Brahminy Blind Snake??

StarvedArtist · 12-07-17, 10:43 PM

Hi, I’m new to the forum because I’m on the hunt for some info about a certain snake. Has anyone heard of the Brahminy Blind Snake? I happened upon a picture of it and it really intrigued me with how small and neat it looked. We are not a big snake Family but my sister has gotten into snakes and she’s about to get her a second snake so we are a tad interested in them. Another thing I like about this snake is that it’s mouth is too small to bite a human lol So does anyone have any info on it and how you would care and feed it? I know they eat like any larvae and I don’t even know if that’s available to purchase anywhere. Thanks for any info!

Bandit · 12-08-17, 09:20 AM

I've found some of them before as they're introduced in some parts of Louisiana. I believe they eat ant larvae and possibly the little black ants. These guys are tiny and are actually pretty difficult to pick up and all that, which might be concerning because you wouldn't want to hurt them in the process. Also, you'll likely never see them when they're in the enclosure as they will spend all of their time burrowed in the dirt. With that being said, you'd have to be very careful that there's no way for them to get out. For an enclosure I'd suggest a Tupperware container no bigger than a shoebox (any bigger, and you'll never find the thing...you wouldn't believe how quickly these guys move through the dirt. I had trouble finding them in a fairly small Tupperware container). Fill it with soil and keep it somewhat moist (but not too wet). You'd have to make sure to stir it up every now and then to keep it loose. Anything on top of the soil would be for you're own purposes, because it probably won't matter to the snake. The most beneficial décor may be some dead leaves.

On top of all that, I don't know where you'd get one. I'd imagine the only ways to get your hands on one would be to catch one or have someone catch one for you.

I'd suggest looking into another species. If you're set on it though, then go for it. They are very cool snakes and incredibly unique and interesting, I'm just not sure they would make a great pet. Best of luck!

DJC Reptiles · 12-08-17, 03:41 PM

I personally wouldn't go for a blind snake. People compare keeping ball pythons to owning a pet rock (I don't believe this), owning a blind snake would be almost equivalent to of owning a cup full of dirt. They are also really hard to get feeding, and it's pretty much impossible to know when they are eating. They don't really like to be held and they can't see very well. Also, as far as I am aware, there is no captive breeding effort, so the only way to acquire one would be to find one yourself, or miraculously, somewhere on the internet.

TRD · 12-08-17, 03:51 PM

Yes, blind snake is like keeping a box with 2' of substrate under the assumption of "something is living in there, I think"

I saw a post on a FB group going like "after 6 months I realized my blind snake didn't die" showing a pictures of part of it pressed to the glass about 1' in the substrate.

I'm not sure that is going to be much fun to keep..

jjhill001 · 12-08-17, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRD

Yes, blind snake is like keeping a box with 2' of substrate under the assumption of "something is living in there, I think"

I saw a post on a FB group going like "after 6 months I realized my blind snake didn't die" showing a pictures of part of it pressed to the glass about 1' in the substrate.

I'm not sure that is going to be much fun to keep..

Interesting surely though. People keep Kenyan Sand Boas and they aren't seen much either.

Also it's always neat to be able to learn to keep something unique and be able to talk about it. If someone is talking about how they are caring for a blind snake on the forums I'm gonna read it all because it's interesting and rare.

DJC Reptiles · 12-09-17, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Interesting surely though. People keep Kenyan Sand Boas and they aren't seen much either.

Also it's always neat to be able to learn to keep something unique and be able to talk about it. If someone is talking about how they are caring for a blind snake on the forums I'm gonna read it all because it's interesting and rare.

Kenyan sand boas are not one of the smallest snake species in the world, and they certainly are a lot more fun to watch eat and hold. There really isn't too much on the care of blind snakes. I would just recomend a 73-85° Thermal gradient from one side of the cage to the other, they are too small to supply a warm hotspot. They also will eat pinhead crickets, but ant larvae, would be their main diet, which means keeping them in a bioactive large enclosure with ants is a must (the bad thing about this is, you'll never know when your snake is alive or dead, which is why you should just keep the ants and ignore the snake). It's a miracle these things survive in the wild.

TRD · 12-10-17, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Interesting surely though. People keep Kenyan Sand Boas and they aren't seen much either.

Also it's always neat to be able to learn to keep something unique and be able to talk about it. If someone is talking about how they are caring for a blind snake on the forums I'm gonna read it all because it's interesting and rare.

Yea, sandboa's in a deep substrate is similar to keeping a jar of dirt too. You rarely see them. Well I had one that was bold enough to bask during the day (E. miliaris).. was kind of fun but he was a complete dickhead otherwise (ruin his place, and holding him felt like trying to hold Satan).

I recently acquired a wc pair of Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus, those are fun and not too often seen.

nickajshelden · 03-01-18, 12:37 PM

I'm also looking potentially for one of these blind snakes, let me know if you find anything.