Re: Water Snake Care Sheet
They have the same basic care as garters- same risks and health issues, same basic diet. I love nerodia, and have had a good success rate with them. I would share the following, however:
Housed individually- I find the females can be highly aggressive towards each other and males of similar size. They are not nearly as cohabitation friendly as thamnophis.
Picky eaters- most of the nero I've dealt with find one food they like (maybe two) and will exclusively eat that. My current female even has a preference on the color of the fish I feed her (lighter colors only), and has almost starved herself in her refusal to eat anything else.
Place to dig- Of the ones I've had, only one wasn't a digger. They really enjoy digging down (usually near the water dish). It doesn't seem to be heat or stress related, just a preference.
Water dish size- It should be large enough that they can curl up in it, but not so large that they'll swim around a lot (unless you get them a HUGE tank). They tend to stay in the water too long and end up with skin problems.
Hope that helps!
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