Say hello to my little friend!

[radstusky]

I do mean that literally...

I found this little guy in front of my door on the sidewalk as I was coming home tonight. I had seen him before once, but he was too fast to catch. After I caught him the first thing he did was regurg an earthworm! Guess I know what he eats.

Can someone tell me what he is? I would guess some kind of garter?

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/Stuart_Miller/100_6347.jpg
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/Stuart_Miller/100_6348.jpg
I tried to get a picture with a dime for size reference, but didn't do so well here...
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af102/Stuart_Miller/100_6349.jpg

[snake man12]

Let's see what Wayne says about the taxonomy

[alessia55]

Are you planning on keeping him?

[BarelyBreathing]

He's regurgitating most likely due from the stress of the capture. Please release him.

[snake man12]

Holy crap if I hear one more person tell somebody to let a wc animal go bad things will happen.

[Pareeeee]

Red Belly Snake

[Pareeeee]

Holy crap if I hear one more person tell somebody to let a wc animal go bad things will happen.



hahaha first you're like :unhappy: then you're like :unibrow:

be careful when you get :angry:

[snake man12]

hahaha first you're like :unhappy: then you're like :unibrow:

be careful when you get :angry:

Hahah that made me crack up.

I am almost at an end with these only cb reptiles, people don't realize that all cb herp's ancestors were wild caught.

Also those redbelly are very abundant in the wild. I almost:angry:

[alessia55]

Hahah that made me crack up.

I am almost at an end with these only cb reptiles, people don't realize that all cb herp's ancestors were wild caught.

Also those redbelly are very abundant in the wild. I almost:angry:

I think the issue is moreso that the little snake is most likely to thrive better int he wild than in captivity. It already regarded a meal from the stress of capture.

[snake man12]

Regurges are common for a snake that has just been captured.

[Kaetlinv]

I would only say release the little fellow if it doesn't take to food / the care that is provided to it, and being in captivity begins to be detrimental to the little fella's health. However, I think that if Radstusky is willing to give a proper go on caring for the little tyke, he should certainly do so. You never know what WC animal will become a wonderful pet. I caught an injured Katydid and she lived nearly a month and a half past her expected lifespan. :)

Radstusky, I hope if you're planning on keeping him you'll research / ask about the species to get him properly set up! A little terrarium like that with no substrate should not be a more than temporary home, although I see you did put some sticks in there. Perhaps for the time being until you get expert-advice, you could provide him some material to dig around in, preferably the sort of material you found him in?

[jaleely]

i say keep him, he's cool. but only keep him if you can get him to eat and drink. He's a baby so being nervous and upset is only natural. It's how YOU feel about keeping the snake that matters, really.

Being a baby i'd say he could adapt well to tame living. If it was an adult, i'd day release, unless it was injured.

Normally i say no wild caught. I also disagree with imports -strongly. But he's a wee widdle one. He doesn't even have his territory really established yet.
I'm also biased.
I guess i say keep him because i think he's adorable and as a baby, i'd be like...MINE! lol

like i said if it was a healthy adult with it's routine, etc, i'd release, but this little guy is just starting out! Only if he' stays stressed would i release him.

oh and snake ancestors being wc has nothing to do with a reason for keeping wc snakes. that's silly. despite how people think snakes cannot become domesticated, i just flat out disagree. it's just a fact that cb thrives where wc just gets by, in most cases.
you can't tell me my silly little many generation captive bred snakes who only eat their food if i shove it in their mouths, while they hold open their mouths, have not had their instincts diminished by captivity lol

some snakes i feel, either have a sensitivity to learned behavior, and can adapt quickly to captive life, or a lessening of instinct due to circumstance. I'm kind of saying different things here, even if they sound the same.

I guess i'm trying to say that due to environment, a cb who hasnt been exposed to the wild is going to be more inclined to become docile and manageable, whereas a wc snake is more sensitive to it's instincts, and does not adapt well to captive life. It also depends on how long that snake has been exposed to that life.

[Trollbie]

He's adorable! And I agree with jaleely

[snake man12]

i say keep him, he's cool. but only keep him if you can get him to eat and drink. He's a baby so being nervous and upset is only natural. It's how YOU feel about keeping the snake that matters, really.

Being a baby i'd say he could adapt well to tame living. If it was an adult, i'd day release, unless it was injured.

Normally i say no wild caught. I also disagree with imports -strongly. But he's a wee widdle one. He doesn't even have his territory really established yet.
I'm also biased.
I guess i say keep him because i think he's adorable and as a baby, i'd be like...MINE! lol

like i said if it was a healthy adult with it's routine, etc, i'd release, but this little guy is just starting out! Only if he' stays stressed would i release him.

oh and snake ancestors being wc has nothing to do with a reason for keeping wc snakes. that's silly. despite how people think snakes cannot become domesticated, i just flat out disagree. it's just a fact that cb thrives where wc just gets by, in most cases.
you can't tell me my silly little many generation captive bred snakes who only eat their food if i shove it in their mouths, while they hold open their mouths, have not had their instincts diminished by captivity lol

some snakes i feel, either have a sensitivity to learned behavior, and can adapt quickly to captive life, or a lessening of instinct due to circumstance. I'm kind of saying different things here, even if they sound the same.

I guess i'm trying to say that due to environment, a cb who hasnt been exposed to the wild is going to be more inclined to become docile and manageable, whereas a wc snake is more sensitive to it's instincts, and does not adapt well to captive life. It also depends on how long that snake has been exposed to that life.
Wtf. A snake can't be domesticated or tamed for that matter. Please review you sources.

[infernalis]

Storeria Dekayi.. A.K.A. Dekay Brown snake.

Primary diet, Slugs, snails and earthworms.

They have a special curveture to their tiny little teeth that allows them to pull snails right out of the shell.

[StudentoReptile]

I'm with Jaleely. If you have easy access to earthworms, you have an easy pet on your hands. Just give it some time to acclimate before feeding again. If you cannot (or are unwilling to) offer it a proper diet, then you should probably release it.
--------------
The WC vs CB debate is fraught with hypocrisy on both sides...and as Tigger says, "you just can't argue with a word like 'fraught'"

[infernalis]

http://www.reptard.info/xena/xena1.jpg

http://www.reptard.info/xena/xena2.jpg

http://www.reptard.info/xena/xena3.jpg

http://www.reptard.info/xena/xena4.jpg

[Volcom269]

Hahahahaha

[infernalis]

Also those redbelly are very abundant in the wild. I almost:angry:

Red Belly snakes are close relatives to dekayi snakes, Storeria occipitomaculata (the red belly) do horribly in captivity, I gave up on them years ago.

Dekayi on the other hand are super easy, Heck I can get them to take food out of my hand in the wild, just wave a slug in front of them and the feeding response overtakes fear.

Xena was 7 years old when she finally died, she exceeded the "average" life expectancy by a year.

I still miss her, she was a real sweetheart.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/PG1/images/xenagirl.jpg

[StudentoReptile]

I stand corrected.

Why do the red-bellies do so poorly, Wayne, as opposed to the Dekays?

[infernalis]

One of Xena's babies... we bred her with "Speedy man" (he was a quick little guy, hence the name.)

First, here is a sight you may never see again, Xena really was a "warrior princess" in this picture, she stole that pinkie mouse from the garter snake!! (before anyone comments, yes you can indeed house garters and dekayi together)

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

now one of her babies..

http://www.thamfriends.com/MPFG/images/1apenny.jpg

Two dekayi and a red sided garter snake.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/reptile3/reptile3-3/DSC02619-1.jpg

I took this photo in the wild, look really close at this photo.. Hmmmmm.

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

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

Don't bother heating the cage, these snakes don't like heat at all...

(Actual herping photo, taken in the wild)

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

[infernalis]

I stand corrected.

Why do the red-bellies do so poorly, Wayne, as opposed to the Dekays?

Red bellies are very shy and secretive, put one in a cage, and all it wants to do is hide.

I kept them, and after a few refused to eat at all in a cage, I decided it was best to leave them alone.

On my property, I can see Dekayi out in the open, it's common. But I have only once in 30 years ever seen a red belly out in the open, and it was during this drought, and at deep dusk.. I almost stepped on it.

Dry, parched earth does not give up many slugs or worms. Their food all wend deep underground to avoid the heat and lack of water.

[radstusky]

Thanks for all the responses. And thanks for the ID Wayne. I thought it might be a S. dekayi, but I didn't know for sure that their range extends this far north. I used to see them often when I lived down in Florida.

I do not plan to keep it as a permanent pet. I think I'll keep it just for a little while and feed it a couple of times, then release it. I live in a fairly urban environment (I'm in a Boston suburb), so I thought it was pretty cool to find a snake here. Maybe I'll let it go somewhere where it might have a better chance of survival. I did see another one of these snakes dead on my sidewalk about a month or so ago. As for it's housing, he's in a temporary housing and I did give him some water. I'll fix that up a bit tomorrow. He is cute, so I'll see what my kids want to do with him!

Thanks!

[infernalis]

that's the really great thing about Dekayi. I have heard of them being found in flower gardens in New York City.

They have adapted well to urbanisation.

[Pareeeee]

Red bellies are very shy and secretive, put one in a cage, and all it wants to do is hide.

I kept them, and after a few refused to eat at all in a cage, I decided it was best to leave them alone.

On my property, I can see Dekayi out in the open, it's common. But I have only once in 30 years ever seen a red belly out in the open, and it was during this drought, and at deep dusk.. I almost stepped on it.

Dry, parched earth does not give up many slugs or worms. Their food all wend deep underground to avoid the heat and lack of water.

That's too bad, my first snake was a wc red belly, and she ate like a pig! Earthworms right out of my hand, she was awesome. Loved to coil up in my cupped hand and go to 'sleep'. Maybe she was an exception, not the rule.

Also, my bad about the ID of the little guy. Sometimes I mix the two snakes up in a photo. Easy to tell in person

[Pareeeee]

found an old pic of her. I was probably only 15 or so...can't believe that was 10 years ago...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a368/Pareeeee/DSCF0003.jpg

and here's a storeria dekayi I captured a few years ago
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a368/Pareeeee/ccc.jpg

[shaunyboy]

Storeria Dekayi.. A.K.A. Dekay Brown snake.

Primary diet, Slugs, snails and earthworms.

They have a special curveture to their tiny little teeth that allows them to pull snails right out of the shell.

^^^^^
very cool info Wayne

the way their teeth have adapted to pull snails right out there shells:D

impressed i be ;)

re wild caught
why take wild caught if there are readily available captive bred ?

i see no reason for taking wild caught just for the sake of it.....

or for a free snake...

that will not be free,as you really need to PAY for fecial tests,etc, to be done

taking wild caught for new bloodlines and other legitamate reasons,i have no issues with

also with the amount of information available,any wild caught should thrive in captivity,should you take one

^^^^^
just my way of thinking

cheers shaun

[Pareeeee]

You can't buy them in stores or from breeders. Well not in Ontario anyway. Can't even get garters...you have to catch them

[infernalis]

You can't buy them in stores or from breeders. Well not in Ontario anyway. Can't even get garters...you have to catch them

Again, exceptions. I have bred, sold and traded Dekayi for years.

Right now, there is 4 Dekayi that are in a classroom in Northern Alaska that I shipped to the teacher, he wanted small, docile snakes that small children would not be afraid of, and Dekayi fit that bill perfectly.

When Xena passed away, I stopped, she was my first ever "pet" snake, and I had gotten in pretty deep with the garter snakes, so these days, I just admire the dekayi in the wild.