New baby ribbon

[Doug 351]

First off...I said I "think" it's a red-striped, it's possible that it's a Western...it just looked pretty red when I caught it. I caught a Western blue out of the same pond a few years ago and kept it for a year before realeasing it in a safer environment. That pond is not safe as it's in close proximity to lawnmowers and uneducated snake haters. It's chance for survival is much better with me. (Provided I can get it to eat. This thing is a baby. It's chance of survival in the wild is not that great.

I just released a full grown rat snake that I kept for a few months. I saved it's life as I intervened as a group of 7 or 8 people were going to kill a "huge Copperhead"! I had it out playing with it the next day and took it back to the house I rescued it from and showed them the viscous snake they were going to kill. It still amazes me how docile that snake was.

I caught a full grown speckled king in my front yard and took it to the nature center where they made a display specimen snake out of it and it was well cared for. Years later, I caught a baby speckled and was going to keep it awhile but it escaped and I never found it.

I've had many wild caught animals over the years and I always take care of them well and usually release them in the area I feel is best for them.

They do sell Western ribbons here, I bought one for my daughter as a pet when she was very young and she loved it. I don't know about red-striped.

As far as pets go....not really my intention necessarily, so I wouldn't want to go out and buy one. I have a pet snake: 'Oscar' a full grown wild caught female Texas rat snake. I know Oscar is funny name for a female, but it was a grumpy baby when I caught it 15 years ago. I didn't know what it was, and anything about how to care for it, so I did research. She's my baby and she's been my ambassador for stopping the senseless killing of these animals in my neighborhood. She's been handled by hundreds of people over the years and hopefully educated them on what they are: beneficial harmless animals. I teased her hard to test her disposition before I handed her over to kids to hold. She hated being tied in knots, but never bit. She did bite me one time when I was doing something else she didn't like....and she just clamped down so lightly she didn't break the skin...(just warning me she'd had enough!)

She did bite the crap out of me awhile back....I was chunking dead mice into her enclosure and was looking at the next mouse (and not her) when I felt her clamp down on my fingers....I had to pry her off me! (She thought she had a mouse and wasn't letting go!)

I have a baby Texas rat snake right now....it's tamed down and eating well...but unless Oscar dies, I'll release it when it gets some size on it or ask the nature center if they need one.

I do have a small heating pad for the cage the ribbon is in.
BTW: Yes...I'm in Texas...native born.

EDIT: One last point: don't be confused....there is a HUGE difference between a person who knows what they are doing keeping one individual and collected large numbers for sale to people who don't from wild populations.