redtailed green ratsnake??

[jesper]

I'm thinking about getting a redtailed green but can't find much info about it so I was hoping that some of you guys could help me...

jesper

[BWSmith]

All I know about them is that O hannahs take them like candy ;)

[Katt]

Don't buy wild caughts! They almost always die.

[Tim and Julie B]

Go to Yahoo and type in red tailed green rat snakes. You'll get about 15+ sites with info.

[Vanan]

Sure could have used those 15+ sites when I was looking them up. Only managed to find a couple of good european sites with good and reliable info. This info was from people who have managed to acclimatise them and successfully breed them. Not your 2-bit info from Field Guides and Checklists. Those only serve to tell you what they're like in the wild. Useless to a captive specimen.

Anyways, instead of blathering on, if you can't find those few sites I'm talking about, this is what I can remember when I "tried" to keep Gonyosoma.

1. #1 killer of WC specimens, is an RI. Watch humidity and temps like a hawk. Temps should vary from highs of 88F to lows of 80F. No lower for WCs. Humidity should be as close to 100%. Most achieve this by flooding the bottom of the cage.

2. A roomy enclosure is a must. The minimum size I would suggest would be 6x2x6. A tall and long enclosure will help these arboreal colubrids feel more at ease. The more plants in there, the better. Gives them more hiding spots to make them feel secure.

3. Hydration is a must with all WC reptiles. Especially so with Gonyosoma. They prefer to drink droplets of water off plants and the glass. I had mine trained to drink straight from my water sprayer. I just pointed the nozzle ate their mouths and sprayed. They'd stay still and drink up for up to 10mins! Find every opportunity to water them. If they're fresh WC's, try using pedialyte to jump start their system.

4. Feeding. A tricky thing which I never got my specimens to do. Some have suggested using hanging plants and placing the f/t rodent in the pot suspended off the ground. In other words, having the food item up about 1-2ft off the ground helps. They're are usually too nervous to come onto the ground (unless they're very ill).

5. Medication for endoparasites. Gonyosoma are very VERY sensitive to any medication. Flagyl would kill them. Even Panacur can be tricky. Rule to keep in mind with these guys. If the infestation is mild, a low stress environment would enable the snake to use it's own immune system against it. If the infestation is severe then you may as well put the animal down as the amount of medication needed to kill the parasites would probably kill the snake anyways.

6. For ectoparasites, manual removal and soaking in Nyx solution has worked for us.

Hope this info is enough for ya. If you're able to get a CB baby, then I'm sure the breeder you're getting it from will give you info pertaining to CB stock. The info above is more for the WC stuff you see in NA. :)

P.S. My big mistake in keeping Gonyos was the size of cage. I kept them in the largest rubbermaids I could find, hoping to keep humidity up. Obviously it wasn't large enough. :(

[Scott Wahlberg]

I bought a pair of Cave Dwelling Rats from Karl Krumke at winding Creek Herps. Type in Winding Creel Herps in Yahoo and click on the site. You should email him he has provided me with lots of info.Scott

[jesper]

Thank you guys a lot. I'll see what I can find

jesper