Fell In love with a backyard snake.. looking for advice!

[Ryachanira]

Good to know; I will get some neosporin onto that tail tonight when I get home.

Final question of the day (hopefully!) - I have not seen him in the water at all. I do not know if he is drinking or not. This morning when I put him back into his cage after handling him, I actually set his front third into the water. He seemed to hate it - squirmed out of the water as fast possible and bolted up into the plastic plant. The minnows are still untouched (I will be looking for guppies next time). Any reason to be concerned by this? Like I said, I have not seem him drink, but then again I have not seen him eat either, I just know that I put a worm into the cage in the morning and it is gone by the evening, so surely he is eating them.

Thank you all again so much for your help, this is such a great forum!

[infernalis]

he may still be shy, in time you will see him eat and drink.. Eventually he will grab the food right away from you as soon as he sees it.

so glad it's working out for you.

[Selkielass]

Looks like a male to me, but you will know for sure as he gets older and larger.
It looks like he had a near escape and might have lost a tiny bit of the tail tip. It should nearly disappear after a shed or two. Antibiotic ointment is a good treatment until it seals over.

I'm Sooo glad he is doing well!

[Selkielass]

Oh, worms have a lot of water in them, so don't worry too much if you don't see him drink. I have one snake that is an avid drinker and bather, and another who I seldom see near the water dish. Both are thriving and growing (And pooping) like crazy so I know both are getting plenty of fluids.

[Mommy2many]

I just read this thread from start to finish. First of all, Welcome to this forum! I was so happy to read that you took an interest in a possibly sick and/or injured wild snake. That is so very considerate of you. I agree with all before me on getting the appropriate set-up for Silv and if God forbids, something were to happen, many of us here could help you in acquiring another scaly friend to train you

As also said before me, the tail is an injury and any antibiotic ointment such as neosporin or bacitracin will work. As for male or female, I vote male.

Worms are the easiest to digest. Your baby may also enjoy salmon or tilapia from the fish dept. of your grocery store (since the live food is ew,ew,ew!!!) I have W/C Easterns that took to the salmon readily. I get fresh fish and then freeze what I have leftover. Great when you need something right away.

The worms may also be cut up to attract eating in your presence (possibly) Babies tend to eat more frequently. Worms can be purchased at Walmart for $3.00 for about 20 (in the fishing dept). They are to be kept in the fridge until you use them. Also, some garters really enjoy slugs! Those you will have to hunt for in the yard but that can be satisfying as well (I know, little things entertain me)

I don't recall seeing where you live. I'm guessing mid to western US since you have a red-sided garter.

All in all, good luck with your new friend and keep us posted as to his progress.

[mustang]

im glad your snakes doing well and youll be a great parent lol (you get really attatched to thees little guys)

[Ryachanira]

Here is an update on my baby - he is doing very well, in my personal opinion. He has eaten three worms since Wednesday night, out of four we gave him - one we found dead in his cage and after a few hours it shriveled up and was dried out so we tossed it. He still has not touched those minnows BUT I did see him drink this morning, too cute! He has also pooped on me once now, lovely. Haha.

He is MUCH more active today. He keeps running the perimeter of his cage, exploring everything. He also keeps climbing to the top, getting up on the lip of the cage right under the lid and trying to push at the lid. Also, he is a little less happy with being held now - when I pick him up he is super wiggly, like he is trying desperately to get away. Which is kind of sad, but overall very good since I think it means he is feeling much better! It was probably not so normal for him to barely ever move.

One More Question - I looked into this supplement powder at PetsMart and wasn't sure if I needed it or not. I know that people have mentioned dipping worms in stuff if that is all they eat but I wanted to know if this is the right thing to use or if I need to get something different. It is Fluker's Repti-Cal: Fluker Farms Repta-Calcium Dietary Supplement - Reptile - PetSmart I haven't used it yet since I was waiting to ask you all. I will continue to supply him fish and possibly try some frozen pinkies soon, but right now all I am having success with is the worms.

Here are a couple more pictures:

Silv, basking at the top of his branch:


New tank setup, with more plants, some stones and a background (which is of course more for me than him!):


Exploring:

[guidofatherof5]

Silv is looking good.
Eating, drinking and pooping. Things could be much worse.
Here's the product I use:
REP Cal Ultrafine Powder Calcium with Vitamin D3 #200 - Supplements...#

[indigoman]

If eating just worms now a light dusting of your cal. suppliment would be advisable. I use mine about every 3rd feeding. very nice snake and setup by the way!

[ConcinusMan]

I really don't think it's all that necessary. Worms have more calcium than people tend to think. Too much supplementing can be harmful. If you use supplements, use them sparingly. More is not better.