Where to get a snake

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
Well, I’m having trouble getting Harley to eat. I guess this is nothing new with male hognose snakes but it is a little scary. He is so tiny! He is just under 6 inches long and weighs 5.4 g. And the thought of him not eating for two or three weeks stresses me out. Right now he’s getting ready to shed so I’m not too worried but if he doesn’t eat in the next couple weeks I’m really really going to get worried. Last time he went on a hunger strike I broke down and got a live pink emails. I really don’t want to do that again. But he did eat it in about 10 yseconds. I sent to them pinky mouse once with a sardine and he ate that one. But when it comes to the plain old frozen then thawed pinky mice he just won’t seem to touch them. Anybody out there with experience with the species with any suggestions? And how long can a little baby like this go without eating without any problems?
 

Pearly

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2015
Messages
5,287
Location (City and/or State)
Central Texas, Austin area
Congratulations on all of your new acquisitions! They are all beautiful!!! Little Harley is absolutely adorable. No experience with snakes here to offer any advice, sorry. Just wanted to stop by and say that I love your new snakes and lizard
 

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
Congratulations on all of your new acquisitions! They are all beautiful!!! Little Harley is absolutely adorable. No experience with snakes here to offer any advice, sorry. Just wanted to stop by and say that I love your new snakes and lizard

Thanks, I must be turning into one of those crazy reptile people. When I got my tortoise people thought it was kind of strange. Now they know I’m crazy :)
 

wccmog10

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
209
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
When I’ve had problem eaters there are a few things that I try. First- leave the food with him overnight in a small tuberware container (with ventilation of course), and cover the container with some sort of cloth. So that it is dark and safe feeling. Second- this one is a little more gruesome- but what I do is take my tongs that I am using to hold the pinky, and squeeze the head (called “braining” I think). A small drop of fluid should come out the nose of the pinkie. Then try to feed the pinkie by putting it in front of the hognoses face. Sometimes I gently rub the pinky on the snakes mouth. This will sometimes almost open the snakes mouth with just the smallest amount of pressure being used pushing the pinkie into the mouth, and once the pinkie is in their mouth just a little bit- they will usually finish the job. If he still won’t eat, you can hold the snake just behind the head gently and force his mouth open with the pinkie. Same concept as before- usually once you get the pinkie in the mouth just a little bit, they will usually finish the job. This last option is usually referred to as assist feeding (I would bet that you could google that and watch videos of people doing it). I have never really pushed things to the limit on how long they can go at this size before dying without a meal, but I would prolly not try this until the snake looks like it’s lost a little weight. Some snakes I have had assist fed like it was no big deal, other freaked out and made it worse. You could also go the full blown force feeding route- another thing to google and watch videos on, but this is a last resort. You do need to give the snake a chance to figure it out.

You can also use a technique called chain feeding. Once you get him started eating the first pinkie, you hold another one right behind it, so that his mout never closes after the first pinkie, and he just keeps swollowing until both pinkies disappear into his belly. Say it is really hard to get him to eat, or he always skips meals, then takes a pinkie on his own every third try, or he won’t eat two pinkies in one sitting, chain feeding can be helpful to get more food into him.

Good luck- snakes are awesome. I know this is a tortoise forum, but I’ve got it all at home- birds, turtles, snakes, lizards, frogs, tarantulas, etc.

-Wade
 

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
When I’ve had problem eaters there are a few things that I try. First- leave the food with him overnight in a small tuberware container (with ventilation of course), and cover the container with some sort of cloth. So that it is dark and safe feeling. Second- this one is a little more gruesome- but what I do is take my tongs that I am using to hold the pinky, and squeeze the head (called “braining” I think). A small drop of fluid should come out the nose of the pinkie. Then try to feed the pinkie by putting it in front of the hognoses face. Sometimes I gently rub the pinky on the snakes mouth. This will sometimes almost open the snakes mouth with just the smallest amount of pressure being used pushing the pinkie into the mouth, and once the pinkie is in their mouth just a little bit- they will usually finish the job. If he still won’t eat, you can hold the snake just behind the head gently and force his mouth open with the pinkie. Same concept as before- usually once you get the pinkie in the mouth just a little bit, they will usually finish the job. This last option is usually referred to as assist feeding (I would bet that you could google that and watch videos of people doing it). I have never really pushed things to the limit on how long they can go at this size before dying without a meal, but I would prolly not try this until the snake looks like it’s lost a little weight. Some snakes I have had assist fed like it was no big deal, other freaked out and made it worse. You could also go the full blown force feeding route- another thing to google and watch videos on, but this is a last resort. You do need to give the snake a chance to figure it out.

You can also use a technique called chain feeding. Once you get him started eating the first pinkie, you hold another one right behind it, so that his mout never closes after the first pinkie, and he just keeps swollowing until both pinkies disappear into his belly. Say it is really hard to get him to eat, or he always skips meals, then takes a pinkie on his own every third try, or he won’t eat two pinkies in one sitting, chain feeding can be helpful to get more food into him.

Good luck- snakes are awesome. I know this is a tortoise forum, but I’ve got it all at home- birds, turtles, snakes, lizards, frogs, tarantulas, etc.

-Wade

Thanks, I have tried the brain method. And I have left him in a small container for a few hours. He did eat a live pinky relatively easily, but I really don’t want to turn that into a habit. Do you think he is too small right now to eat to pinkies? He is 5.4 g and just under 6 inches long. He is in the middle of shed, his tummy and eyes are blue. So maybe he will want to eat more after he is done shedding.
 

wccmog10

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
209
Location (City and/or State)
Georgia
I wouldn’t have a good idea how big he is without having him in my hands. I just haven’t weighed enough snakes that are that small to have a good mental image. If you think that a pinkie is to big, you can cut them in half length wise (head to tail) and see if he will eat that. I’ve seen baby snakes so small we were feeding them legs of pinkies. Definitely wait until after he sheds though- most wont eat while they are opaque.

-Wade
 

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
I know that one pinky is not too big. But I think two would be. I did try cutting a mouse in half lengthwise and he still didn’t eat it.
 

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
Just an update. Harley is eating like a champ now. I actually scented The pinky mouse with a fuzzy mouseI had read somewhere that hognose do much better once they are moved to fuzzy mice. So since my corn snake is eating fuzzies right now it’s worked out pretty well.
 

Pearly

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2015
Messages
5,287
Location (City and/or State)
Central Texas, Austin area
Thanks, I must be turning into one of those crazy reptile people. When I got my tortoise people thought it was kind of strange. Now they know I’m crazy :)

If you are “crazy” than it makes two of us . Crazies. I lived my whole life with “standard pets” (dogs, cats, guinea pig, cockatiel, even a little hedgehog that my brother found nearby body of an adult one and brought it home to “save it”. My parents found a place for that little guy soon after but we had him home for about a week, but reptiles???? Oh and we did catch frogs just to look at them closely, and always got super excited when found a salamander by some stream while hiking in Polish mountains, but reptiles??? Never! Just never seen any snakes or turtles back then eventhough we went hiking and camping all the time. So if no reptiles in childhood, why would I get into it in my later years? Well, if this wasn’t for my then 10 yr old daughter, I would have never come up with that idea myself but because the little Spoiled Brat wanted a pet, and we wanted to be kind to the little animal and give him/her a companion I ended up buying 2 tiny baby RFs. Now in retrospect, she wanted a Sulcata! Goodness, I would really have to be creative with two 3yr old sullies now! It’s been enough work, expense and tons&tons of research time with the 2 of the size of mine. I bet so many people fall into that trap and then the kids either can’t, or lose interest (like mine did) or make too many assumptions by keeping their little reptile in similar manner like you’d keep a mammal... and the animals get sick... vet care is expensive... or the little ones die in hands of incompetent owners. I did follow my kid’s “want”, her first pets were supposed to reward her extremely responsible behavior at school. I was just soooo happy she did it all on her own and kept perfect grades unlike her 2 brothers who to this day need a “babysitter/supervisor” or else nothing gets done. I made it MY BUSINESS to learn all I could about those torts right away. This Forum has been the best thing for me and I’ll always be grateful to all of the folks here who carried me through my first year patiently answering all of my questions, some of them no doubt, dumb and redundant. Another thing that this Forum gave me is removing my fear of snakes! Not completely yet, but I don’t freakout anymore (get goosebumps and shivers) when I see one. More over, I find many of them beautiful, and even cute! I now can appreciate their relationships with their owners as a real deal, and believe they can have a deeper connection with us humans. And, oh, the snake babies! Sooooo adorable!!!!! 3.5 yrs ago I would NEVER let my kids have a pet snake (would probably have to move out of my house), but now, if one of the boys ever wanted a snake or lizard... I all for it! My husband would probably need to convincing, he hates the heating lamps in the house (fire danger[emoji57]). Anyway, I love your thread, please post PICTURES! The more the better! I’d love to see them grow!
 

Pearly

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2015
Messages
5,287
Location (City and/or State)
Central Texas, Austin area
For either of you posting above, a Western Hognose Snake might be a very good bet for a 40 gal. tank. They don't get as large as Corn or King Snakes and there are many very nice color morphs out there now. These snakes eat toads in the wild, so again, make sure to get one that has been feeding well on mice for a pretty good length of time.

Many of them are advertised on Fauna.com and Kingsnake.com fairly regularly.

Thank you for that info. I love reading your posts. Always learn something new
 
Last edited:

Cowboy_Ken

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
17,561
Location (City and/or State)
Suburban-life in Salem, Oregon
Thank you for that info. I love reading your posts. Always learn something new

I’ve got a long history with snakes. As much as I’ve been fascinated with the hog nose snake, I’ve never gotten one though because of the oftentimes difficulties of getting one to switch over to mice off of reptiles and amphibians as a food source.
Those Kenyan sand boas make good snake pets that don’t get real large and would be a good size for your tank. Just keep them warm and hydrated.
 

Cowboy_Ken

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
17,561
Location (City and/or State)
Suburban-life in Salem, Oregon
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Kenyan-Sand-Boa/

Kenyan Sand Boa Care Sheet
December 2013

BY DARREN BOYD
102


Kenyan Sand Boa
Kenyan Sand Boa

DARREN BOYD
Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus)
The Kenyan sand boa has a dedicated and growing following due to its manageable size, passive personality and simple captive care requirements. If you prioritize reptile health and wellness, quality husbandry, and using proper snake supplies, this could be the snake for you! The Kenyan sand boa is also referred to as the “East African sand boa,” although hobbyists have largely adopted “Kenyan” for the common name.

Kenyan Sand Boa Availability
Captive-bred Kenyan sand boas are usually easy to locate. Reptile breeders, pet stores, and online reptile stores are good sources to find Kenyan sand boas. The naturally occurring color of Kenyan sand boas is beautiful as it is, but there are also plenty of color morphs to choose from. Some of the available morphs for Kenyan sand boas include albino, anerythristic, snow, paradox, striped, tiger and others.

Kenyan Sand Boa Size
The Kenyan sand boa is a small boa, with females reaching little more than 2 feet in length. Male Kenyan sand boas tend to be smaller than females, rarely exceeding 20 inches in length. Kenyan sand boas have a heavy, stout body.


PHOTO CREDIT: GINA CIOLI/I5 STUDIO
Kenyan sand boas can live 20 years and longer.



How Long Does The Kenyan Sand Boa Live?
Although the captive requirements for the Kenyan sand boa are nominal, they can require a long-term commitment, as there are reports of Kenyan sand boas exceeding 30 years in captivity. I have two female Kenyan sand boas in my collection that have been with me for almost 20 years, and they were both at least 2 years old when I acquired them. As of this writing, one of them is still actively breeding, but her production has slowed down in the past few years, and I plan to retire her from the breeding program.

Kenyan Sand Boa Enclosure
The Kenyan sand boa is appealing to many keepers because of its minimal space requirements. Even the largest female Kenyan sand boa can be comfortably housed in a 10-gallon reptile terrarium with a secure lid, or a similarly sized enclosure. A plastic storage container of appropriate dimensions, along with air holes, will also work well in a heated shelving unit. The shelves must be tightly fitted with little room above the top of the individual container, because Kenyan sand boas can easily push the lid off of a plastic container. For reptile terrariums, you can use Zilla cage clips and locks to prevent escape.

If a terrarium with a screen lid is used for the Kenyan sand boa, I advise using an undertank heating pad under one side of the cage (like the Zilla heat mat), left on 24/7, along with an incandescent overhead lamp fixture during the day, to heat the air in the cage. The hotspot under the light should be approximately 95 degrees Fahrenheit and the cooler side of the enclosure should be around 80 degrees. A drop to the mid-70s at night is acceptable. This can be measured using reptile thermometers.

I have kept Kenyan sand boas communally, with no issues whatsoever, but separating them for feeding is always recommended. I have only done this with one male and one female, or two females. Male Kenyan sand boas should not be housed together.

Given the Kenyan sand boa’s propensity for burrowing, habitat accessories should be minimal. Heavy rocks should be avoided, unless they are firmly fastened to the enclosure. If a Kenyan sand boa burrows beneath heavy rocks and causes a mini-avalanche, the result could be injury or even death to the snake. Despite its small size, the Kenyan sand boa can be very destructive to your cage’s interior design, so décor does not need to be excessive.

Decorative branches can be a nice touch, but they are not necessary. In my 20-plus years of working with Kenyan sand boas, I don’t ever remember seeing a Kenyan sand boa even attempt to climb. Kenyan sand boas are terrestrial creatures that prefer to spend most of their time underground.

Kenyan Sand Boa Substrate
Many people naturally assume the only choice of substrate for the Kenyan sand boa is sand. The truth is the Kenyan sand boa can be kept on a variety of reptile beddings, including aspen bedding, coconut mulch, play sand and even newspaper. I have kept and bred Kenyan sand boas on all of these materials . I do recommend staying away from gravel, corncob bedding and, for all reptiles, cedar shavings.

What Do Kenyan Sand Boas Eat For Food?
The Kenyan sand boa has a strong appetite for live reptile food, specifically mice. Baby Kenyan sand boas typically prefer live pinky mice to get started, but with maturity, they almost always switch to frozen/thawed prey. Even with dead food, the prey is usually constricted. I use 12-inch metal tweezers to offer thawed mice to my snakes.

Adult male Kenyan sand boas will accept a large hopper mouse, and an adult female Kenyan sand boa can handle a jumbo-sized mouse. Males tend to eat less frequently than females, although there are always exceptions. Some of my males will eat every chance they get.

I offer food to the female Kenyan sand boas every week and to the males every 10 to 14 days. Kenyan sand boas that are shedding will often strike and constrict their meal, but then abandon it. For this reason, I do not offer food to Kenyan sand boas during their shed cycle.

kenyan sand boa eating
PHOTOS [emoji767] THEREPTILERAINFOREST.COM
Female Kenyan sand boas can eat a jumbo sized mouse once a week. Males eat large hopper mice every 10 to 14 days .



Kenyan Sand Boa Water
A sturdy ceramic bowl, like the Petrageous dish, is a good choice as a water dish for a Kenyan sand boa. A light plastic water dish will be easily pushed over, possibly fouling the environment. The only time the cage should have high humidity is during the Kenyan sand boa’s shed cycle. High humidity is important during the shed cycle to ensure all of the skin comes off safely. A humid hide box is rarely utilized, so I prefer to use a good old-fashioned spray bottle. It’s also a lot easier to increase the humidity in a plastic bin than it is in an open-air environment, such as a terrarium with a screen lid. You can measure the humidity with reptile hygrometers.

Kenyan Sand Boa Handling and Temperament
Most of the Kenyan sand boas I have worked with have been even-tempered. A few Kenyan sand boa specimens I have encountered were feistier than normal, though they tried to squirm away rather than actually bite. Not being mindful of the speedy feeding response of the Kenyan sand boa is one way to land an accidental bite. Pick a Kenyan sand boa up from the middle of its body, giving the snake a chance to realize that it’s not dinnertime. If you approach a Kenyan sand boa from above, near the front third of its body, it may assume you are food and strike at you. A bite from a Kenyan sand boa is no more severe than a scratch from a housecat, to put it into perspective, but it can still be painful for you and traumatic for the snake, and for these reasons a bite should be avoided.

Darren Boyd is a professional musician, herpetoculturist, and all-around troublemaker. His reptile breeding and education-based business, The Reptile Rainforest, has been operating since 1995. www.TheReptileRainforest.com

Trending Articles
 

Cowboy_Ken

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
17,561
Location (City and/or State)
Suburban-life in Salem, Oregon
I have an empty 40 gallon breeder tank just begging to have something in it :) so I decided to get a snake. I'm thinking something along the lines of milk snake, king snake, or corn snake. One that would be able to live it's life in that 40 gallon tank. What does three work?
Also, where is a good place to get one. The Internet is getting way overwhelming, lots of sites but I never know if they're good. Any suggestions of a reputable place would be appreciated. Thanks!

Sorry Tina. I just realized that I didn’t really answer your question. For today’s world I’d stick with one of our local shows and then buy direct from the breeder. Unknown internet sellers have always worried me. I guess going on faith, you could go through “The Beanfarm” for sellers Geovanni has experience with.
 
Top