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 #1325361


McGornel
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 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

Hey everyone,

About a month ago I caught a Brown Water Snake at Ginnie Springs in FL (a natural spring fed river with water temps year round 72 F) It was in a cluster of 3 small ones and one large one. I have kept it for just over a month and it has been very active and healthy. I have been feeding it Rosy Minnows, but I can’t seem to get large ones, and have resorted to Medium and Small sized common feeder goldfish from the pet store. I know that I have seen posts about not feeding them goldfish, but that has been its main diet since I have had him, and I see no difference in behavior or activity. I have him in a 10 long right now and am looking in to 20s. He is about 15-16 in long and has very beautiful coloring. He has shed perfectly once since I have had him.

Just wondering if anyone has any input on the subject and I wanted to post this since I see no one else has really posted anything about the taxispilotas.

Mike
Gainesville, FL
"Home of the Basketball and Football National Champions"
06/19/07  09:25pm

 #1325792


Ameivaboy
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   Message To: McGornel   In reference to Message Id: 1325361


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

you will kill your snake if you continue to make a habit of feeding it goldfish, try scenting some mice with the fish or get some smelt from the supermarket
06/20/07  03:29am

 #1329680


Wisema2297
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   Message To: Ameivaboy   In reference to Message Id: 1325792


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

Try rubing rosy’s or goldfish on a thawed pinkie and put the fish along with the pinkie in very shallow water (so shallow the fish can barely move around). If you can get it eating hairless rodents then that will be best. Watersnakes do not digest hair well so even when they are eating rodents as adults it is best to give them hairless rat pups then also.

Goldfish will eventually kill you snake because of a certain deficiencey that they cause.

Here is my small northern water eating a pinkie for the first time today.




06/22/07  06:30pm

 #1330852


Ameivaboy
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   Message To: Wisema2297   In reference to Message Id: 1329680


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

yea my 3’ female wont take any mice with fur,she’ll spit them out everytime, but she’ll down scented pinkies(which she can eat a lot of ) I figured it was the foreign texture of fur that was doing it
06/23/07  04:37pm

 #1331164


Wisema2297
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   Message To: Ameivaboy   In reference to Message Id: 1330852


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

do you have access to rat pups? They are hairless and larger than pinky mice. I’d dust them with a little vitamin/mineral powder as well since the pinks don’t provided much of that for the snake.
06/23/07  10:45pm

 #1333101


McGornel
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   Message To: McGornel   In reference to Message Id: 1325361


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

Is there any other kinds of fish I could feed him? I don’t really have the resources or easy access to pinkies and rat pups.
06/25/07  09:39am

 #1333349


NorthernWaterSnake
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   Message To: Wisema2297   In reference to Message Id: 1329680


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

beautiful snake.

i love northerns.
06/25/07  01:22pm

 #1346646


McGornel
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   Message To: NorthernWaterSnake   In reference to Message Id: 1333349


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

well im glad we are talking about Northerns in this thread....


anyways, does any one have any more information that could possibly be useful in feeding?




07/05/07  12:13pm

 #1347596


Ace13
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   Message To: McGornel   In reference to Message Id: 1346646


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

Feed him wild fish...he is wild after all...

Feeding them goldfish for the time you have wont hurt him but after a large amount of time it starts to take its take on his body

Blue gill, minnows, small catfish are all good choices
07/06/07  02:01am

 #1347845


McGornel
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   Message To: Ace13   In reference to Message Id: 1347596


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

so, how do i go about catching those? i live near the st. johns river, but there is really no easy access. like a cast net or what?
07/06/07  10:15am

 #1348127


ColdBlooded666
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   Message To: Wisema2297   In reference to Message Id: 1329680


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

Lol it kinda looks like your snake is eating a gummi bear!!!!
Thats cute!!!
07/06/07  03:13pm

 #1348809


Ace13
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   Message To: ColdBlooded666   In reference to Message Id: 1348127


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

You can buy fish traps usually at wal mart they are round with 2 circle openinings...put bread in them attach a thick line and throw it near where you see fish and come back next day or so...

thats wat i did
07/07/07  12:15am

 #1364592


Nelson jacobson
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   Message To: Ace13   In reference to Message Id: 1348809


 Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota)

go to a bait store and buy some



07/18/07  06:22pm


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