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eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by RANSNAKEMAN on August 23, 2006
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I have an wildcaught Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake thats about 3 foot long. But I can't get it to eat. I have done everything. Anyone that knows how to get it to eat PLEASE email me at ransnakeman2002@yahoo.com
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by rickyduckworth on August 23, 2006
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how long has it been in captivity?
could be gravid and just not eating anyway, could be stressed a bit if you haven't had it long, etc......i've had wild caught animals refuse food for a month or so and then start eating perfectly.....until a snake looks like it needs to eat, i wouldn't force feed because the risk of bite and stress on the snake overshadow everything else....
you offering it mice or small rats or what?
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by Rob_Carmichael on August 24, 2006
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Wild caught EDB's are notorious for making poor captives due to their sensitivity to stress in a captive setting. Some do great and many do not. If you know where this snake came from, and, if you haven't had it for too long (and, if the snake has not been around other serpents) I would recommend to just let it go where you caught him. But, if that isn't possible, here's a few things you can try:
1) Make sure the snake is kept in a very quiet area of your home and make sure it isn't subjected to vibrations (loud music, machinery, etc.). I would even cover a good chunk of the cage front.
2) Make sure you have the proper temperatures; any deviation from their acceptable levels will cause a stoppage of feeding. I would recommend background temps on teh cool end to be around 75 while the warm end can be in the low 80's with a basking area that can reach 86-88 (or even a little higher) for 6 hours daily. Night temps can drop to the low 70's. If the snake is too warm, it won't feed (same for being kept too cool). I would recommend a good quality reptile incadescent spot lamp to provide ambient light and a natural basking area.
3) Keep the snake on a natural substrate. I would recommend a nice, deep layer of soil, sand, dead leaves and some pine needles; plus, it looks real nice too. Provide some sturdy dead logs or driftwood where the snake will lie up against. The key is to make it feel safe and secure.
4) Feed frozen/thawed and re-warmed dead rats via long hemostats. Duringa good chunk of the year these are diurnal creatures (contrary to popular opinion...they do become nocturnal during heat waves, etc.). Use long tongs and if you get a feeding strike, drop the prey near the snake and leave it alone for at least a few hours. I wouldn't recommend live rodents.
These should help your snake quite a bit as this is what we did when a group of w/c EDB's came to us via a confiscation.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by timberrattlesnake89 on August 24, 2006
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Also I know that most big wild EDBs will not eat any lab animals. The bes thing you can do is go out and look for big rabbits and squirrles that have been hit on the road and freeze them for a few weeks to kill any parasites. Also you can go out with a bb gun and shoot some too but I would not do that since I don't like killing things.
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by emtnurse on August 24, 2006
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If it wont eat, just turn it loose and get something captive raised. Bryan
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by thenovice on August 24, 2006
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i have had some snakes that just would not eat, period. even after 2 months in captivity, sometimes you just have to let them go and hope the start eating again.
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by Chris_Harper on August 24, 2006
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I personally have found that captive animals stop eating when the temps get above 86F. They really don't seem to like anything above 84F for too long, and the Webb Research Center found that EDB's "seek" 76F as their optimal temperature.
How do you get them to eat?
Right temp - 72F - 84F
Right humidity - >50%
Keep them hydrated - Soak them in a couple of inches of clean water about once a week, for an hour at least.
Give them a hidespot
Leave them alone as much as possible.
Young wildcaught EDB's like dark, quiet cages.
~CH
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by CottonmouthKyle on August 24, 2006
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I just recently caught a edb about a foot and a half long and it feeds on live white mice with no problem.
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RE: eastern diamondback rattlesnake wildcaught
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by SimplySnakes on August 28, 2006
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Well, right off the bat a wild caught Eastern Diamondback needs security. A dark hidespot that is not disturbed. When I come into aquisition of a relocated or a nusiance animal control capture I set them up in a plywood cage with no front glass. The snake gets two or three hideboxes, and a large bowl of water. I do not bother the snake for about two weeks other than to check the water level or spot clean feces. Then I introduce a live brown rat. If the snake is interested, it hits the rat right away from the hide box. If not, the rat is pulled out within a half an hour and tried again the next week.
Chris is right about the temperature, Easterns in the wild seek their preferred temps by moving below ground when it is too hot. What are the temps the snake is being kept at now? Does it have security to hide?
Also what was the situation during the capture of the snake? Was it collected in a humane manner? Or did the snake become stressed while being captured? Did you capture the snake or was it caught by someone else who may have stressed the snake severly when they found it?
Stress is a killer in Easterns and they need to be gently manuvered to avoid stress. They may be big dangerous snakes but they also need pampering when being collected. It could go off feed and lose enough weight that could make it criticall weak, not regain strength, and die.
Paul
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