Bull Snakes and Baby Tortoises

AZTorts

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Yesterday evening I was watering my garden which is part of the turtle habitat and I saw a big, but not huge, bull snake. I'm not concerned about it hurting my box turtles because they are adults. Last summer I had one that would go into the turtle hide and sleep with them. It was a shock the first time I stuck my hand under to pull out a turtle and grabbed hold of a waxy feeling thing instead of a turtle shell. LOL Thankfully it wasn't a rattlesnake. However, do I need to be concerned about bull snakes hurting my 2" baby desert tortoises? The one I saw last night was not big enough to swallow one but I don't know if it might bite them. Later last night I had another, smaller bull snake on my patio. I did a Google search and couldn't come up with anything definitive.Bull snake 003.JPG
 

tortadise

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It is definitely possible for them to eat the wee guys. Snakes are definitely opportunistic feeders. But the extreme, docile nature of a tortoise or turtle will probably not elevate an aggression from the snake. The bigger bull snakes may snatch one. I had an older building I tore down years back because it was just inefficient. But one summer night went down to check on the guys and a rat snake had eaten 3 baby sulcatas. This was inside too. Bull snakes mainly want to eat other snakes and lizards though. I wouldn't put it past a larger one that's hungry to take the opportunity though. It's hard keeping snakes out too. They can fit in very tight places.
 

AZTorts

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I brought the baby tortoises in for the night. This morning when I was watering I looked and didn't see the snakes, so I put them back out. You're so right, they seem to be able to get into places no matter what you do to keep them out. I have the tortoise babies outside now, maybe I should bring them back in?
 

tortadise

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I brought the baby tortoises in for the night. This morning when I was watering I looked and didn't see the snakes, so I put them back out. You're so right, they seem to be able to get into places no matter what you do to keep them out. I have the tortoise babies outside now, maybe I should bring them back in?
They should be ok during the day. It's morning and evening when they go slithering for a hunt.
 

AZTorts

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They should be ok during the day. It's morning and evening when they go slithering for a hunt.


Okay, good! Because the torts really like it outside and they get real sunshine out there if they want to bask in it. Lots of shade out there too. I'll bring them inside in the late afternoon. Thanks!
 

LLLReptile

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Hopefully the little torts get too big to get eaten soon, but as noted already, bullsnakes tend to prefer things that are more obviously large and food like. I wouldn't put it past a big, hungry one to try and eat a baby tortoise, but it'd be super unusual.

-Jen
 

Yellow Turtle01

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I would be concerned about the babies. Snakes are able to ingest bones, so a tortoise could be no issue going 'through'. I think that would probably try to consume one as a last resort though, because they would rather eat less-solid things like small mammals.
 

AZTorts

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Hopefully the little torts get too big to get eaten soon, but as noted already, bullsnakes tend to prefer things that are more obviously large and food like. I wouldn't put it past a big, hungry one to try and eat a baby tortoise, but it'd be super unusual.

-Jen

Thanks for your reply. I hope they grow fast too!
 

AZTorts

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I would be concerned about the babies. Snakes are able to ingest bones, so a tortoise could be no issue going 'through'. I think that would probably try to consume one as a last resort though, because they would rather eat less-solid things like small mammals.

Thanks Yellow Turtle. I'm getting more nervous because I found a snake skin just inside their hide. It wasn't there when I put them out in the morning so Mr. Snake must have paid them a visit during the early afternoon since I go out and check on them frequently and didn't find it until then. I'm hoping it was from the bull snake and not from a rattlesnake. The skin has no head or tail on it. So since I didn't want the torts going in the hide, which they rarely do anyway, so I just blocked it off. Luckily they prefer other places in their habitat to nap. I don't know how to keep snakes out of the habitat.
snake tortoises 068.JPG
 

Yellow Turtle01

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There are snake repellents that you could spray a safe distance (5-10') away from your habitat, that might work to keep snakes out.
 

AZTorts

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http://www.serpentguard.com/?gclid=CN6Y34Xc-r8CFQwGaQodS0MAPA
I don't really think you're afraid to go into your own yard :p but this website says no, their product is 100% human and pets safe (unless you have a pet snake :D)
I would still put a safe distance away from torts, just in case :)


Oh, thanks! Sometimes I am afraid of what I might find out there. LOL My neighbor's 2 dogs were bitten by a rattler one day while she was at work. By the time she got home and found them and took them to emergency vet care it was too late to give them anti venom. They are both large dogs who had been rattlesnake avoidance trained. This is the head of the one that must have gotten the most venom...It's looking down on his head. Hard to even tell it's a dog due to the swelling...but both dogs did survive. :)Buster snake bite a.jpg
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Yikes. that is super swelled up :( Glad they lived though... I have only seen ONE venomous snake in my life, and was dead (lawnmower accident, oops) Kind of glad there aren't many here!
 

AZTorts

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Yikes. that is super swelled up :( Glad they lived though... I have only seen ONE venomous snake in my life, and was dead (lawnmower accident, oops) Kind of glad there aren't many here!

Over the years we've seen several rattlesnakes in our yard. No way of knowing how many others slithered on through that we were unaware of. Yes, that poor dog really must have been in pain. Now, a few years later he has an immune deficiency disorder that possibly stems from the snake bite.
 
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