Not sure if this is a water snake or what....

I'm living in Indiana. I caught this snake in creek when I was fishing at Oakdele dam. I wonder if this is a water snake or what? I decided to keep him as my first snake pet. I don't know where to ask. This is my first post here. I've been googleing for an entire day and figured out it might be a northern water snake? or banded water snake? but I found that banded water snake is not in Indiana. So....please help me. I wonder if my setup is correct for this new mate? I found that many forum suggest not to use gravel as bedding. But since I found it in water, I figured that I should use semi-aqua setup? Is this snake exotic? How to take him out to change the bedding and water?

Thanks!

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Why do this? If you want a snake why not just buy one. Then at least you would know what your bringing home. It appears to be a water snake and that bass you have in with it is to big.

Have you checked your local laws? Some places do not allow you to take certain animals out of the wild or require a permit. Plus that bass could earn you a ticket in some circumstances as well.

Im not a fan of removing animals from the wild unless they are going to be a food source. Making them pets is just a bad idea in my mind. There are way to many options now days to buy snakes. You can find almost anything or something at any price point. You could even find water snakes and you would be less likely of having a snake with parasites that could spread to others once your collection grows.

Also many times with wild animals it can be difficult to get them the thrive in captivity. Many do not eat and if kept to long and then released incorrectly they will end up dying.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Why do this? If you want a snake why not just buy one. Then at least you would know what your bringing home. It appears to be a water snake and that bass you have in with it is to big.

Have you checked your local laws? Some places do not allow you to take certain animals out of the wild or require a permit. Plus that bass could earn you a ticket in some circumstances as well.

Im not a fan of removing animals from the wild unless they are going to be a food source. Making them pets is just a bad idea in my mind. There are way to many options now days to buy snakes. You can find almost anything or something at any price point. You could even find water snakes and you would be less likely of having a snake with parasites that could spread to others once your collection grows.

Also many times with wild animals it can be difficult to get them the thrive in captivity. Many do not eat and if kept to long and then released incorrectly they will end up dying.

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thanks for your reply.

He puked the fish after I caught him.

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Originally Posted by davy

thanks for your reply.

He puked the fish after I caught him.

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Oh, that's not good. Depending how far he got the fish down he could have lost very precious stomach fluids. If you decide to keep it give him 14 days before you try feeding it to be safe. Feeding to soon after such an incident can just make things worse. Then if you do feed it give it a smaller meal first.

That's really impressive he downed that bass. He sent it back up because he is going to fight or flee when it gets the chance.

I promise a captive bred and born snake will be a much better pet for you. You seem to have the setup so why have you not bought one yet?

I agree with KMG. Sure, the snake might do OK but you should think seriously about buying a captive bred.....especially if this is your first snake. The problems and expense you may encounter might turn you off to keeping snakes for good. Take it from experienced people, start with a captive born for sure. It might save you some heartache. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Rob

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Originally Posted by davy

I'm living in Indiana. I caught this snake in creek when I was fishing at Oakdele dam. I wonder if this is a water snake or what? I decided to keep him as my first snake pet. I don't know where to ask. This is my first post here. I've been googleing for an entire day and figured out it might be a northern water snake? or banded water snake? but I found that banded water snake is not in Indiana. So....please help me. I wonder if my setup is correct for this new mate? I found that many forum suggest not to use gravel as bedding. But since I found it in water, I figured that I should use semi-aqua setup? Is this snake exotic? How to take him out to change the bedding and water?

Thanks!

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Looks like you have a young northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon. The main problem with your setup would be keeping it clean. You would need to remove the water, rocks and decor weekly for a thorough cleaning. Those pebbles are right around the perfect size for causing impaction on that snake too. Too large to pass easily but small enough to be ingested accidentally. An easier solution would be a typical terrestrial setup with a large enough water dish for soaking and feeding. You take him out with your hands, the snake can't hurt you. It will likely bite repeatedly and musk to no end - get used to stinky hands.

This looks to be a midland watersnake (also known as banded) They are often confused with the cottonmouth as they can be quite similar and share the same habitat. Removing a snake like this from the wild, without reason or knowledge is pretty silly.

they are also known to have a pretty nasty disposition. They will also secrete a musk when on the defensive, which is never fun.

i don't know about Illinois, however I'm fairly certain they are protected by state law in Georgia against killing or capture, but you would need to look into that.

most wild caught snakes are often riddled with parasites in the wild. It's just somthing they deal with, this snake is normally quite heavy bodied too, which makes me believe this snake in particular is likely housing internal parasites itself.


in my humble opinion, do yourself and the snake a favor and release it where you found it. And go buy yourself a captive bred, "pet" snake.


all the best

"edit" I read your state as Illinois not Indiana, outside that and the genus the rest of the post still stands

I agree with everyone else. Please release the snake where you found it. There's no point in keeping a wild caught snake if all you want is a pet, nor is it even worth the hassle of removing parasites and establishing the animal, especially if it does not survive. Furthermore, you are a first time snake owner. It would be best if you go out and buy a captive bred specimen bred for the pet trade. And even before that, please go out and do enough research on the snake before you obtain it so you do know what you're doing. If it's because you cannot afford to buy a pet snake, then you're simply not ready to own a snake yet. If finding an available specimen is the issue, then you can always look into buying online and having it shipped to you. But I cannot stress enough that wild animals are best left alone beyond scientific or breeding reasons.

While I wouldn't keep a wild caught snake as a pet based off of the husbandry problems alone, it's against the law to catch and keep most indigenous species of animal anymore. I have nothing against it though if some one else wants to do it but be warned you shouldn't handle it, keep any other domestic snakes near it, feeding it will be a severe challenge, it will always be trying to escape, chances are it will die before acting like a domestic in most circumstances. All snakes were wild caught at some point so I'm not going to criticize any one who desires to keep a wild caught as long as they know the issues associated with it.

How bout an update?