Dragon snakes !!

[zina10]

Dang, how cool are they ???

Never heard of them, never seen them before, but they look so amazing. Like a mix of croc and snake.

They aren't endangered, but quite rare. Also apparently very difficult to keep in captivity, stress easy, should NOT be handled.

But amazing to look at, esp. in their natural habitat






Here is a care sheet Janet Lee came up with.

Species: Dragon Snake (Xenodermus javanicus)
Overview: Dragon snakes are non-venomous colubrid snakes endemic to higher altitude regions of Southeast Asia (Burma, Thailand, West Malaysia, and Indonesia). They are a semi-fossorial species; they spend most of their time underground, but venture out at night to hunt their prey. They are most often found in areas near water or streams, since they naturally prey on small frogs and fish. Dragon snakes grow to about 24-30 inches in length. This species is rare in the pet trade and was notorious for not thriving in captivity. They are a higher maintenance snake that require a very specific setup. They also do not tolerate handling. They normally do not bite when handled, but stiffen up. Repeated handling will cause them to get stressed out and refuse to eat. Despite their higher level of care and peculiarities, a handful of people have been able to successfully care for them and breed them in captivity.

Dragon SnakeHabitat: Each adult snake should be housed separately in enclosures measuring about 14”L x 10”W x 9”H. A 10-gallon terrarium or a 15-quart sterilite container would provide ample space for one adult dragon snake. Since they spend most of the day hiding, providing a hide (plastic or any washable material) is necessary. This species requires high humidity, so moist sphagnum moss (1” to 2” layer) or artificial grass (plastic) is recommended. These substrates retain water well and stay somewhat dry on the surface. To mimic their natural hunting grounds, provide a shallow (1.5” to 2” deep), natural rock-like bowl for water. This is especially important when feeding live tadpoles or live fish. Since most dragon snakes are imported, they are most comfortable hunting in a similar environment to where they came from. From my personal experience, with I noticed they like to use the rough surface of the rock to get leverage when hunting their prey. Normal ceramic or porcelain bowls confuse them, and they stray away from it.Dragon Snake

Heating & Humidity: Dragon snakes need to be kept cool, between 72°F – 77°F. They are more comfortable at the cooler range, 72°F – 75°F. This species is very sensitive to heat and light. They can be kept in dim room lighting during the day and pitch black at night when they need to hunt for prey. They DO NOT need a hot spot. The temperature MUST NOT go over 80°F. They can tolerate the heat for a few hours, but they will not survive long after that. The humidity must be maintained at 85% – 95% humidity. The way in which this humidity can be achieved varies with your living environment. Being that this species requires high humidity, you need be careful and allow the substrate to dry up a little in order to avoid mold. Mold can cause skin disease and lead to other illnesses in these snakes. Spot clean or change the entire substrate as necessary.

Diet: Dragon snakes prey on frogs, tadpoles, and fish in the wild. You will need a good supply of appropriate-sized live feeders when you figure out what your particular dragon snake likes to eat. It can be a challenge at times, since they are picky and in tune with what they were eating before where they originally came from. Once you receive your dragon snake, allow him/her to adjust to his/her new environment for 10 days. Then, you can start by feeding him/her a prey item of your choice and continue from there. Once dragon snakes start eating, they are voracious eaters, and you will need to limit how much and how often they eat so they do not overeat and/or regurgitate. For example, an adult should eat 2 fish every 7-10 days or 1 frog every 7-10 days. I have had success feeding mosquito fish (aka feeder guppies) and African reed frogs. Some other keepers have successfully fed tadpoles, feeder minnows, green tree frogs, and common frogs (Rana temporaria).Dragon Snake

If you follow these guidelines, you can enjoy your dragon snake for years! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email or Facebook messenger.
Janet Lee, Owner – Artemis Herpetological, LLC
Email: ArtemisHerpetological@gmail.com
Facebook: fb.me/ArtemisHerpetological

[Ax01]

i remember that fellow forumer RedDevil has Xenodermus javanicus and he kept it in an Exo-Terra and fed it fish. they are hard to keep in captivity. here's his cool thread on it: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...rmus-javanicus i talked to him about our Phants in PM's previously but forgot/never asked about his Xenodermus. anyways last update was about a year ago and i hope it's still thriving.

[zina10]

i remember that fellow forumer RedDevil has Xenodermus javanicus and he kept it in an Exo-Terra and fed it fish. they are hard to keep in captivity. here's his cool thread on it: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...rmus-javanicus i talked to him about our Phants in PM's previously but forgot/never asked about his Xenodermus. anyways last update was about a year ago and i hope it's still thriving.

I would love to know if it is still doing ok. I've heard of more then one simply up and passing away suddenly. Even if seemingly fine and eating
Probably one of those species that will need to be established as Captive Bred and Born for a few generations, before doing well in captivity..

[Skyrivers]

OMG I so want them! Yes I read up on difficulty in care. So amazing.

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[MR Snakes]

Very cool snake. Maybe in time of captive breeding they will take to handling more.

[Bogertophis]

They truly look AMAZING! Never heard of them before, but no wonder... Thanks for sharing!

[Zincubus]

I used to have a Cape File snake which was kinda similar although triangular shaped ..



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[Jbabycsx]

They truly look AMAZING! Never heard of them before, but no wonder... Thanks for sharing!

I was actually about to message you to see if you have heard of them! Really awesome looking snake. Outback Reptiles has them for $350.


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[cletus]

That's really cool! The ridges on the back are awesome!

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[zina10]

That's really cool! The ridges on the back are awesome!

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Aren't they, though ?

They look so DRAGON like, LOL.

I even like their head shape, they have a distinct head, unlike many colubrids. They just look extremely cool.

To bad they are so hard to keep, and to keep healthy and living. To have one of those in a bioactive display cage with pond would be amazing. But they are so very secretive, that it may stress them out, even if just trying to watch them at night.

I remember that imported Ball Pythons could be a mess. Things got a lot better with CBB animals. But those Dragon snakes will probably never be a very hands on snake, will always be for the experienced keeper (the feeding and housing requirements are not the easiest).

But boy, if they had a more outgoing and less stressed out personality, I would love to have one of those. But I'm wary to try. I would be terrified of killing this awesome animal despite my best intentions and trying hard to do everything right.