Hello everyone...
This is my first time posting on here.. I am seeking some help in feeding my Willow girl. She is a Dekay brown snake. I am located in MD and I have a very woody backyard, which is a great place for them to live.. I have never had issues with them getting into my basement before but for some reason willow kept coming in and I kept setting her free far from the house and she would end up a few days later back in my basement.. with winter coming here and the days getting colder and colder I decided to keep her, I knew it was her, because she has this squiggle mark on her side, that i am calling a birthmark. it's how I kept identifying her. I have her in a 20 gallon long tank because she is about 9 to 10 inches long and she is a young adult, it is heat and humidity regulated and she has a pretty nice set up, I wanted her to be comfortable in her new home. She has a water dish and a food dish, hideaways, basking rocks and vines to clime, along with a 3D rock wall background, the substrate I use, is Zoo Med Eco Earth loose coconut fiber, and its enough she can burrow.. which she loves doing.. it's so cute when she pokes her tiny head up, to check things out. She is very shy and not thrilled about being held so I only handler her once a week for about 1 minute, just so she can get use to me. I have had her just about 1 month, I got her the last week of OCT but my first encounter with her was back in September when she was just out of the baby state. I went to the reptile pet store near by and they gave me red wigglers, that she will not eat. They also gave me mealworms, which she will not eat.. I read online they like slugs and earthworms.. So, am I feeding her the wrong type of food? and if so what should i be feeding her and how? should i get baby nightcrawlers and slugs? Also can I just put the live worms in her terrarium? they tend to wiggle out of the food dish even after cutting them up, is it safe to put a uncut earthworm or slug in her tank so she can hunt?... I have only ever had large breed snakes that ate rodents, So this tiny prey snake is new to me. Also let me mention she just went through a shed which was a very healthy one. The full skin and eye caps were intact in one piece. I read they don't eat before or after for a few days... I am happy to have found this forum and would appreciate any insight anyone can offer. I did see another question close to mine on here and read the info given which was helpful. but i still had a few questions of my own. Thanks again. -Kitty