My Story: Storeria dekayi

[infernalis]

Why are you using cactus soil and an aloe plant? Consider replicating the habitat where you found it. Skip the copper, you don't want to add a potential risk factor. Copper is toxic to any animal if in high enough concentrations. This could simply be from eating a tonne of slugs that kissed the pennies before turning around. The food chain has a habit of magnifying toxins; think of DDT in rapters.

Brumation isn't necessary and can poke holes in imperfect husbandry. What may work for summer foraging behavior in a healthy snake may not suffice in a snake going through the rigors of winter - the season that kills animals of all sorts. Unless breeding is the goal, stick with normal summer perimeters.

For food, offer what you find in your back yard. Then create breeding colonies to become self reliant during droughts, winter, pet store shortages etc. Both worms and slugs are super easy to culture.

I'm no expert on Storeria but I hope this advice proves useful.

Ian

I don't think I could have said it better.. in my past experience, Storeria snake will share a tank well, since they are about the calmest mannered snake ever.

[Herp Derp]

It could just be body expansion were the lungs and stomach are at. Gravid dekayis get a whitish look/scales where they have scale spread.

my eyesight must be getting worse, at first it looked like the white was just colouring/patterns on the scales, dekays are just so tiny. I shone a light and found out the white isnt part of the scales

[Herp Derp]

I find her skittish, but once she settles down when I pick her up she stays in my hand for about an hr. It's like when my cats used to sleep on me, I'd rarely move so I wouldn't wake them.

[slipknot711]

Ok so I called out of work today cuz I felt like it and well I woke up to my brownie having babies... very unexpected. Only two so far... since it wasn't expected she moved over I put babies and momma in a container in case she had more. They already shed. Pics soon!

[guidofatherof5]

That is awesome, mom. That first shed is very different then the rest they will have in their lives. That first shed material is very thin, almost ash like. I've read in a few books where that first shed is called a slough.

[slipknot711]

ive seen the slough coming off, very exciting. was not expecting this today. IMG_2345.jpgIMG_2395.jpgIMG_2393.jpgIMG_2374.jpgIMG_2368.jpg

[slipknot711]

IMG_2356.jpgIMG_2369.jpgIMG_2379.jpg

[Herp Derp]

O- my- G -O - ESS -H. congrats. Those are adorable, thank you for posting the pics... so you have to put them on wet paper towels? The babies look a lot bigger than I was expecting. Let me know their progress and definitely their first bites to eat.

[slipknot711]

Herp sorry I posted these here i hope you dont mind. but this seems to have become the dekay spot

[Herp Derp]

Oh I don't mind I love the pics. I'm so excited for you lol