Found these two cuties on Sunday (Storeria dekayi?)

[Jenjen79]

Hello everyone, I was out on a walk in my local forest preserve (Chicago) and I picked up these two cuties! I have done my research and am guessing they are dekays? We have not named them yet, as we do not know for sure if we are keeping or returning them.

I could really use a little help with guessing sex, I also have a couple concerns about the appearance of one of them.

Snake #1 is looking a little beat up to me. I'm curious if I should be concerned. You will notice he/she has a little kink at the end of its tail, and the scales on the belly seem to look a little roughed up. There is also a long line (like a dent) running up/down its entire body. Otherwise it seems healthy and moves around just fine.

Snake #2 is perfect looking just had a perfect shed last night! I have no concerns about this one besides trying to determine sex.

I have offered them worms and slugs, but nobody has eaten yet.

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Snake 1
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Snake 2
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[Jenjen79]

Here is a better view of snake 2 20150914_214719.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Storeria dekayi- Brown snake. Not a garter but welcome on this page. These are worm and slug specialists. They can be trained to take extra small pinkies but scenting is usually required. Brown snakes are a wonderful snake. Some can be less hardy in captivity. Looks like 2 males to me. Be careful not to keep them too long if they won't eat for you. Winter is coming on and they need time to prepare and find a place to brumate. It's imperative they be released where they were found if they do get released.

ADW: Storeria dekayi: INFORMATION

[Rushthezeppelin]

We have another member on here who has a dekayi housed with a garter. They seem to do better in a naturalistic setup in his experience. He has it in a bioactive system (soil with bugs to cleanup poop and mold and create fertilizer for plants....basically as close as you can get to a mini-ecosystem in captivity)

[Eddie]

Very nice looking snakes. They look like 2 males to me also. Put a little snip into the front half of the worm with a scissor. I used to do that when I kept red bellied snakes. It makes the worm extra squirmy and usually gets the attention of the snake.
Good luck with them

[Jenjen79]

Thank you! I guessed that they looked like males, I think I'm getting better at this!

They are really awesome, and my plan was if I couldn't get them to eat by next week, I would return them to their exact spots.

I was looking into naturalistic setups and I will do more research on that. For the time being, I gave them the option of Aspen or bark, they seem to love burrowing in the Aspen.
I will definitely try cutting the worms.
Thanks for the help!

[guidofatherof5]

Get out and collect some slugs while you can. They also like the small pale earthworms. Rosy-tipped worm - Aporrectodea rosea

[boyer45]

Very nice specimens! I wouldn't worry about getting them to feed to much. When I caught my two adults I think it took about a week for each of them to eat. I just kept offering them something every few days and then left a worm in the cage. I love these little snakes, they are just so fun to keep. If you decide to keep them you will be in for some interesting and funny behavior.

[Mommy2many]

I also house my dekayi with my garters. She does very well with her friends.

[Jenjen79]

That's really cool that they can live together! Any precautions I should take before introducing them?
My garter is big in comparison, I'm afraid he will mistake them for worms!