Storeria Dekayi - The little brown snake

[infernalis]

Dekayi snakes are one of those snakes that never stop amazing me, they are so calm and docile, they are social like garter snakes, and are commonly mistaken for garter snakes.

Dekayi are primarily slug eaters, they are beneficial and commonly found in gardens, sadly peoples fear of snakes causes most gardeners to kill them, when all the little snake wants to do is eat the slugs that are destroying the plants.

Our first ever captive snake was a DK our daughter named Xena.

http://www.thamfriends.com/photos/DKcup.jpg

http://www.thamfriends.com/photos/snakies/xena.jpg

http://www.thamfriends.com/photos/DKdot.jpg

This gal looked very gravid...

http://www.thamfriends.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=32&pictureid=693

I took this while herping, look at the size difference, the garter snake looks huge compared to the Dekayi.

http://www.reptard.info/pic/gs2.jpg

[marvelfreak]

Cute pics! I dig the bright red tongue in the last shot.

[Jay]

I must say your snake keeping ability's amaze me you have so many neat little guys that are so different then whats in the common snake trade. How off ton do you have to feed these guys.

[infernalis]

They have hyper metabolisms, feed them every day, every other on the outside.

Sadly though, that fast metabolism also means that the average lifespan is only 5 years.

[TeaNinja]

They have hyper metabolisms, feed them every day, every other on the outside.

Sadly though, that fast metabolism also means that the average lifespan is only 5 years.

kind of like big dogs. i wouldn't want a great dane or anything like that because i couldn't bare to have my dog die so quickly. :(

some people love them though.

[infernalis]

The female I kept made it to seven years old.

She was my first snake, so I was really tore up over it.

She was a beastie, check this out....

Since it was intended for the garter snakes, There was no scenting.

I watched to see how long before she spit it out, and well these photos tell it all.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink1.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink2.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink3.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink4.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink5.jpg

[emilie]

cool! i learn something new every day!

[infernalis]

can you tell by the markings why these are commonly confused as "brown garter snakes"

A dozen or so people a year sign up on the garter snake forum asking for ID on "little brown garters" they find.

I do miss that, the tank had 3 Dekayi and 2 small male garters, they all lived together in harmony for years, then the Dekayi all got old and passed away one by one.

I still have the 2 garters, and they are both favorites, they may not be morphs, but they are a pair of characters, their tank is on top of the entertainment center, and its common to look up and see one or the other staring back.

[TeaNinja]

can you tell by the markings why these are commonly confused as "brown garter snakes"

A dozen or so people a year sign up on the garter snake forum asking for ID on "little brown garters" they find.

I do miss that, the tank had 3 Dekayi and 2 small male garters, they all lived together in harmony for years, then the Dekayi all got old and passed away one by one.

I still have the 2 garters, and they are both favorites, they may not be morphs, but they are a pair of characters, their tank is on top of the entertainment center, and its common to look up and see one or the other staring back.

that's pretty cool :) both my snakes are pretty hidey lol.

[infernalis]

that's pretty cool :) both my snakes are pretty hidey lol.

My little snakes are quite active and always putting on a show.

[infernalis]

some more pics... Lifted up a tarp in the yard once, and look what was under it.

http://www.thamnophis.us/random/DK3.jpg

I really miss seeing this, all I had to do was tap on the glass. The Dekayi got old and passed, they have such short lifespans. The two garter snakes are still there, but it's just not the same.

http://www.thamnophis.us/random/groupies.jpg

[Sapphyr]

Aww sorry about your losses Wayne :c I know what ya mean when you say it's just not the same.

Sadness aside, though, they're beautiful little snakes~ It's just a shame gardeners mistake them as dangerous or just irrationally fear them and kill them off. I wish people were more educated about snakes. It makes me a little mad when people are like,"Your snake is going to eat you." It makes me even more mad when they say thinks like all snakes are dangerous and should be killed. Neanderthals.

I wish my snakes were more active :c ... Though, I'll occasionally see the hoggie cruising around.

[infernalis]

I almost forgot this.. Tim Spuckler of third eye herps (http://www.thirdeyeherp.com) took this picture in January. I posted it on here right after he took it. He warmed up the snake in his hands and set it free on a spot where the snow had melted completely away.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/tspuckler/Garters/last2.jpg