Quote Originally Posted by davy View Post
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!
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.