Help snake identification Costa Rica

[SoPhilly]

Se lo comio! Felicitaciones. Y que guapo serpiente

[Aether]

Thanks for the reminder, he didn't actually bite me, just touched.

Amazing right?! I tought he was never gonna happen...the problem is I can't find any specific guide about this species (quadruplex), can I follow guides about others Lyre? How can I know/guess his diet? I guess lizards and frogs mainly since they are so common around here, especially lizards in the dry season. I don't see many small mammals, many birds but there out of my range (maybe poults when he'll be bigger?). Insects and spiders, full of them, but I don't know if they're ok for this species.

edit: jaja gracias!

[SoPhilly]

I wouldn't get too specifically stuck on "quadruplex" - Apparently both trimorphodon biscutatus biscutatus and trimorphodon biscutatus quadruplex can be found in Costa Rica. Any info you can find on lyre snakes that live in your area should be helpful to you - I was intrigued and found a couple things:

Trimorphodon quadruplex (Central American Lyre Snake)

http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/ee/resource...lyre_snake.pdf

These aren't as solid of sources as FWK has, but they seem to indicate that rodents are a natural part of the diet, although possibly more so for older snakes. I have a Hispaniola boa that had to be started on live anoles, then switched to pre-killed anoles, then anole-scented pinky mice, and is now on frozen/thawed mice with no problems. That was from birth, though - your guy might surprise you and take a mouse sooner. Although, if Costa Rica is anything like the Caribbean, there are anoles and geckos and frogs absolutely everywhere jaja, es verdad? I'd just keep feeding those for now, probably one a week of about the size you gave him. Buena suerte.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? I've kept various tropical species on and off for 12 years, but I've never been a colubrid gal.

[Aether]

Oh thanks for the links, everything is appreciated. Yeah, reptiles are everywhere, not all so easy to catch tho...they're pretty fast and smart.
In case big preys won't be available, will they eat smaller ones?

edit: the second link you provided is very helpful, it also explain what happens when bited.

[Albert Clark]

No experience with this Costa Rico species. Literature states they do eat lizards, bird and small mammals including bats! Thank you for this little class.

[FWK]

I agree with SoPhilly but with a couple clarifications: Trimorphodon biscutatus quadruplex is the old nomenclature for Trimorphodon quadruplex and Trimorphodon biscutatus biscutatus for Trimorphodon biscutatus, they were both elevated to full species status, once accepted, in the paper I linked. I quote from the introduction of said paper:

We conclude that Trimorphodon biscutatus (sensu lato) comprises six evolutionary species (including the recently elevated T. vilkinsonii) and recommend elevating T. biscutatus (sensu stricto), T. lambda, T. lyrophanes, T. paucimaculatus, and T. quadruplex to the species level.

Here is an older paper using the old classifications. T. quadruplex is currently the only recognized Trimorphodon sp. in Costa Rica. T. biscutatus is found well north, its range ending in the western edge of Guatemala. That said, anything on T. b. quadruplex is still relevant, and any information on any Lyre Snake species could be useful.

They are definitely known for taking rodents, and as Albert mentioned, birds and bats. The problem is getting them eating and then switching them to rodents in captivity. Yours is already eaten for you, that is huge. Now you need to minimize its stress levels to ensure it will keep eating (get a more permanent, climate controlled enclosure set up as soon as possible) and, ideally, work on switching it to rodents. Assuming you have access to rodents. It is certainly possible to feed it field collected prey indefinitely, but wild prey carry the risk of disease as well as a heavy parasite load. Especially amphibians, I'd stay away from them if at all possible. I wouldn't bother with insects either. You can reduce the risk of parasites and disease somewhat by freezing the prey for a couple weeks before offering it. Switching it to frozen/thawed prey may be tricky, but it will definitely be worth the effort. Then again, it ate for you so easily the first time it may take f/t just as easily lol.

[Aether]

Today I set him free, sadly for me. A friend I live with has a snake phobia...what a lucky coincidence. I bring him near a river with rocks, I bring him bare hand and he was so calm, curious and kind. Awsome snake.
I forgot to say the other day I had him in my hand, I brought him near the water dish and I saw him acutally drink, so cute. And do they yawn? Cause I think I saw him doing so.
Let's see what will be the next snake. Rains are imminent and so are snakes. Hope you will help me identify them as well.

[millertime89]

Very cute little guy! Snakes definitely yawn! There's another thread about it here:
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...akes-yawn.html

[mistersprinkles]

Originally Posted by Aether

Thank you guys, I always loved snakes but never been part of a community....maybe this can be it. I encounter a blind snake the other day, one of the smalles, was beautiful, too bad I didn't take some pics.

I took more photos. I would like to identify this snake and be 100% sure is it. I could even take photos of the inside of his mouth and anus if necessary.
I upload them to pho.to/9FfRe so you can see them all and enlarge the image to full size (I couldn't post the active link).

Please don't do that. Forcing your way into a snake's mouth/vent is very stressful on the animal and wild animals deserve to be wild. I suggest you take the snake to a suitable wild habitat and release it. It is not a pet, it is a wild snake.

Nice picture.

Bienvenido a la comunidad!!

[Aether]

Originally Posted by mistersprinkles

Please don't do that. Forcing your way into a snake's mouth/vent is very stressful on the animal and wild animals deserve to be wild. I suggest you take the snake to a suitable wild habitat and release it. It is not a pet, it is a wild snake.

Nice picture.

Bienvenido a la comunidad!!

Thanks, but I don't know what are you talking about, forcing what? Pets should deserve to be wild too, aka free. We could go on forever arguing about being wild, being free and all of that. I was about to keep him because he was pretty young...and you know, pets came from wild animals, usually from eggs, babies or young subjects, but even old ones can become pets. But yes, I would prefer to start with an egg or a newborn. I have already set him free.

[grapefruit]

I think he meant when you said you were willing to take pics of his mouth or anus to find out what species it is