Predator question

Jenblalock003

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Hey guys! So just moved about a month ago to a different suburb of New Orleans. It's a lot closer to the river, like I could walk to it no problem. The other day I walked out my front door and saw a huge gray snake. Great stuff, I ran like hell. My question is though now I'm scared to have the two babies (10 month) outside without supervision. They are getting big and I can't keep them in their tanks all the time. I take them out as much as I can but I feel they deserve more play time. Would snakes mess with them?

Thank you for any response!!!!
 

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Tom

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What do they weigh? The bigger they get the less you will need to worry. A. small one could certainly be snake food, but it would have to be a very large rat snake to try and each a 10" sulcata.
 

Jenblalock003

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Right now they are about 5 inches, size of my hand. I just know there are crazy snakes out there and then of course I think of alligators. I've never seen one since I've been in Louisiana but I mean this is basically swamp country soooo.
 

Yvonne G

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A while back someone wrote on the Forum that because tortoises are cold-blooded, snakes wouldn't see them as food????????
 

Yellow Turtle01

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A while back someone wrote on the Forum that because tortoises are cold-blooded, snakes wouldn't see them as food????????
Snakes are able to sense hot and cold with their tongue, but tortoises are still warm... I think they wouldn't bother because of the large amount of bone.
 

Livingstone

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I believe that with most reptiles if there is a sight barrier you should be fine. Since both of the predators you are concerned about are reptiles I would probably go about building a small enclosure with solid walls ~ 18" tall. That kind of height should see you through a couple of years and get the tortoises to a size that makes them less appealing to predators.
 

Tom

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A while back someone wrote on the Forum that because tortoises are cold-blooded, snakes wouldn't see them as food????????
Many snakes eat other "cold" blooded prey like lizards and amphibians. Heck, many snakes eat other snakes. Hence the genus Ophiophagus...
 

DeanS

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Many snakes eat other "cold" blooded prey like lizards and amphibians. Heck, many snakes eat other snakes. Hence the genus Ophiophagus...

C'mon Tom...you could've stuck closer to home by simply mentioning genus Lampropeltus :p
 

Abdulla6169

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Snakes are able to sense hot and cold with their tongue, but tortoises are still warm... I think they wouldn't bother because of the large amount of bone.
A snake will swallow a tortoise whole! Also, they have a very good stomach that digest a lot of things.,,
 

Yellow Turtle01

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I thought they might nit be appealing, considering there is little meat... Kind of glad ther aren't very big snakes here :confused:
 

Abdulla6169

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I thought they might nit be appealing, considering there is little meat... Kind of glad ther aren't very big snakes here :confused:
Once I saw a white cobra like snake near our house (the old one)! Ugh! I hate it when people throw away their animals :(
 

Yellow Turtle01

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The more you struggle the harder they squeeze, scary critters!
Unghg! I am NOT a big fan of snakes.. pets or no...
They sure are powerful creatures, and I would hate to come across of those beg ones in the wild :confused: Are there many poisonous snakes in the wild there? Luckily, the only poisonous snake in my vicinity live by Lake Erie!
 

Jenblalock003

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I don't know too much about snakes but I do know there are water moccasins here and then of course alligators. But hopefully they will stay away since I'm in a neighborhood and all BUT I still saw a huge snake the other day that scared the hell out of me.
 

mike taylor

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A snake will size up an animal before eating it . Most tortoises are not on the menu . But in saying that a newly hatched tortoise that is soft and small a snake will eat . If your tortoises are five to six inches I wouldn't be worried at all . I find chicken snakes out in my chicken coop all the time I've also found them in my red foot enclosure . They like to use my red foots hides . I remove them take them out in the woods and let them go .
 
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