newly acquired DeKay

[Eileen]

Hi
I have had a juevenile DeKay (brown) snake for about 6 weeks. I think she is female, as her head is almost the same size (diameter) as her body. She has been eating well, and has shed once. I've never burmated a snake before, so am hoping to keep her going through the winter. So far she has only eaten slugs (their main diet) and I have heard that wild slugs can contain nematodes. Should I be concerned? Also, I have frozen some slugs for a winter supply hoping she will take them. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Eileen

[katach]

Welcome to the forum family! I'm not familiar with dekay, but there are several knowledge people on this wonderful forum! I would love to see some pictures of your little one.

[guidofatherof5]

Have you tried earthworms or night crawlers yet?
You might try to get your snake switched to them as keeping a Winter supply of slugs might be difficult.
I've never heard of freezing slugs but I guess it could work.
Have you thawed any of them out yet?
You might want to see how the process works as freezing and then thawing worms yields a pile of goo.
Be sure to visit the "Welcome Lounge" and introduce yourself to the forum.
This way we can give you a proper welcome.
Looking forward to seeing some pics. of your little brown.
Welcome Lounge - Garter Snake Forum
Here's is a link to the care sheet also.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets

[RedSidedSPR]

Welcome to the forum!

Those snakes rock. I don't know of any slug problems, but if you want you can get her to eat nightcrawlers and pinkies. Scent them with worms, or chop one of the two up with the slugs in a dish.

[infernalis]

Greetings and welcome...

I have kept Dekayi awake and active all winter on just earthworms.

One bigger girl I had forever would even take pinkies.

[Eileen]

Hi
I'm new at forums, so I hope I'm doing this right! Thanks for all the great tips, I did go to the welcome forum. I have thawed a slug out today that I froze yesterday and it seems to hold it's shape okay. That could change the longer they are froze. I won't be able to test it out yet, as Bev has shed recently and doesn't seem as hungry this week. She doesn't seem interested in worms, slugs seem to be her favourite. The man at our local pet store gave me some very small feeder fish, size was okay, but Bev had no interest. Thats when I came up with the crazy idea to freeze slugs. Time will tell. I going to try to post some pictures. I have added a small heating pad to the bottom corner of her house, as well as a branch that she loves to climb. I have fluffy critter substrate that she seems to like to burrow in. I may try fine aspen shavings in the future.

[katach]

She is very pretty! Does she have a hide? I didn't see one in the pictures.

[Eileen]

Hi
yes, I found a nice piece of bark that I have added. I also have bought her a new water dish that looks like a rock. I am actually quite impressed by her curiosity, as she spends alot of time exploring and peeking out of her substrate. I will take a new picture when I get home today, as those were taken when I first got her.

[Mommy2many]

Hi Eileen! I also have a Dekayi and create a slug colony for the winter. You can PM me for instructions. The "Frozen Slug" idea, I am sorry to say, will produce slug mush. If they are in the fridge, they should be ok but they need dirt and leaves, as well as lettuce (they love lettuce). You also need to open the container every day or so for fresh air. I had just collected a bunch of them last week and neglected to put soil into the container. I had leaves and spinach and lettuce. I pulled them out on Friday to discover that they all perished. Eeewwwy goooeeeyy I had to go and collect some more today and try again. I think they need the dirt to move into when they get cold. The leaves were not enough to protect them.

Good luck with the little guy/girl!

[Eileen]

Thanks Le Ann for the great tips for slugs. I have started a colony already, but just want to make sure I have a backup plan. I have a mid size cooler with a mesh lid on it . I filled it part full of a sand/loam mix. They seem to be doing okay, but I'm not sure if they are multiplying. I have been feeding them lettuce, you're right, they love it. I also lightly mist them daily to keep them damp. My biggest problem is that the side of the container gets quite dirty from their waste, but I don't want to totally clean it out in case I disturb eggs they made have produced in the dirt. I may have slugs all winter, I tend to over worry. I have attached a new picture to show the bark I put in for Bev to hide under. She seems to like it a lot.