Storeria dekayi/Dekay's Brown Snake Availability

[BobBarley]

Weird question, anyone know anyone (or you yourself) that are selling Storeria dekayi? I know they are common, but their range doesn't extend to where I live (California). I've been looking for a while, but I haven't found any available. The reason I'm looking for one, is that I don't really want to deal with mice. I'm an invert collector with a collection of 23 inverts and they all eat feeder insects. I would be fine with feeding a Storeria dekayi with earthworms and the occasional cricket or something. If they aren't available, does anyone know of a species that's easier to find (for sale) with basically the same care as a Storeria dekayi?

Thanks everyone!:D

[kill go]

Hello BobBarley.... I happen to have a Storeria dekayi. He is wild caught, had him for about 3 months and he getting pretty tame and you right he very easy to feed loves earth worms. They are cool little dudes, he happens to be in my range(South Carolina). I will post pictures soon. Wish you luck finding one because there some nice snakes...

[BobBarley]

Thanks kill go! Yup, from what I've read online, they seem to be the perfect beginner snake for me.

[Aaron_S]

Rough Green Snakes
Ribbon snakes
Garter snakes

All can eat worms I believe. Ribbons I believe eat fish.

[Minkness]

I had to look them up. Cool little snake though! I could use like 50 of them in my back yard lol. Slug heaven!

Good luck on your search. Try fauna classifies. You may find one there.

Also, pics when you get one!

[Minkness]

Rough Green Snakes
Ribbon snakes
Garter snakes

All can eat worms I believe. Ribbons I believe eat fish.

Ooooh, rough greens are awesome! I really want one, but they require feeding multiple times a week and do best on crickets. I work too much to fit that in my schedule and also..I HATE crickets lol.

[BobBarley]

Rough Green Snakes
Ribbon snakes
Garter snakes

All can eat worms I believe. Ribbons I believe eat fish.

Rough greens are what I looked at first, but it seems their care is too over the top. Garter snakes, it seems, need to be fed a diet of both worms and mice? I can't do mice, dead or alive (parents). Ribbon snakes are a possibility, but can they be fed on a diet of exclusively fish? And where can I get fish that don't contain thiaminase?

I'm looking for a snake that is totally insectivore with easy care. Being handleable is definitely a huge plus.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Rough greens are what I looked at first, but it seems their care is too over the top. Garter snakes, it seems, need to be fed a diet of both worms and mice? I can't do mice, dead or alive (parents). Ribbon snakes are a possibility, but can they be fed on a diet of exclusively fish? And where can I get fish that don't contain thiaminase?

I'm looking for a snake that is totally insectivore with easy care. Being handleable is definitely a huge plus.

Garters can be fed a diet of just worms (this requires additional supplements though), just fish, just mice, or a mixture. A diet of worms and fish is most like their natural diet, as most garters do not eat rodents as a staple in their diet in the wild. They are opportunistic, though. I would stay away from insects and amphibians with these guys, since insects aren't easy to digest and yield little return, and amphibians pose a very high parasite risk. Same with slugs, even though some might eat those.

There is are several lists of thiaminase-free fish, just Google a few. Thamnophis.com has some and I've found longer lists elsewhere.

Your best bet might just get a lizard tbqh, your options with snakes are limited and probably won't really fit into your invert keeping.

[BobBarley]

Garters can be fed a diet of just worms (this requires additional supplements though), just fish, just mice, or a mixture. A diet of worms and fish is most like their natural diet, as most garters do not eat rodents as a staple in their diet in the wild. They are opportunistic, though. I would stay away from insects and amphibians with these guys, since insects aren't easy to digest and yield little return, and amphibians pose a very high parasite risk. Same with slugs, even though some might eat those.

There is are several lists of thiaminase-free fish, just Google a few. Thamnophis.com has some and I've found longer lists elsewhere.

Your best bet might just get a lizard tbqh, your options with snakes are limited and probably won't really fit into your invert keeping.

Ok, thank you for the information!:D

[Albert Clark]

THIS ^^^^^^^^^. Everything she (bsg) says right there. It's the chitin in insects that is indigestible in garter snakes, ribbon snakes and deKays snakes.

[BobBarley]

THIS ^^^^^^^^^. Everything she (bsg) says right there. It's the chitin in insects that is indigestible in garter snakes, ribbon snakes and deKays snakes.

Ah, I see. That explains their preference for slugs/earthworms and the like. Thank you!

[Bandit]

I had a Dekay's for a while. Cool little snake and he became very comfortable very quick. I just fed him worms and he did great.

I also have a rough green. I've had him for about 6 years now and I just feed him crickets. I find the care pretty easy.

I've had ribbons and garters as well. Both absolutely great snakes. I had my ribbons exclusively on fish, but the garters ate fish and mice.

[BobBarley]

Ok so in summary, if I can't get a S. dekayi, then I should go with a lizard right. Sound right?

[Bandit]

Have you looked into earth snakes or ringnecks? They have similar care (although ringnecks can be a little tougher). And rough greens really aren't that much to care for. If you want any advice, message me and I'll go into more detail on care.

[BobBarley]

Have you looked into earth snakes or ringnecks? They have similar care (although ringnecks can be a little tougher). And rough greens really aren't that much to care for. If you want any advice, message me and I'll go into more detail on care.

Sure, thanks! PM sent!:)

[daisymaisy]

I have a rough green snake that I got as a CB baby. He is so neat! His name is Lima Bean. He eats all sorts of bugs, mostly crickets. These guys do well in a natural style terrarium. I have him in a bioactive, planted 55 gallon with a screen top. I have lighting for the plants, a heat lamp, and UVB lamp since I have a stowaway anole living in there as well and she needs the UVB (I had inadvertently reused some moss that had been in my anole cage, and a baby hatched out!). He doesn't particularly enjoy handling, although he is pretty docile. I don't really handle him and just have him as a display snake. I mist the tank daily. He honestly needs less maintenance than my other snakes.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[jay's reptiles]

Rough Green Snakes
Ribbon snakes
Garter snakes

All can eat worms I believe. Ribbons I believe eat fish.

Garters eat fish, frogs, and worms

[eminart]

Lots of good advice already, but I'm going to give you another suggestion...

Don't rule out snakes that eat rodents. I keep tarantulas, and I've kept mantises. I've kept all sorts of lizards and other insect eaters. Feeding one frozen thawed rodent once every week or two is SO much easier than dealing with insects.

I don't mind the tarantulas because they eat so little, but once we sell off all my daughter's leos, I'm not interested in ever having anything again that eats insects daily. This will be the second, and last time that I've made this decision.

Anyway, snakes are easy. If you're interested in Dekay's, get a garter. There are some truly beautiful garters out there.

[BobBarley]

Thank you all!

[BobBarley]

Old thread but... I'm still on the lookout, can anyone source a Dekayi?

[akane]

Maybe, but shipping is questionable this time of year. We have the odd 40F heat up but have already seen below 0F and usually get worse in Jan. I've also never shipped anything alive.

[BobBarley]

Maybe, but shipping is questionable this time of year. We have the odd 40F heat up but have already seen below 0F and usually get worse in Jan. I've also never shipped anything alive.

Thank you, PM sent! :)

[Cyclops]

Try the kingsnake classifieds or fauna classifieds. Or maybe go to a expo or reptile show?