have. They never get very big at all.

And yes we keep several and have raised 2 litters of babies, expecting another litter any day.

Here is the pregnant mom:D

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DK/diana.jpg

we have 4 adults, 4 sub adults and the expected litter.:D

[Garter_Gertie]

Okay. Worth the bother. Hey! Ittiz a woman's perrogative to change her mind!

Dekay, will they eat meal worms in the winter when you can't get Wal-Mart Canadian Nightcrawlers?

Gosh their head plates look garterish.

[infernalis]

I got worms from wal mart all winter no problems.

They ignore meal worms, it's a scent thing..

I was told that they are cousin to the garter snake.

It would make sense, look at the back stripes, the spotted pattern.

[Garter_Gertie]

I don't think we can get worms all year here. I'll check. Boy, if I can that's gonna make things SO MUCH better for Winnie and P&J. Not to mention any subadult Dekay I could cabbage on to...

[Aundrea]

OMG What a pretty gal you have there!!! When she gives birth make sure you post pics I wanna see!!!!!! So mine is an adult? WOW I thought it was a baby LOL. Funny thing was I was telling someone I wish she/he would stay that size :D Do they eat red wigglers? I have been finding worms here in the yard and I know I can find some slugs also. So what else care do they need?

Garter_Gertie I love your snakes name. So cute!!! :D

[infernalis]

They ignore red wigglers, they know that they are bad and will let them dry up in the tank, so keep the red wigglers out.

When I give store worms, I cut them in half with scissors, so the snake has a smaller bit to swallow, and the worm dies quicker that way.

I'll get some information together for you, they are quite easy to care for, and very mild mannered.:D

[Garter_Gertie]

Copy me on the info, would you Dekay? I'd appreciate it! THANKS!

[drache]

if you have them brumate in winter, you don't have to worry about your worm supply

[Aundrea]

Ohh ok so no red wigglers for them. I for sure would need to know how to get a large stock of earthworms so I can have them for her for the winter. What does brumate mean? lol I cant believe how small they are. Its a perfect size. :D Thanks for getting me the info DekayBrown

[Snake lover 3-25]

it's like a snakes form of hibernation....:D

[Garter_Gertie]

Maybe I've not mentioned before - thought I have - I don't breed and brumate like the rest of you diehards. This is based on what we do at the park. We/I let the length of days dictate to the snakes and allow them to slow down. But brumate, in the strictest sense of the word, nope. Don't do, not gonna do. We gradually taper off feeding as the snake(s) dictate and allow three, or four weeks before offering food again. But over all continue to offer food in increasingly longer periods until it's about once a month, once every 1.5 months. And then begin picking up - decrease the length of times between feedings - in Feb, March, April. Depending upon the wants of the snake. Neither I or the park have the means to lower temperatures to a set 65 or so and keep it there. We've a wood fire stove at the park we use to have the furnace run less often, and my place is so old all the hot air from below comes up here and to stay comfortable I keep windows open all year 'round. Even with it's like 20 or even zero.

So we do the best we can and let the snakes dictate to us.

[infernalis]

MK - Those snakes ate every other day or so last winter.

They may get ornery on you if they don't have supper:D

[Garter_Gertie]

Well, you can't prove it by the way Jeepers eats now! Again today Peepers pigged out with a night crawler and the last of the rasboras. And again Jeepers refused to eat.

I e-mailed the DMJ or whatever worm company that distributes to Wal-Mart and am awaiting an answer from them as to whether or not I'll be able to get night crawlers this winter. Not really too worried about P&J and Winnie since I can get guppies or rasboras or something like that, but if I get a Dekays... Well, *I* am NOT gonna be breeding slugs. NO SIR!

[Aundrea]

breed slugs LOL. I would not do that either. I just need to know how to breed earthworms so I can have some for Bennie for the winter. She seems happy now. Shes under a log curled up. She looks cute and happy and full lol. She ate a nice worm earler. :D

[infernalis]

The reason Gertie said that was I bred slugs last winter:D

[Aundrea]

Ohhhhh ok lol. :D

[anji1971]

Slugs are actually quite easy to breed. As long as they have a constant food supply and lots of moisture, they seem to grow in numbers rapidly. I did it for my Dekay's and by the spring I had to dump a whole pile out into the garden.
I would think breeding worms is much trickier.

[infernalis]

I have friends who run a fancy restaurant with a salad bar.

Access to unlimited greens, lettuce and so forth to feed the slugs proved helpful.:D

[Aundrea]

What would be easier to breed? Probably Dekays would need both to feed on eh?

[bio6464]

Aundrea...first of all welcome, nice to have you on board. I have 2 Dekayis and I feed them only worms. They love leaf worms and mine will gladly take red wigglers, even though some won't. Nightcrawlers can be too big...you may have to cut them up for these little guys. I put a couple of slugs in last week and my big brave snakes hid until I removed them. :rolleyes: And before anyone asks they were small garden slugs, not big scary orange/yellow ones. They seem to prefer leaf worms over anything else, and the local bait store sells them for $3 for 30 of 'em. :eek:
Jerry

[Aundrea]

Hi Bio6464 Thanks for the welcome :D Nice to meet you also. You have 2 Dekays also eh? Cooool. Im really enjoying mine. Very friendly and does not try to get away when you hold her. I still cant believe they dont get very big at all. I have a Ornate box turtle and I feed her nightcrawlers so when I was gonna feed her I found a small nightcrawler so I thought to give it to the snake but she hid. She was scared. Poor thing so I took it out. Guess it was too big which i thought was small. So earthworms for her or slugs. So yours didnt like the slugs eh? Im gonna try and find one today and give it to her and see if she likes it. What are leaf worms? Ill have to find a bait shop around here. There was one down the street but it closed:mad: Ohh well. She eats for me everyday. Am I over feeding her? Let me know lol.

[infernalis]

Here is Athena gobbling down a HUGE slug. She was full for days on this one:D

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snake/slug.jpg

And for size comparison, here is mother and child, the baby is like 2-3 months old in the photo.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snake/xena1.jpg

The mother is Xena our #1 Dekayi snake. If I had to keep only one, she would be it:D

A small meal every day will not hurt a thing, ours often eat every day. I have a few garters that eat every day also.

[Aundrea]

OMG your snakes are just so cute!! That baby one is soooo cute. Man I think I want another one LOL. Im enjoying the one I have alot and would not mind having another one :D I cant believe that big slug yours is eating. That slug is bigger then her head :eek: I sure would be full for awhile :p I cant get over how tiny that little one is. Im gonna go outside and find a slug in a few. Ill take some more pics of her :D

[infernalis]

That slug went down easier than it looked, slugs will curl up into a ball when threatened. the snake unrolled the slug, and swallowed it like a big gooey worm.

When we had out first litter, it was a true captive breeding, we had a boy and a girl in the same tank, not knowing any better.

When they are born, they are so tiny, itsy bitsy:D

[Aundrea]

I bet they are just sooo tiny. I cant wait to see your litter thats due anyday eh? I for sure want to see pics!!! I love to watch Bennie eat. I think its so neat how she eats. Can you tell if they are a boy or girl by looking at the tail? If so ill take pics of Bennies tail and post it

[jitami]

Aundrea, Bennie is adorable! She looks so content in that picture. Looks like there's lots of support here for Dekays, too. I know it's been said a lot lately, but what a great group of people!

[Aundrea]

Thanks jitami :D She is a good snake. Shes been hiding all day today under her log. I check up on her and she flickers her tounge. Im really attached to her lol but need to find out if shes a SHE LOL. I am really really enjoying this site alot. :D

[infernalis]

Can you take a better picture, straight down onto the snake, so I can see the body??

The gals have "bigger hips" for child bearing, and much like garters, the women can be up to twice the size of the boys.

And if you caught it this spring, they have a way of telling you for sure if they are female

[Aundrea]

Ohh ok i can do that. Ill take a pic of her all stretched out. I know the boys found her last week around some water. Ohh what size should her tank be?

[drache]

Maybe I've not mentioned before - thought I have - I don't breed and brumate like the rest of you diehards. .
sorry
I don't put most of my snakes in brumation either, but if I had one that I'd have trouble providing food for during winter, I'd surely let them do the same thing they do when nature stops providing food
it seems sort of logical in a weird way
or I could choose not to keep that snake, rather than stressing all winter
other than that, I don't consider myself that much of a diehard - more of an addict actually

[bio6464]

Thought I'd post a couple of pics of my Dekays and my Easterns. First my Dekays.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/New_171.jpg
And my garters, hard to tell from this pic but the little one is about 18" and the big one is around 36"...they are inseparable, choosing to squeeze into this small box together. :rolleyes:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/New_167.jpg
Jerry

[infernalis]

OMG Jerry, your Dekayi snakes look like my Xena:D

That coppery reddish color is so cool:D

[Aundrea]

OMG what BEAUTYS!!!! That one is pretty big or is she/he full? LOL Your garters are sooo pretty and that pic of both of them in that box peeking out is just too cute. They look like they are smiling for the camera :D

[bio6464]

Wayne it's difficult to see in the pics, but the larger female is actually more brown...it always looks more copper in pics. The smaller one is REALLY copper.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/New_170.jpg

They are both beautiful, but the smaller one is a pain in the butt. It FREAKS every time I try to pick it up...poops AND musks like crazy, then calms down once held. It does this EVERY time I go near it. The big female is so mellow and just lays on my hand and wraps her tail around my finger. It's weird how different they are. I'm not sure if the smaller one is male, is territorial or is just plain NUTSO!!!!!! :eek:
Jerry

[bio6464]

Aundrea, thanks for the comments...they are great snakes, each of them have such unique personalities. Here's one more of my garters hanging out together. :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//616/medium/New_140.jpg

Jerry

[infernalis]

Now that you mention it Jerry, the females are almost always the mellow ones, and the males are spazoids!

We named our first male "Speedy" since he NEVER set still:D

The ladies will eat from my hand, the boys not so.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DK/dkslug.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DK/DKswallow.jpg

[Aundrea]

You guys are just killing me with these WONDERFUL pics LOL. Bio I love that 2nd garters pic. They look like they are buddies. sooo cute!! and your Dekays wow that one is a big girl. I think shes bigger then mine. Very very pretty!!! DekayBrown your Dekays are sooo pretty also and them pics of them are so neat. I like how that one is eating. I love to watch them eat. So hmmm im thinking I have a female because she is pretty mellow also and does not go all nuts and poop on me. I forsure will get more pics of her and her body.

[infernalis]

Bennie, bennie bennie and the jets..... bump, bump, data bumb....

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Elton-John-z04.jpg

[Aundrea]

:eek: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA That is too funny!!!!!! But you know I LOVE Elton John LOL. Ill have to call her BENNIE AND THE JETSSSSS LOL.. Oh speaking of her look how I found her LOL..

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0548.jpg

I know her tank is plain jane and im gonna get one of them neat backgrounds for the back but also what size tank would be good for her?

[KITKAT]

Buh buh buh bennie and the jetssss....

Looks like a San Fransisco garter to me!

:D

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Elton-John-z04.jpg

[infernalis]

A 10 gallon would work, but I'd say a 20 long would be superb.

In a few weeks, petco has the big aquarium sale, and 20 longs will be $20 instead of 50:D

I will be there, I want to get at least 3-4 20 longs and build a rack for them.

I will be feeding Xena later, I want to show you how she devours her food, perched in my hand.

If you follow the link at the bottom of my posts, there is hundreds of snakie pictures.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snake/silver.jpg

[Aundrea]

awwwwwwwwwww what a cute pic!!! I will for sure check your link out and see your snakies. I would LOVE to see Xena eat from your hand. That is so neat now she does that. I cant wait LOL. I have a 10 gal so I will set it up for her. Shes in a smaler tank so I will get that set up for her later. I will have to check and see if theres a petco close to me. I would LOVE to get a 20 gal tank for her. :D

[Aundrea]

I just fed Bennie. Boy I had to dig deep to get a nice size worm for her. I washed it up and gave it to her. I took some pics.. Boy she gobbled that thing up. I think I might need to go get her another one. I took a pic of her all stretched out so ill post those pics soon. I know her tank is small so im getting that 10 gal set up and ready for her. :D