new snake

[BillieJeAn]

i caught a Northern Water snake the other day.
i plan on keeping it
its probably about 7" very cute
i would just like some advice on it. never actually had a snake before! i've caught a few and let them go after a week, but i want this one long term

 

[Strange_Evil]

To be honest, wc snakes are not very good starters because they tend to be very stressed and may have parasites. If you have other reptiles, it would be very risky bringing him into the house. I would just let him go and buy one from a breeder.

If you still insist on keeping him then make sure to quarantine, keep him in a separate room, and do not handle him for the first month. Just feed and change water.

 

[BillieJeAn]

only reason i can keep him is because i found him, but i dont plan on handling him until he settles down, and i'm going to take him to the vet for parasites. i dont want to risk my other animals health.
any advice on housing?

 

[Strange_Evil]

I'm against this, but You can go and pick up a 16qt tub for him, heating pad and thermostat. Keep him in a separate room. News paper will do with a decent size water dish, you'll need to spot clean a lot and provide fresh water.

I never owned one of these guys, you can go and search for a care sheet. Only thing i really remember is they will eat small amphibians like frogs,toads and salamanders. And they poop a lot.

 

[BillieJeAn]

i have him in a ten gallon at the moment, aspen bedding, large water dish, i just havent picked up a heating pad yet.
i read they like small fish, amphibians, worms, snails, etc.
he's tiny though, so it'll be hard to find something for him to eat. i threw a few crickets i caught in with him and he ate those.
thanks for the help.

 

[Logie_Bear]

Water snakes make wonderful pets, but you def want to check your local wildlife laws. Keeping him might be illegal in your area and CB does typically make a better pet. As far as taking care of him tho- one of the best things about water snakes is they dont really need a heat pad. They are used to living in and around (usually cold) water and they thrive at room temps. Certainly no harm in adding one for extra heat but if your house is warm not absolutely nessicary. The other great part about water snakes is that you can buy their food at the grocery store! I dont have him anymore, but mine just LOVED talapia. Just buy a frozen fish fillet and cut it to an appropriate sized chunck and thaw it out like you would a rodent. Aspen bedding is fine for him, and like Evil said they do poop alot! (and their poo is extra stinky because of the fish...)

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Water snakes make wonderful pets, but you def want to check your local wildlife laws. Keeping him might be illegal in your area and CB does typically make a better pet. As far as taking care of him tho- one of the best things about water snakes is they dont really need a heat pad. They are used to living in and around (usually cold) water and they thrive at room temps. Certainly no harm in adding one for extra heat but if your house is warm not absolutely nessicary. The other great part about water snakes is that you can buy their food at the grocery store! I dont have him anymore, but mine just LOVED talapia. Just buy a frozen fish fillet and cut it to an appropriate sized chunck and thaw it out like you would a rodent. Aspen bedding is fine for him, and like Evil said they do poop alot! (and their poo is extra stinky because of the fish...)

 

[BillieJeAn]

Water snakes make wonderful pets, but you def want to check your local wildlife laws. Keeping him might be illegal in your area and CB does typically make a better pet. As far as taking care of him tho- one of the best things about water snakes is they dont really need a heat pad. They are used to living in and around (usually cold) water and they thrive at room temps. Certainly no harm in adding one for extra heat but if your house is warm not absolutely nessicary. The other great part about water snakes is that you can buy their food at the grocery store! I dont have him anymore, but mine just LOVED talapia. Just buy a frozen fish fillet and cut it to an appropriate sized chunck and thaw it out like you would a rodent. Aspen bedding is fine for him, and like Evil said they do poop alot! (and their poo is extra stinky because of the fish...)

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Water snakes make wonderful pets, but you def want to check your local wildlife laws. Keeping him might be illegal in your area and CB does typically make a better pet. As far as taking care of him tho- one of the best things about water snakes is they dont really need a heat pad. They are used to living in and around (usually cold) water and they thrive at room temps. Certainly no harm in adding one for extra heat but if your house is warm not absolutely nessicary. The other great part about water snakes is that you can buy their food at the grocery store! I dont have him anymore, but mine just LOVED talapia. Just buy a frozen fish fillet and cut it to an appropriate sized chunck and thaw it out like you would a rodent. Aspen bedding is fine for him, and like Evil said they do poop alot! (and their poo is extra stinky because of the fish...)

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okay thank you!
from what i've been reading he doesnt really need a heat pad, but i think i'll get a small one in case he gets too cold.
also, from what i've read this one seems to be only a few weeks old. i was worried that he wouldnt eat dead prey, but i guess he probably will that young.
thanks for the info though, i appreciate it

 

[Logie_Bear]

okay thank you!
from what i've been reading he doesnt really need a heat pad, but i think i'll get a small one in case he gets too cold.
also, from what i've read this one seems to be only a few weeks old. i was worried that he wouldnt eat dead prey, but i guess he probably will that young.
thanks for the info though, i appreciate it

Sorry about the double post. If he wont take the fillet of fish (but if its fresh and smelly he should) you can put some live guppies in his water dish. If you do go with live fish be sure not to use goldfish, and get your feeders from a reputable place. Most of the feeder fish are disease-ridden and parasite infested tho, which over time could kill your snakey. If you go with f/t from the store tho, I'd just try tong feeding and jiggling it around a bit to make it look enticing.

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And heres a pic of a male Red-Bellied Water Snake(Nerodia erythrogaster) chowing down a piece of fresh Salmon fillet. He'd never eaten anything other than whole fish before, so it took him a little while to get the hang of how to eat a piece of fish that did not include the head, lol, but once he figured it out, it was down the hatch! If you look closely, you can see the enlarged rear fang near the back of his mouth. Water Snakes, Garter Snakes and Hognoses, among others, are "Opistoglyph" snakes, which means that they have small fixed fangs at the back, instead of the front, of their mouths, and have mild venom supplied by a Duvernoy's Gland. Their venom is harmless to humans, but does contain a mild anticoagulant, so if one ever nails you, the scratch will bleed like a stuck pig for a few minutes. That is probably a good thing, though, since it washes out any bacteria.


(this snake isn't mine btw, but this is from a nice teacher in SC that first got me into these cool snakes)

 

[BillieJeAn]

wow beautiful snake, nice picture too!

thanks for all the information, it is greatly helpful

 

[Logie_Bear]

No probs. Do you have any pics of your lil fellah?

 

[BillieJeAn]

i actually let him go today, he kept striking at me when i would get in there to clean his water or something.
plus he wasnt eating ANYTHING offered to him. i dudnt want him to die, so i decided to let him free

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i do have a picture though, i'll post in just a moment

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