Completely clueless...

[Hatter1214]

He's poked his nose at the glass at least once whenever he comes out of his hide, and I've seen him go over the bowl, but the fish remains untouched.

[RZL36]

My trick is cover the tank with a towel and leave it be. It will eat.

Another thing I do is actually drop the snake in the bowl. Probably not the best thing to do and the reasons not to do it are pretty apparent, but they dart out of the water and go right back in when they think you are not looking.

[Cazador]

Hi Madeline,

First, I should say that I've never raised ribbons, but I have a few tricks that work well with garters. Maybe they'll help you. The standard advise is to make sure the snake has everything it needs (proper temperature, plenty of hiding places, proper photoperiod, etc.). If you've covered the fundamentals (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets...ake_Care_Sheet), the next step is to offer food and walk away. Giving privacy often works, but not always because some snakes are a pain in the rear to get started eating in captivity.

- Reluctant eaters often hold out for 10 days to two weeks before eating, so yours will probably take food soon. Some very stubborn ones won't eat for 3-4 weeks, but then it's time for more invasive measures. You're not there yet.

- Don't let live fish remain in the food/water bowl for more than about 3 hours at a time. They should be removed because they foul the water by increasing the nitrogen levels with their waste and depleting the dissolve oxygen levels. Just add the fish when it's feeding time, and make sure you've read the article on thiaminase (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets...?title=Thiamin,).

- Fill a water bottle (or similar) with water. Then slowly pour it into the water dish. The sound of sprinkling/splashing water is very exciting to garters. It's all the better if you pour it through a screen lid because it increases the splashing vibrations.

- If it's attracted by the sprinkling water, add a fish to the dish, but keep the water level low enough that the fish's back is exposed. It'll cause the fish to splash/flop around and help with the excitement level.

- If you're still not having luck, raise the temperature into the mid-to-upper 80s. Keep it below about 90F, though. Then offer different food items. Maybe others can suggest food items that ribbon snakes love, but when I have finnicky garters, I offer worms, live splashing fish, fish chunks, and meat (on different days). I have the best luck getting problem garters to eat worms and live fish, though.

- Remember to replace the water in the water bowl, and don't let food remain in there for too long. Keep us posted on your progress, okay? Best of luck,

Rick

[Hatter1214]

It'll be two weeks tomorrow and he still hasn't eaten. Would it be better for him, at this point, to just get released back into the wild? I'd hate to lose him, but if it's for his own good I'm willing to do it.

And I'm going out of town on Saturday for thanksgiving, and all our other pets are going with us. I want to be able to give him proper care, but at this stage I'm not sure if I can.

Would he be better on his own in the wild?

[Hatter1214]

Alrighty, back to square one... Maybe.

I've been told he's not a ribbon snake, but a line snake. I did a few quick searches, but nothing comes up... it's like they don't even exist! He's about 12 inches long, mint green with one solid yellow stripe going down his back, with two others on the fourth scale row down on either side, and a checkered underbelly. He doesn't have the typical ribbon snake "spot" on his forehead, and he's very nervous and will release musk when he's afraid. No way to provide pics at the time, but I'm beginning to wonder if he's been correctly identified.

Now, from what I've heard line snakes only eat worms, but once again, I have no information in documented form to back this up considering that under online searches they don't even seem to exist.

I have nightcrawlers on hand, so out of desperation I put one in the cage with him. He freaked out, and I honestly don't blame him, considering it was half his size.

I can get people to feed him while I'm away, there's just the simple problem of WHAT to feed him, and what he is in the first place.

Does anyone know anything about line snakes, or what might fit his description? I'm getting a tad desperate here... I know things'll go much smoother if we could just get him to EAT...

[Stefan-A]

Lined snake, Tropidoclonion lineatum.

A very quick google search says that it's an earthworm eater. Smaller worms maybe?

[Hatter1214]

Thanks a ton, this has been driving me crazy.

Yes, we'll get a bowl of worms to put in his cage tomorrow, and he'll be looked after when we leave.

*sigh* No wonder he hasn't been eating the fish. I thought he might not be a ribbon snake, because some things didn't match (no spot on the head, uncheckered central stripe), but I couldn't think of what else he might be.

Alrighty... now that we're feeding him right, things should go much better... thanks so much to everyone, and I'll post back if there are any problems.

Also, it occurred to me one thing I never mentioned, partially because it's been up in debate for a week or so- The snake's name is Quinn Mallory, shortened to Quinn or Mal, depending on which family member you ask.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

no pics??

[Stefan-A]

Originally Posted by Hatter1214

Also, it occurred to me one thing I never mentioned, partially because it's been up in debate for a week or so- The snake's name is Quinn Mallory, shortened to Quinn or Mal, depending on which family member you ask.

Sliders?

I'm not saying this just to satisfy Reed's curiosity , but pictures would be great, so that we could verify that it really is a lined snake.

[Hatter1214]

Yep. All of my snake shall henceforth be named after characters from Sliders.

And no, I honestly have no possible way to get pictures. The digital camera is busted, and none of our cell phones have cameras. However, the description for the line snake fits him completely.

Not to mention, before I left I gave him an earthworm, and it was gone within minutes. I'm taking this as a good sign.

However, I'm probably getting a new phone for my birthday, so if you can stand to wait a few weeks I'm sure I could get them then.