Tom's Snake Enclosure

[Didymus20X6]

Thanks! ^_^ Both of these guys are wild-caught, and I came this><close to having a third this afternoon.

I have only tried fish once with these guys, and they didn't care for them. I do leave a small bowl of nightcrawlers out for them every night, just in case they want a snack, but I have yet to see any of them eaten. My guess is they're still adjusting to captivity. Considering that I caught both of these guys while they were nosing around a bucket of nightcrawlers I had out in the back yard, I'm figuring this is their food of choice.

Finding feeder animals is nigh impossible in this town. The closest pet shop is over an hour's drive away. Wal-Mart sells feeder goldfish, but I've heard that's not a good thing to feed garters. I'll stick with nightcrawlers until I'm certain they are eating, then I'll try other foods, like fish or pinkies.

[jamromhem]

goldfish aren't bad in and of themselves, but I would avoid making them a regular diet. Also in rural areas there tend to be bait shops with minnows. Same case there.. a few feedings on occasion with them are good, but not a staple diet.

These might be a good way to get them started though.

[Didymus20X6]

Okay, I redid my snakes' enclosure. I put a layer of ground clay kitty litter in the bottom, mixed with the baked mulch I had in there previously. I also put in a large shallow plastic pan of water.

And get this: yesterday, I put a few minnows from the bait shop in the water, just to see how the snakes would react. And just a moment ago, I caught the green one "gone fishin'!" I would have got a pic, but I didn't want to disturb her dinner - this is the first evidence I've seen that she's eaten anything I've put in there so far! I'm sure she ate at least one (I could see the bulge in her belly after swallowing it), and she looked to be going back for seconds. Again, I really didn't want to disturb her since this is the first time I've seen any evidence of her eating at all.

[jamromhem]

you have to watch them sometimes too depending on the size of the fish. :P my checkered ate 4 fish at once at one point. While I don't think it was too much for her because of the size of the fish I would be cautious in-case they decide their mouth is bigger than their stomach on that subject.

Bait shops are a good spot to get temporary food for the snakes.

Earthworms and minnows are a decent diet. I wouldn't have the minnows be too much of their diet over all, a couple here and there with some earthworms in between.

(people correct me if I am wrong)

The minnows are good because they have bones, if there isn't a place to buy pinkies near by then the minnows will be able to supplement the calcium that the worms lack.

The earthworms will be able to make up for the fact that the minnows could be potentially dangerous if made the main staple of their diet for very long periods of time. That also depends on what exact type of "minnow" they are selling as well. It can be hard to know what exact fish they are selling as minnows. Often they aren't really minnows.

[mtolypetsupply]

Hi there! I LOVE That Trogdor the Burninator thing, btw.

I never used the cat litter, but I'd stay away from that. I'd be concerned that it would cause impactions if swallowed during feeding. Try fir bark, or any of the commercial preparations for reptile bedding.

Good luck with the new babies, and keep a sharp eye out for Trogdor!

[Didymus20X6]

I appreciate the advice! Thanks!

Unfortunately, I've had no end of trouble finding good supplies around here. About the only good place to find supplies is Wal-Mart, and the stuff they had was pretty limited. I was hoping for more of a natural soil substrate, or maybe peat moss, but all Wal-Mart has was "enriched" stuff (meaning it was either full of dangerous chemicals, or full of animal crap). The kitty litter stuff (which is essentially just ground clay) was about the closest thing to natural soil I could find. The next time I'm in Greenville, I might check with Lowes to see what they have that might be better, but for now, I'll have to settle for what I can get.

But I'm not using the kitty litter by itself. I topped it off with a layer of baked leaf and grass mulch, and that's mostly what the snakes are in contact with.

AND THE TROGDOR COMES IN THE NIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHT!!

[Didymus20X6]

I put a lot of time and energy into making those Thatch Roof Cottages. And where do the snakes spend most of their time? In the bamboo tubes I put in there! They seem to love those for some reason. Maybe because they're a tighter, more secure-feeling place for them.

Here's one poking her little head out of one:



Actually, that's kind of convenient for me. If I need to adjust the enclosure - fix the lid, change the water, clean up poop, etc. - I can just take the bamboo out and put it in another container. No having to chase them around the enclosure and try to catch them.

[Didymus20X6]

Gone Fishin'!

[Didymus20X6]

In the peasant land of Peasantry...

[Didymus20X6]

On Steve's advice, I decided to put my small snakey in an empty tub with a few minnows. Got a few decent shots of him eating, too!





He gulped down three good ones. That last one he didn't even fight; he just swallowed that baby right on down. Right now, he's napping in his favorite bamboo tube.