Rough Green Snake - Opheodrys aestivus ?

[siz]

It's funny, I could barely find any info on rough green snakes and I come back on ssnakess and there's a post right there. I figured I'd make my own post so I wouldn't hijack the thead lol.

I'm considering getting a rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) and haven't been able to find any consistent information on them, or information from any long term keepers, and was wondering if there were any keepers here? I'd like opinions on care, diet (ie frequency of feedings and portions), any key points I should be aware of with this species, etc. I understand they are frequently WC, require UV light, should be kept in ambient temps around the high 70's; do they require a direct basking spot? The reptile room is usually in the high 70's, maxing out at 82f. Is this too warm? My Rhacodactylus geckos are kept in my bedroom and living room where temps are cooler so that's not really an issue, I can move the rough green out there, just wondering if it will be too hot.

I keep primarily lizards and geckos and only have two pythons currently, so there is a solid supply of insects in the house, mainly crickets. Do rough greens accept mealworms/superworms? I don't like to use them as a staple for my animals but we have a colony for when we can't get crickets. What have you found your rough green takes most easily? Is supplementation necessary? I also have read that spiders make better feeder insects...how can you provide these in captivity, if at all?

The snake in question is at a pet store in town, and I was told it is a CB and eats daily (specifically "should be fed daily", I have not seen the snake eat). It is housed with another rough green, is not full grown and it has UV. It's 50 bucks.

Overall I'm just curious about the species. They seem really interesting and they are beautiful. I prefer diurnal reptiles, and I'd like to have it in my collection...sweet looking display animal for sure.

Thanks! :)

[infernalis]

Have you considered the Asian Green snakes? They are directly related to the rough green, they eat night crawlers and are diurnal, mellow and easier to keep.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-colubrid-forum/83624-cyclophiops-major-feeding-time.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-colubrid-forum/83555-my-new-green-snake-has-arrived.html

I'm not dodging your questions at all.

Lets see, for spiders.. do you have a basement? I have so many spiders in my basement I could feed them to snakes and hardly put a dent in the population.

Your temps are fine, these snakes range all the way from NY to Florida, so they can live in a wide variety of temps.

The cage has to be decent sized, they love to climb, so branches are always a good thing. They are shy, so lots of cover is essential.

[siz]

Thanks for the reply. Have you kept both species? I haven't noticed any Asian green snakes available in my area but they look like a pretty cool species as well, and you can get dew worms regularly in the summer at least. Do rough greens feed on dew worms?

Haha, so it's okay to just pick up spiders I find around the house and feed them to the snake? That was my first thought but I thought I'd ask into it lol.