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one of these cuties is coming home with me in a few weeks.

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Look fwd to the pics buzilla...

My iguana thing isn't a prank... my friend is in on it. We are both pretending, just a little in-joke because although I love iguanas they are too specialised to be available much here and I am not experienced enough to care for reptiles.

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

psst doe - take the ginger one!!!

I just might do that! I might ending up taking 2 because they are small . Roommate's cat is not going to be impressed either way , but she'll get over it.

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Currently:
3 cats- Socks, PC and Calvin
1 African Grey Parrot- Mischief
1 RedFooted Tortoise- Munchie
1 California King Snake- Cali
1 Husband- Justin
1 (hopefully )child- not yet named

I have also kept hamsters and horses. We would like a dog, but things are full up as it is.


- Meow -

Currently:
1 male bearded Dragon- Gonzalles(gonzo for short)
2 murry river short neck turtles- Murry and mike

Use to have:
1 other turtle
2 budgies
3 or 4 cats- not at the same time tho

Add one ring-neck snake to the list

What subspecies?

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

No idea... I'll go take some pictures of him quick an' post 'em up here...

He's got an orange (w/black spots) belly... he's a tiny little guy

What state do you live in? Is his neck ring orange as well?

The reason finding out the specific subspecies is important is because they all seem to have different diets. Some only eat earthworms, and others only salamanders. Some of the larger subspecies (notably those in the West) will feed on rodents in captivity, but most of the others won't. This can make feeding the snake troublesome.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I live in south-east SD (Sioux Falls, specifically).

My AP Environmenal Science teacher and a guy in my reef club (that also works at petco) both said that he'll eat small crickets, ants, etc...and also any small fish that I put in his water bowl (guppies, etc)...

Yes, his ring is also orange/yellow...

Here's some pics...

I'm linking them to my photobucket so Adam doesn't get mad and make me resize them. I want them big so you can see the details

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01213Large.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01220Large.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01214Large.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01219Large.jpg

He's got some missing scales or something on him... it looks like he got stepped on or squashed or something. I'm guessing it will regenerate/heal as he sheds his skin over time?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01216Large.jpg

I'm keeping him in a 2.5 gal tank with a glass hood on it that's sitting inside a 10 gal tank (just to be sure he doesn't get out) that's inside my stand for my 20 long (soon to be reef). As of now, he has no lighting or heating in there (paper towel substrate), but I'm going to get a UV-A/B bulb in there for him. I don't think he needs any heat, 'cause it's like WINTER here and it's 60-70 MAX during the peak of the afternoon, so he'll probably be fine in my ~75F room (which will be even warmer when there's 30 gallons of 80F saltwater flowing thru the sump that's in that stand

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks, Natalie!

EDIT - He's about 12.5" long, if that helps

Ahh... Diadophis punctatus arnyi. They aren't too bad when it comes to feeding. Once it settles in, it will probably take eathworms as well as small salamanders.

It appears at one point in the snake's life, it suffered a very serious injury... Not just a cut or something, it actually looks like there is missing flesh. Probably an attack from a predatory mammal like a raccoon or skunk. Luckily, however, the wound appears to be old and is now completely healed. It shouldn't pose any problems for the snake.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Also, humidity is very important for this species. It would be best to mist the cage at least once a day. They also appreciate a substrate they can burrow into (a lot of people use fertilizer-free potting soil for their Ringnecks), and a few objects on the surface that they can burrow under.

Ringnecks are fossorial snakes, so don't be surprised if you never see the snake crawling around the tank.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I've been using 2 paper towels that are folded together (basically 4 layers of paper) as a substrate...it fits the bottom of the 2.5g tank perfectly. He usually sits in between layers...

I've got a little water dish in there (and a glass lid on the tank), so it's slightly humid in there. When I have the 20 long reef set up with the sump in there, that should keep it plenty humid in there (there's room inside the stand for both the 10 gal and the 2.5 gal tanks)...

Do you think I should give him any mineral suppliments or anything? Vitamin coating stuff or whatever? I know one of my friends coats mealworms in stuff for his geckos...

I'll put some stuff in there for him to burrow in...maybe shred up some of the paper towels or something. I really don't want to use any potting soil or anything 'cause I want something that I can easily (and cheaply) change every few days.

Thanks for IDing him for me... I'll do some googling on it and see what kind of info I can pull up on him

Thanks

Snakes don't need vitamin supplements or UV lighting like lizards do. They get all of their nutrition directly from their food, which is why it's important to make sure the prey animals are healthy and well-fed.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

They don't need vitamin d to utilize calcium? IIRC, all animals do... including people

I guess I'll just use a regular 15w CF bulb in there for heat/light (it stays plenty warm in here anyway)...

How often should I feed the little guy?

Thx

The subject of whether or not snakes need vitamin supplements is one that tends to spark debate. While the general consensus among most herp keepers is that they get all of their nutrition from their food, others insist that their snakes do better with supplements.

Snakes that eat almost exclusively insects and other invertebrates (such as green and garter snakes, for example) do need their food dusted. But most ringnecks, because they tend to eat a lot of vertebrate prey, generally don't need supplements. Snakes digest even the skeletons of their prey, which is how they get their calcium. As long as your snake gets vertebrate prey such as salamanders and pinky mice (if it will except them) on a regular basis, it should not need supplements.

Here are a couple threads on the subject from Kingsnake.com:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1121723,1121723
http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1111890,1111890

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Um, this snake is full grown, right?

His mouth opens up less than 1cm when fully extended... how on earth is he going to swallow a pinky mouse?! I could see that with a larger snake, but not this little guy...

Um, this snake is full grown, right?

Nope... He has the potential to put on several more inches. If he is unable to eat pinkies, then he will likely have to get salamanders instead.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

So basically full grown...

What kind of small salamanders are out there? Are you talking about newt-like things or are you talking about skinks and stuff?

Salamanders are amphibians, not reptiles. Your snake may take small lizards though.

I'm not sure what species of salamanders live in South Dakota... You'll probably need a field guide for that. Stay away from newts, though. The majority of North American species I can think of are toxic, but I'm not too good with eastern amphibians.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Here's snake No. 8: Lampropeltis getula goini

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I have a cat (Fez, Male, 1 yr 1/2) and three rats (Yuki, Scoop, and Nibbler, male, 1 yr each)

Inky

2 mad kittens, about 100 giant african land snails and 4 children

I have five rats,

Bailey - has head tilt and needs lots of love
Storm - is Bailey's sister, is so sweet,they are inseparable
Bel - is mad.
Hestia - likes food and ears.
Lucky - was a rescue from my LFS - she had been dumped with terrapins.

I want a hamster. used to have them when I was a kid.

and a puppy or two.

ho hum

GFG

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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone