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sidewinders
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by darkFrOsT on January 24, 2007
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if fairly new to this site i have been monitoring this site often and there are many very knowledgable people here :) as i work with my mentor on venomous snake keeping i am a few months away from obtaining a pair of sidewinders i was wondering if anyone here has any experence with them?
if anyone could share any care tips and experences it would be great?
thanks alot
Mike
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RE: sidewinders
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by Cro on January 24, 2007
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Welcome to the site Mike. It is good to hear that you are working with a mentor. Learning first hand how to work with venomous snakes is the best way to go.
Sidewinders tend to do well in captivity and are fun to keep. They like to burrow into a sandy substrate, they like to have a warm spot their cages, and they usually eat well in captivity.
If it were me keeping them, I would set up a rocky / sandy habitat with cholla cactus skeletons and rock outcroppings.
Try to purchase established feeders, not new-born young.
Also, how about filling out more of your profile. All are welcome here, but we all like to know about the experience level and age of the members here.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: sidewinders
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by GREGLONGHURST on January 25, 2007
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Where you live, & the climatic conditions there have a huge bearing on maintaining these desert creatures. Fill out your profile & I'll explain.
~~Greg~~
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RE: sidewinders
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by darkFrOsT on January 25, 2007
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that cholla cactus skeletons looks awesome id love to get some, where can i buy it?
here is what im thinking i have a 50 gallon wide reptile show tank, im planning giving them a nice deep sand substrate, i want to build a cave out of some rocks as a hide out, would love to get that cholla cactus skeletons. ill have a water bowl somewhere in the middle or slightly over to the cooler side of the tank. use an undertank heater and a spot light for heat. do u think thats to much heat (my snake room is the basement) and do you think i should provide two hide spot, im thinking not cause they can burrow in the sand plus use that cholla cactus skeletons as cover.
thanks for all the help so far
Mike
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by GREGLONGHURST on January 25, 2007
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You will have to make sure the humidity in the snake room stays low. I have never had great long term success with Cr. cerastes here in south Florida, & I am as sure as I can be that the problem was our high humidity. If your region has extremely low humidity, then you're good. If not, you may have to invest in a de-humidifier, & think about offering the snakes water only once a week or less.
By low humidity let me illustrate...I can remember people in southern Arizona complaining about the humidity when it was up around 20%. Here, a dry day is 80%.
Good luck with those fascinating critters, & keep us posted as to how it goes for you.
~~Greg~~
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RE: sidewinders
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by darkFrOsT on January 25, 2007
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20%-30% is the norm in my basement, when you say offer water once/twice a week do u mean just put the water bowl in the enclosure for a day then take it out or use pipettes (i think thats what they are called) and squeeze the water kinda right into there mouths?
thanks
Mike
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RE: sidewinders
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by GREGLONGHURST on January 25, 2007
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I was just concerned that a constant water source in the cage would raise the humidity to an uncomfortable level. Desert snakes probably do not drink often anyway. If you put a water bowl in the cage for a day once a week or so, that should take care of it without raising the humidity too much.
~~Greg~~
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RE: sidewinders
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by JSargent on January 25, 2007
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be careful who you get yours from. i bought 3 from 2 different dealers in the early fall of 04',all were withering away by superbowl 05'. so,(and everyone knows better than to go in the snake room, even with one drink, but i had 3 in 2 hrs)the local zoo's snake guy came buy to talk and i asked if he'd help me force feed the 2 healthiest ones. since i was oviously not drunk,a little buzz for confidence,he said as long as i seem comfortable and in control we could give it a go.now this was not the first time i had wanted to force feed them,i had wanted to for awhile and couldn't get anyone over or the confidence to follow thru alone. i knew of vipers ability to move their fangs all around and that kept me from using head pinning,unless absolutly neccesary(maybe 3 times in 10 years,before this night). i pinned the first one got the fuzzy down,put it away and all was good. got second one out pinned it witha pin stick grabbed it and as i lifted felt the prick. i instantly released and the guy said you didn't get hit. i squeazed my middle finger tip and said yep. he said we're goin to the hospital...i didn't hurt for the first 10 to 15 minutes and then the burning started.luckly we were only 8 minutes(thanks to my buddies driving)from the hospital by this time and i ended up staying in the hospital for 7 1/2hrs.no anti venom as the swelling stopped at the wrist. today barely a scare, but for those with me that night i know love for i saw real fear... no $75 to $125 snake is worth that...buy from people you trust and leave force feeding to the experts.....i have force feed hundreds of corn,rat,and king snakes, there is no comparison. the sidewinders were probly 14 inches long and the one that bit me lived longer than the one i successfully force feed.
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