nerodia
- Thread starter JOE P
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- Oct 1, 2010
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very pretty...ill be in NC the end of this week for a week vacation..maybe ill see some..
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
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Wow, those are some pretty snakes. How handleable are they? My experience has been that nerodia are some of the orneriest snakes out there, yet your's seems pretty calm in your hand.
- Joined
- May 1, 2004
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- 2,290
I hear ya! I've got a nice pair of N. erythrogasters and a smokin' yearling myself. The ones from the coastal plains of the Carolinas are the nicest around, imo. I've also found this to be an easy species to switch over to rodents, if you so desire.
To respond to satchellwk, I've discovered that the reputation of this genera of snakes is pretty far removed from the reality. Sure, some will bite when first caught or if handled roughly, but many won't, and I've never encountered one that did not tame down within a couple of days at the most. And when I say "tame", I mean "DOG-tame". Water Snakes are some of the laziest, mellowest snakes around, except when it comes to eating. If you want a snake that will literally just sit and chill on your lap for hours, get a Water Snake. They are experts at that game, seriously. There is also a huge and largely untapped potential for interesting genetic morphs that is largely being ignored due to their reputation for being "ornery". Honestly, I have not found them to be any worse than a wild-caught Corn Snake in that department. I've currently got 7 species/sub-species, and every single one is very handleable, to the point that I have no qualms about letting young children hold them, provided that the KIDS are well-mannered, that is! I've taken them to nursing homes and had elderly residents, who'd always been afraid of snakes, holding them on their laps, and I don't trust my Ball Pythons enough to do that.
pitbulllady
To respond to satchellwk, I've discovered that the reputation of this genera of snakes is pretty far removed from the reality. Sure, some will bite when first caught or if handled roughly, but many won't, and I've never encountered one that did not tame down within a couple of days at the most. And when I say "tame", I mean "DOG-tame". Water Snakes are some of the laziest, mellowest snakes around, except when it comes to eating. If you want a snake that will literally just sit and chill on your lap for hours, get a Water Snake. They are experts at that game, seriously. There is also a huge and largely untapped potential for interesting genetic morphs that is largely being ignored due to their reputation for being "ornery". Honestly, I have not found them to be any worse than a wild-caught Corn Snake in that department. I've currently got 7 species/sub-species, and every single one is very handleable, to the point that I have no qualms about letting young children hold them, provided that the KIDS are well-mannered, that is! I've taken them to nursing homes and had elderly residents, who'd always been afraid of snakes, holding them on their laps, and I don't trust my Ball Pythons enough to do that.
pitbulllady
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
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- 257
Wow, I had no idea. All the experience with them that I have with them has been from wild specimens, which are far from tame.
That's really amazing that a snake can seem so vicious in the wild, and then, as oyu've pointed out, better than ball pythons in captivity. That's what I call one bipolar species.
That's really amazing that a snake can seem so vicious in the wild, and then, as oyu've pointed out, better than ball pythons in captivity. That's what I call one bipolar species.
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- May 1, 2004
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- 2,290
Naw, I wouldn't call them "bi-polar". My Green Ghost Ball Python-now THAT is bi-polar. You never know one day to next if he will be calm and allow handling or try to take your face off. Ditto for many of the Pituophis I've had, who'd be really sweet one moment and the next time you move they'd spazz out in that classic "hissy fit", and they remain like that, for their entire lives. With Water Snakes, IF they bite at all(and I've caught plenty that never attempted to bite, ever), it's pretty much a one-shot deal. They bite once or twice, and then figure out that it's a waste of time and effort and stop. They just don't try it again unless you cover yourself with fish oil. At the most, it's taken me 24 hours and just a few brief handling sessions to completely tame one to the point where it doesn't try to bite, musk or flee when I pick it up. I think with Water Snakes, if you grab them during capture, which most snake-catches tend to do, you're likely to be bitten, and honestly I can't blame the snake. Of course, the fact that they do tend to flee, FAST, at the slightest sign of danger means that often grabbing is the ONLY way to catch one before it vanishes into the water, but if you are able to lift up from underneath the snake without really grabbing it and just sorta let it "run" across your hands, you'll find that they are much, much less likely to even make that first defensive bite, and with gentle and persistent handling, in a few hours they will just give up on the whole defensive thing completely. I've reached into big boxes containing dozens of freshly wild-caught Water Snakes of various species that were being sold as feeder snakes at reptile shows, and picked out the ones I wanted(got most of my breeders that way) without getting a single bite. The most non-feed-response bites I've ever gotten from the same Water Snake was two. In contrast, a big male Corn I caught in the school building where I work a couple of years ago bit me no less than 18 times from the building to the parking lot where I had to go to get a snake bag out of my truck; my arms looked like I'd been in a fight with a bobcat by the time I got back in the building-scared my Principal half to death, lol! But, Corns are supposed to be the gentle snakes, while Water Snakes have the bad reputation for being "mean".
pitbulllady