Keeping Wild Caughts?

Derek1 · 10-02-14, 07:09 PM

Over the last couple years I've caught some nice looking baby racers, green, ribbon and rats. Some adults of the same too. I've always let them go. But next year I'm thinking of getting some extra tanks and gearing up to handle some wild caught.

Question is, is there some special treatment they need, best way to make them unstressed? Ect...

jpsteele80 · 10-02-14, 07:14 PM

Best way to keep wild caught snakes is to not keep them, never know what kind of parasites they might have and that might possibly infect you other snakes. I wouldn't personally do it i think wild animals should stay in the wild. just my 2 cents.

drumcrush · 10-02-14, 07:18 PM

I know of some people that keep wild caught animals. If you have CB animals, i wouldn't try keeping them because you risk spreading parasites. I catch and keep for two weeks max and then release. I kept a garter over winter once. while I enjoyed having him, I'm Sure he didn't enjoy staying with me lol.

SSSSnakes · 10-02-14, 07:33 PM

First you need to make sure it is legal in your state to keep wild caught from your state. I have a license to keep them in my state. I keep Black Racers, Black Rats, Water Snakes and Garters that are wild caught for my educational shows. I have found that they adapt to captivity very fast. Some times they have to be treated for parasites. I have no problem with keeping wild caught, after all that is how this hobby got started in the first place. It is also what gave us old timers the passion for keeping reptiles and started our interest as kids.

Derek1 · 10-02-14, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSSSnakes

I have no problem with keeping wild caught, after all that is how this hobby got started in the first place. It is also what gave us old timers the passion for keeping reptiles and started our interest as kids.

Thanks! I meant to include your same quote as my own version in my OP but didn't.

Can you not treat for parasites? Bathe them in a solution or something? Forgive me for my stupidity, but I'm trying to learn.

SSSSnakes · 10-02-14, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek1

Thanks! I meant to include your same quote as my own version in my OP but didn't.

Can you not treat for parasites? Bathe them in a solution or something? Forgive me for my stupidity, but I'm trying to learn.

You can get meds to treat parasite in wild caught reptiles. I personally have never had to treat them and they do fine.

fedupdon · 10-02-14, 08:12 PM

Hey guys where do you think all the cb. Came from ive keep wild caught for 50 yr never had a problem my 2 cents

**Aaron_S** · 10-05-14, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fedupdon

Hey guys where do you think all the cb. Came from ive keep wild caught for 50 yr never had a problem my 2 cents

I'm going to keep wolves in my backyard. That's how we got the domesticated dog! By keeping and breeding them for certain traits! Same logic as yours.

On topic, I don't believe in keeping wild caughts of most commonly found animals. They have a place in ecosystem and it's best to leave them in it to do their job.

Yes, other people keep and buy/sell wild caught animals. Because someone else is doing crack are you going to do it too?

CosmicOwl · 10-05-14, 10:12 AM

I think it's acceptable to collect some wild specimens to start a captive breeding program. As long as the harvest population is sturdy enough to withstand it. I think we should be careful with keeping wild caught snakes that are successfully being bred in captivity. On the other hand, if I saw a beautiful yellow rat snake in the wild, I might be tempted to keep it.

**millertime89** · 10-07-14, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosmicOwl

I think it's acceptable to collect some wild specimens to start a captive breeding program. As long as the harvest population is sturdy enough to withstand it. I think we should be careful with keeping wild caught snakes that are successfully being bred in captivity.

This, so much this. Very well put.

I've known Jerry through this forum for quite some time and he's the last person that I would call an enemy of the hobby. If you get that impression from him you're barking up the wrong tree. He is one of the most helpful people around, but like many of us, won't hesitate to take advantage of you screwing up. You break the law, you pay the consequences. Welcome to adulthood. Try to be responsible.

FWK · 10-07-14, 11:12 PM

Y'all seem to misunderstand me, I do not condone breaking the law. In fact I spoke out strongly against it. That was my intention anyway. I have a hunting license just so I can legally handle and photograph wild snakes in my own back yard, as unnecessary as it seems to me. If I'm driving home at night and see a snake crossing the road at risk of being run over I do not stop to help because road cruising by "artificial light" is illegal in Texas, as ridiculous as that is to me. If I'm driving during the day and see a snake crossing the road I still don't stop because I don't have a vest with 144 square inches of reflective material and I'd have to wait for the snake to make it to the shoulder anyway, as absurd as that is to me.

I've taken some time to watch a few of your videos and most are really pretty good (don't mind DummingTs comment about the quality of the videos, that was as uncalled for as suggesting you should be eaten) but in a number of videos you intentionally harass your snakes to make them bite and this "Bad Attitudes" episode is in particularly bad taste. You have demonstrated that not only are Redtails to dangerous for anyone other than trained professionals but apparently so are Hognose and Rat Snakes. And you have sufficiently proven that if you wave your hand in front of a Cobra who is in full blue it will smack its nose on the glass for your amusement. In another video you continually harass a Boa Constrictor that is also in blue so it will hiss and strike. If that is how you treat your Hognose and Cobra I can only imagine what you have put the underfed Rock Python through. Do you condition all of your snakes to be defensive? Whoops, I mean "Aggressive." More people contact you for shows to see dangerous, "Aggressive" snakes than would for docile, well kept snakes. More shows more $$$ eh?

Look, it is pretty clear you know you way around snakes and you seem to genuinely care for your favorites (the Burmese for example) but the strict (and absurd) reptile laws in New York are good for your business and if they were suddenly relaxed your profits would probably nosedive. So go on about how many people have been killed by Rocks or how Hognose are "rear fang venomous. They may not be deadly, but they are not harmless." It's good for business. Not good for hobbyists, even those as far away as Texas, but good for business.

mrgrimm · 10-02-14, 08:14 PM

Just do your research and follow your heart. If you provide everything the animal needs and it eats well and seems to be acting normal then I would say it is OK. If they aren't eating well, do nothing but try to escape the cage, etc...then they are probably better off back in the wild.

Rehabilitation is really the only way I feel good about keeping something that was once wild, then release...or in some cases provide permanent housing if a release can't be done.

We currently have a very large wild wolf spider though, in a 10 gal tank temporarily that I caught on the front porch. It's an eating machine but I am having a hard time deciding on letting her go or not. I am actually thinking about making the spare 55 gal. the new spider domain so she feels less confined! munches down crickets and meal worms, drinks from a sponge...really cool.

Derek1 · 10-02-14, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrgrimm

Just do your research and follow your heart. If you provide everything the animal needs and it eats well and seems to be acting normal then I would say it is OK. If they aren't eating well, do nothing but try to escape the cage, etc...then they are probably better off back in the wild.

Rehabilitation is really the only way I feel good about keeping something that was once wild, then release...or in some cases provide permanent housing if a release can't be done.

We currently have a very large wild wolf spider though, in a 10 gal tank temporarily that I caught on the front porch. It's an eating machine but I am having a hard time deciding on letting her go or not. I am actually thinking about making the spare 55 gal. the new spider domain so she feels less confined! munches down crickets and meal worms, drinks from a sponge...really cool.

Spiders are so cool, though most creep me out. I don't kill them and have some great pics of a Wolf with babies. Fed a Wolf a cricket this year in the wild and she was an aggressive eater/feeder!

Doug 351 · 10-03-14, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrgrimm

Just do your research and follow your heart. If you provide everything the animal needs and it eats well and seems to be acting normal then I would say it is OK. If they aren't eating well, do nothing but try to escape the cage, etc...then they are probably better off back in the wild.

Rehabilitation is really the only way I feel good about keeping something that was once wild, then release...or in some cases provide permanent housing if a release can't be done.

We currently have a very large wild wolf spider though, in a 10 gal tank temporarily that I caught on the front porch. It's an eating machine but I am having a hard time deciding on letting her go or not. I am actually thinking about making the spare 55 gal. the new spider domain so she feels less confined! munches down crickets and meal worms, drinks from a sponge...really cool.

Yeah. ..I saw one once with babies. ..really cool. ..I used to see a lot of them but not as many these days. I wonder if my growing Western fence lizard population may be eating them.

Akuma223 · 10-02-14, 11:40 PM

Check if its legal in your area/state to keep wild snakes, if it is the go for it! All my garters probably even my little red one are wild caught and do fantastic. The chow down on mice like crazy and are active and curious. Really wonderful creatures, I literally had no issue at all getting them to eat mice. I've never treated mine for parasites and they are super healthy, though quarantine is absolutely necessary. They come right out of the cage on their own to explore. In Texas you have far more variety than just garters so you are way lucky (I'm real jelly)!