so I'm about to become a snake owner

[pitbulllady]

Yep, that's a Florida Banded(Nerodia fasciata pictiventris), nice-looking girl, too.

pitbulllady

 

[skilletsteve]

Here she is being a good "lap snake" as you mentioned she would be.

 

[skilletsteve]

so i know goldfish aren't a good thing to feed to a snake, but i would rather feed live food rather than dealing with fillets at the grocery store. A bait shop that is close to me has the following baits available (I got this list from their website).

We Have Pike Chubs, Golden Shiners, Shinner Minnows, Spikes, Mousies, Wax worms.

Obviously Wax worms would be no good, I don't actually know what spikes and mousies are, would any of these be suitable snake food?

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

I've heard from nanfa.org from the baitshop fish are loads healthier than pet store fish. Couldn't pick one from the list but golden shiners I feel I've read about being used as feeders.

 

[skilletsteve]

I've heard from numerous fish keepers that fish from the baitshop are loads healthier than pet store fish. I've heard of golden shiners being used as food on numerous occassions.

alright I'll give it a shot!

 

[pitbulllady]

Shiners are OK now and then, but all of the fish commonly sold in bait shops, with the exception of Shad, are in the carp family, just like Goldfish, and still can have significant levels of Thiaminaise present.

I have no clue what "Spikes" and "mousies" are, unless the latter are actually mice, which I have heard of being used as Largemouth bait. I'm not sure about real Chubs, if they are high in Thiaminaise or not, but "Rosy Reds" are often sold as Chubs(real Chubs are BIG fish), so be careful there. It's not the risk of disease that makes pet store vs. bait store fish any different, but the species of fish themselves, and the enzymes naturally present in their bodies. Goldfish from ANY source are high in Thiaminaise, which is toxic to snakes.

What was this snake being fed before you got her(and obviously she was being fed, and fed well)? She could already be switched over to rodents, so you wouldn't have to bother with fish at all, and by feeding her rodents you don't have to worry about the Thiaminaise issue. It wouldn't hurt to try her with a pre-killed mouse just to see what she will do with it. I've never had a Banded that would not take scented frozen-thawed mice, by the way.

pitbulllady

 

[skilletsteve]

Shiners are OK now and then, but all of the fish commonly sold in bait shops, with the exception of Shad, are in the carp family, just like Goldfish, and still can have significant levels of Thiaminaise present.

I have no clue what "Spikes" and "mousies" are, unless the latter are actually mice, which I have heard of being used as Largemouth bait. I'm not sure about real Chubs, if they are high in Thiaminaise or not, but "Rosy Reds" are often sold as Chubs(real Chubs are BIG fish), so be careful there. It's not the risk of disease that makes pet store vs. bait store fish any different, but the species of fish themselves, and the enzymes naturally present in their bodies. Goldfish from ANY source are high in Thiaminaise, which is toxic to snakes.

What was this snake being fed before you got her(and obviously she was being fed, and fed well)? She could already be switched over to rodents, so you wouldn't have to bother with fish at all, and by feeding her rodents you don't have to worry about the Thiaminaise issue. It wouldn't hurt to try her with a pre-killed mouse just to see what she will do with it. I've never had a Banded that would not take scented frozen-thawed mice, by the way.

pitbulllady

the problem is since the previous owner had died no one knows what the snake was eating before. She had one feeding at the pet store and it was of goldfish :wall:. I'll try some scented frozen-thawed mice I think. Excuse the noob question, but how exactly do you scent them? just rub a fish on the mouse?


also while i'm asking noob questions: how long should I wait after a feeding before handling?

 

[pitbulllady]

the problem is since the previous owner had died no one knows what the snake was eating before. She had one feeding at the pet store and it was of goldfish :wall:. I'll try some scented frozen-thawed mice I think. Excuse the noob question, but how exactly do you scent them? just rub a fish on the mouse?


also while i'm asking noob questions: how long should I wait after a feeding before handling?

I try to avoid handling a snake for at least two days after it has eaten, but that depends on the snake and the size of the meal. The calmer the snake, the less likely it is to feel stressed and regurg after a meal.

I freeze mice in a ziplock bag with some fish, either shiners or chunks of fish from the supermarket, and that way the mice get covered with fish oil really well.

pitbulllady

 

[skilletsteve]

I would put money on you getting tagged in the first week BTW.

Just an update - with near daily handling I haven't been tagged yet.

 

[Crysta]

what did you end up feeding her? does she take mice?

 

[skilletsteve]

she has started taking f/t scented mice, but i just tried one that wasn't scented and she wanted nothing to do with it.

 

[Crysta]

ahaha scented mice it is then, great to see she is eating.

 

[pitbulllady]

Hope that you're still enjoying this Banded girl, and she should soon start taking unscented mice, if she hasn't already. One of my wild-caught big female Red-Bellies is now eating unscented medium RATS(yeah, she's that big)off tongs and all of my Bandeds are eating scenting rodents of various sizes, depending on the snake, with the exception of some newcomers I just picked up at a reptile show yesterday and haven't tried feeding yet, since they need some time to settle in first. Many of the females are gravid so they might not eat, or only eat sporadically, anyway, though one did try to swallow a small metal LCD flashlight last night! These are just great snakes, very friendly, alert and curious, and thankfully people are starting to realize their potential as pets. The prices were reasonable at the show, but have gone up to reflect that now people are thinking of Nerodia as something other than just King Cobra food. I had my hands in large bags and tubs of freshly wild-caught Water Snakes yesterday, of various species, picking out the best potential breeding stock, and only got bitten once, by a juvenile, which might have actually been going for my silver watch band. To a Water Snake, "shiny"+"metallic"+"moving"=FISH. None of the adults so much as musked or head-flattened at me, and many climbed right up my arm, completely unafraid. I guarantee I can pull out any of the big adults I bought home yesterday and sit it on my lap, and it will just sit there like a cat, only without getting hair all over my clothes. Next to Boa Constrictors, I've just found Water Snakes to be the calmest, gentlest, and most amenable to handling of all snakes. They really do seem to enjoy being close to people.

pitbulllady