need some help with wild caught yellowbelly watersnake

yellowbelly2001 · 04-22-15, 11:25 AM

Im from far south dallas. I live on 100 acres and am 99% sure this morning i caught a yellow bellied watersnake. Hes very pretty, ive never cared for reptiles and from what i learned, i have him holding in my mouses 20 gallon aquarium, hes chilling in there with her, if he eats her its fine cause i caught her about a week ago and could catcatch another, but what ive read they dont eat mice just fish, im cleaning a 120gal aquarium later will have a rock setup hiding spot 2 inches of water heating lamp and what fish where do i get them and how should i feed? The rock will be long and flat and provide 2x4 feet of coverage thats dry, the rest water. Whats the best way to feed and qill a setup like that work? I care for about 50 different types of animals on the ranch and this is just added too the collection, any help tips or tricks or important info please help, im on a phone. Or id post pics, hes very yellow 3 feet long circle pupils black tongue blunted head greyish greenish blackish on top, his belly is bright neon yellow

elkied243 · 04-23-15, 05:17 PM

He may not eat the mouse but she might get scared and bite him...I wouldn't keep them together. Try to post pictures when possible. If you can't get him in the other aquarium soon enough put him in a tub with holes drilled in it for ventilation.

**millertime89** · 04-23-15, 05:37 PM

You can get a tub like the one mentioned at just about any big box store. Just something like a 32 qt tub will work. I wouldn't leave them together that long. Mice are evil little creatures and more than a few snakes have died at their hands.

As far as feeding find out what kind of fish were living in the area you found him and try and catch fry of that species. A minnow net would allow you to catch them. That said, watersnakes, especially wild caught ones, can be very picky so it would probably be best if you returned him to the wild where you found him.

**lady_bug87** · 04-23-15, 05:40 PM

Is it legal to keep native species in South Dallas?

FWK · 04-23-15, 08:24 PM

Hello yellowbelly2001. An adult, wild caught Water Snake can be challenging for even the experienced herpetoculturist to keep. I agree with Millertime, both you and the animal would be better off if you released it. It would be much easier to start with a well established, captive bred animal.

If you are going to try to keep it I also agree with the above posters, separate the mouse and snake asap. There is a better chance of the mouse attacking the snake than the other way round. The 120 gallon aquarium could work but it will but much easier on you to leave it dry and place a large tub of water in the aquarium. Trying to clean that aquarium every time the snake makes a mess in the water will get really old really fast. Water Snakes poop a lot, especially if you are feeding it fish. Getting it feeding is going to be fun. Wild Water Snakes are very nervous, flighty snakes. It is accustomed to being able to dive into the water and swim to safety at the first sign of danger. No longer having that option is going to make for a very stressed snake. Stressed snakes don't eat.

Your best bet to get the snake calmed down and eating is to forgo the giant aquarium and instead put the snake in a relatively small tub with a thermostat controlled undertank heat pad one end. Put an appropriately sized hide at each end on the tub, a water bowl just big enough for the snake to get into in the middle, and use newspaper or paper towels for substrate. Put the tub someplace dark and quiet, and leave it alone. Don't even look at it other than to change its water every few days. The snake will feel much safer in a dark little tub someplace quiet than in a big aquarium with giants (people) moving around nearby.

If it were me, the first food I would offer would be a pre-killed mouse. Once the enclosure is set up and the snake settled in it for a couple days, as in you put the snake in the enclosure and didn't even go into the same room for a couple days, put the pre-killed mouse into the enclosure an hour or so after dark and leave it until morning. If the snake eats it you are on easy street, if not try again a couple days later. If you still have no luck, try putting a fish in the water bowl. Then a frog. If it still wont eat this would be a good time to throw in the towel and let it go. If it does start to eat you will have a few new problems to deal with, such as parasites. Semi-aquatic snakes are as bad as it gets when it comes to parasites.

On the ID, from your description it sounds very much like what is commonly called a Yellowbelly/Plain Belly/Blotched Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster). But I'd love to see some pictures.

As far as the law is concerned, it is legal in the State of Texas to take and keep any indigenous reptile so long as it is not protected and you have a hunting incense. The only Water Snake on the protected list is the Brazos Water Snake.

A couple final thoughts: I have a wild caught Blotched Water Snake. I caught it as a newborn, a few weeks old at best. I had to go to extremes to get it eating, but now it comes out and grabs a f/t mouse within minutes of placing the mouse in the enclosure. It is the only snake I have that will not eat right off the feeding tongs and it is still extremely flighty, though it has calmed down some. This newborn was not easy to get started, the adult you have could be impossible without resorting to extreme measures as well.