Jinx, the speckled racer (Drymobius margaritiferus) progression thread

[dakski]

Yeah, gorgeous.

How big do they get? What do they eat? What's the temperament supposed to be like - now and when adults?

I know nothing about racers.

[spazhime]

Yeah, gorgeous.

How big do they get? What do they eat? What's the temperament supposed to be like - now and when adults?

I know nothing about racers.

Right??
And they're one of the smaller species of racer, only getting about 3-4 feet long or so (Though I don't know if that's from nosetip to cloaca, or nosetip to tailtip)
They feed mainly on lizards, but will grab anything they can. Babies can even start out on crickets, though its important to get them on animals as they get a bit older to get the proper nutrients in them. My plans for her include a varied diet, so mice, lizards, button quail if I can get a hold of them, frog legs, etc.
As a whole, racers are incredibly flighty and are not afraid to bite. During the photo session on the last page she got me about three times, lol. Of course, they're so small it doesn't really hurt. But, she is first generation captive bred so I am hoping she will settle just a bit. If she doesn't, that's fine as well, I knew what I was getting into lol.
I've spent about a year researching racers, whipsnakes, and coachwhips, and compared to their size they need a much larger enclosure compared to other snakes of similar size because they are a very active group of colubrids, they are not ones that do good in minimal set ups, which is why they're rarely kept. So since speckleds are much smaller, I figure it would be easier for me to get her a larger enclosure based on her size.
She's already got a 5.0 UVB for daytime basking, and once she's an adult she's gonna be in a bioactive enclosure as well. I am excited to watch her grow!

[dakski]

Neat. Good to know you did your research, but I am not surprised.

A little feisty, huh? The 2nd gens will be calm as can be, watch!

I hope she settles down. At least she won't be huge and feisty!

Do you have to feed live or will she take F/T? I assumed F/T would be okay when you said "frog's legs," but I am not sure.

What's her method of killing prey?

Sorry for all the questions. I am interested, but no rush in answering. I am not rushing to get one, LOL.

Very cool on the UVB too.

Really excited for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Bogertophis]

I've only known a few coachwhips (a type of larger desert "racer") & in general, racers don't like to sit still- so handling is a challenge- you'll need to use very light restraint to discourage nips.

Unlike our nocturnally active pets, racers are one that tend to like & need "daylight"- full spectrum.

They don't kill their prey...they gulp it down quickly, or they may thrash around with it before swallowing...so there is a limit to what they can tackle safely. They can & do learn to take pre-killed- at least the ones I've known did- and they accepted food wiggled from tongs quite well, so I hope the OP's luck is similar with this beauty.

They're very alert, & it's a wonderful feeling if you can hold an adult racer that tolerates you (as I have)- at least this one won't get to be 6' long (as coachwhips can).

[Bogertophis]

Needless to say, racers are very alert. And you don't want to have to run after one- so escape prevention is key, remembering these are slender colubrids that can easily escape from small holes. They're also physically more fragile than heavier bodied snakes like BPs, & they don't like being restrained. I'm sure looking forward to updates on this beauty.

[spazhime]

Neat. Good to know you did your research, but I am not surprised.

A little feisty, huh? The 2nd gens will be calm as can be, watch!

I hope she settles down. At least she won't be huge and feisty!

Do you have to feed live or will she take F/T? I assumed F/T would be okay when you said "frog's legs," but I am not sure.

What's her method of killing prey?

Sorry for all the questions. I am interested, but no rush in answering. I am not rushing to get one, LOL.

Very cool on the UVB too.

Really excited for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I bet they will! It's always awesome to see how 2nd and 3rd gens start to be a bit more calm in a lot of species.
She was eating live at the breeders, I am going to attempt f/t tonight to see how it goes! If she doesn't take it I do breed my own feeders so I have backup
As said above, they just kinda. Swallow them live. Which is another reason I'd like to get her on f.t if I can LOL.

And no worries! I love answering questions, reptiles are a huge passion of mine so I will take every opportunity to gush about them

[spazhime]

Okay this is the last of the Jinx spam for the week LOL. I took this right before I set her in her enclosure to settle in for the week. Look how prettyyyyyy ;.;

[Bogertophis]

Spam on! She's amazing! And those eyes!

[spazhime]

I love her big goofy eyes so much LOL
She took a f/t meal a couple days ago, and I still can't believe how pretty she is

[Bogertophis]

Yay, already on f/t! That's what I love about Trans Pecos rat snakes too- their eyes & personality. Of course, her beauty doesn't hurt either.