# got a snake!



## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

well, i bit the bullet and bought a malaysian racer snake...looks to be about 2ft in length, currently it's in a 10g with a water dish and half a log for hiding. any advice on caring for this other than the tank temp, water, humidity...basic stuff they tell you at the store?

ps, i'll get pics up as soon as i can, but i dont have direct access to a digital camera, so it could be about a week. im friggin PUMPED!!!


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## Mykoe817 (Feb 13, 2005)

run a google search "malaysian racer snake care"

you should researched b4 buying. but hey. i do that too. impulsive


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

actually, i know how to care for it, i was just looking for helpful tips from people who have had this type of snake before...trust me, i always research before i buy...this has been in the works for weeks, i just bought it now though.

by the way...this is exactly what it looks like...










add a few black stripes along the face and the body and its what mine looks like.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2006)

Was it an Asian rat snake -Elaphe taeniura ridleyi?
Here is a picture: http://www.ratsnakes.com/images/Etridleyi1juv_f.jpg


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

This might be better in the Reptile forum.


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

COngrats on the pickup. Looks like a cool snake. What does it eat?


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

Simple snakes from what I understand... if you have any specific questions, PM me.

Good luck


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

the clerk said large crickets and probably a pinkie given it's size...i'll start on crickets.

any suggestions on other foods?

oh yeah, definately not a rat snake, i've heard those are extremely agressive and are quite difficult to tame. it's brownish like the picture, but it's got 2 black stripes on each side of its head and a black stripe down each one of its sides to its tail...


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2006)

The pet store told you to feed your snake crickets? 
and it's two feet long?









I don't know about this. 
Do you have a scientific name or another common name for this snake?

Also, rat snakes are one of the best snakes to keep as pets, especially when they're captive bred.


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## shenlonco1 (Jan 16, 2006)

Cool check out my site i breed snakes and lizards.

ARX REPTILES


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## [email protected]° (Jun 16, 2004)

Nice snake!!

I used to keep ball pythons when I was younger. Lately I have been thinking about getting another one now that I have room again.

Good luck with your critter!


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## C0Rey (Jan 7, 2006)

snakes are sweet, to bad theyre ILLeGAL as hell here. 2000USD fine if u get busted.


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

C0Rey said:


> snakes are sweet, to bad theyre ILLeGAL as hell here. 2000USD fine if u get busted.


what is legal in your country of cold dark oppersion?

thats a cool snake, how big do they get?

i had a albino corn snake ( i guess) and a ball python for a few years, my roommates brother got them in college then pushed them off on us when he had to move back home. they are kind of cool but i find fish to be more my style but hey what ever makes you happy..


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## C0Rey (Jan 7, 2006)

nismo driver said:


> snakes are sweet, to bad theyre ILLeGAL as hell here. 2000USD fine if u get busted.


what is legal in your country of cold dark oppersion?

thats a cool snake, how big do they get?

i had a albino corn snake ( i guess) and a ball python for a few years, my roommates brother got them in college then pushed them off on us when he had to move back home. they are kind of cool but i find fish to be more my style but hey what ever makes you happy..
[/quote]

killing baby seals is encouraged by the government. everything else is illegal.


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

_Moved to reptile forum_


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## quickdeath (Jan 15, 2006)

snakes are snakes man... they are all pretty much the same. I have had a few snakes over the years ranging from field caught diamond back rattle snakes to pythons and boas. Snakes are almost impossible to kill. My red tail boa was a rescued snake, when I firts got her she didn't eat for 8 months (crazy right) she would go without water for weeks on end (not because of lacking on my part).. now she eats great. The point is they are a creature built on the principals of survival. Their organs actually dry up and stop working when they go for a period of time without food or water.. then as soon as they drink or eat.. boom, the organs kick back in! Weird, kinda; hard to believe... but never the less..true! All I would suggest is a mild heat source (since they can't control their own heat) but make sure not to put bulbs in the tank .. they will burn themselves. Also a snake has NO immune system so you want to watch the rats (when you get to that point) and make sure the rats don't bite!

Other than that, just the basics which you know!
Good luck

QD


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

C0Rey said:


> snakes are sweet, to bad theyre ILLeGAL as hell here. 2000USD fine if u get busted.


what is legal in your country of cold dark oppersion?

thats a cool snake, how big do they get?

i had a albino corn snake ( i guess) and a ball python for a few years, my roommates brother got them in college then pushed them off on us when he had to move back home. they are kind of cool but i find fish to be more my style but hey what ever makes you happy..
[/quote]

killing baby seals is encouraged by the government. everything else is illegal.
[/quote]

Where do you live?


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2006)

quickdeath said:


> snakes are snakes man... they are all pretty much the same.... Snakes are almost impossible to kill...Also a snake has NO immune system so you want to watch the rats (when you get to that point) and make sure the rats don't bite!


uh....








Okay, I don't want to put anyone on the defensive here, but it's posts like these that drive home the point that everyone has to be very careful about information they receive from the interent, -especially forums where anyone can contribute. Unless the next poster in the thread points out the incorrect advice, there is no way of distinguishing erroneous information.

1) Since snakes inhabit 6 continents and all but the coldest environments, a single captive-care protocol will NOT cover all species of snakes.

2) Improper care of your snake will *easily* lead to its death. They are certainly not impossible to kill.

3) Like *all * higher organisms, snakes have an immune system to aid in its resilience to bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections.


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

ok, so other than pinkies (not that im against feeding pinkies, i just would like to keep the diet varied) what should i feed to my snake? the guy said crickets and the snake could probably take a pinkie (it looks like it could, it's head is about the size of a pinkies body width.

currently i have a basking lamp with a 75w bulb in it for the daytime, i'll keep that burning about 12-14 hours a day, and i JUST bought another fixture with a night-time light after last night, i found the tank very cold this morning...so the nightlight looks like the moon is out, and definately throws the heat.

this is my setup... 10 gallon tank with paper towels for substrate, the guy at the pet-store says that's all they use and it's easy cleanup, also, there's a water rock, and since i found this snake at the store completely immersed in a container of water, i decided to get a rather large water rock which was fairly deep so the snake could submerge itself, that's at one end, then the other end is a plastic half-log where the snake can coil up, the top of the tank is a wire top and the two lights are positioned over the spot where the log is, so the log provides shading. other than that, there's nothing in the way of climbing structure or anything, just a basic setup.

one thing im concerned about is the humidity, it's very dry here in the winter, and im wondering what i should do to raise the humidity in the tank, wether i should just spray it a bit with water like every morning, or if the water dish will evaporate enough for it to be beneficial.


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

r1dermon said:


> ok, so other than pinkies (not that im against feeding pinkies, i just would like to keep the diet varied) what should i feed to my snake? the guy said crickets and the snake could probably take a pinkie (it looks like it could, it's head is about the size of a pinkies body width.
> 
> currently i have a basking lamp with a 75w bulb in it for the daytime, i'll keep that burning about 12-14 hours a day, and i JUST bought another fixture with a night-time light after last night, i found the tank very cold this morning...so the nightlight looks like the moon is out, and definately throws the heat.
> 
> ...


lol Don't be concerned with variation in the diet... rat pinkies will be fine for life. Also, try to feed the snake something the size of its girth.

Setup sounds fine.

Get a humidity measurer (can't think of the name now... grr) and base what you do off that. I don't believe these snakes require too much humidity, so as long as you have a heat source near the water it should be fine but some misting might be necessary.


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Bullsnake said:


> snakes are snakes man... they are all pretty much the same.... Snakes are almost impossible to kill...Also a snake has NO immune system so you want to watch the rats (when you get to that point) and make sure the rats don't bite!


uh....








Okay, I don't want to put anyone on the defensive here, but it's posts like these that drive home the point that everyone has to be very careful about information they receive from the interent, -especially forums where anyone can contribute. Unless the next poster in the thread points out the incorrect advice, there is no way of distinguishing erroneous information.

1) Since snakes inhabit 6 continents and all but the coldest environments, a single captive-care protocol will NOT cover all species of snakes.

2) Improper care of your snake will *easily* lead to its death. They are certainly not impossible to kill.

3) Like *all * higher organisms, snakes have an immune system to aid in its resilience to bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections.
[/quote]

very true


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

i fed it a fuzzy today and it went after it in about half a minute....i never asked when the last time he was fed at the store, but they said feed him once a week, and he defacated on the towels, so i figured i'd just establish that as a schedule, once a week for now.


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## black_piranha (Jan 12, 2006)

nice racer. does it bite? i just got my first snake also. a kingsnake and it bites me all the time, but too small to hurt me now.


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

only when he's in his tank. he's a prick when he's in his tank...after he's out he's not bad though, basically just tries to get away, but its not hard to catch him...his bites dont hurt, not at all....


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## Kuda (Mar 7, 2006)

CANT WAIT TO SEE THOSE PICS


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