I need tips on feeding and the habitat!!every thing!!
Answers:
Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus
Description - Rough green snakes range from New Jersey to Florida in the East, and Kansas to Texas in the West. They are quite abundant in the wild. They are arboreal, but they spend most of their time near ground level, in bushes, meadows and grassy marshes and fields they are also good swimmers. Green Snakes are beautiful and graceful, and can make great pets.
Rough Green Snakes can be difficult to keep in captivity, however. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding of their diet. Green Snakes are a shy creature Green Snakes are slender and agile, and wiggle a lot. While their small and gentle bodies make them very pleasing to hold, Green Snakes generally do not like to
be handled. They rarely display a bad temper and rarely, if ever, attempt to bite.
The rough green snake is slender with keeled scales in 17 rows and a very long tail that tapers sharply to a pointed tip
the anal plate is divided. Void of patterning, this snake's coloring is iridescent leaf green on top with whitish to yellow to yellowish green underneath, and a bright red tongue. Hatchlings are a
greenish-gray color.
Requirements - These snakes are best housed in large tall cages, as they are naturally arboreal; as a
guide, a, 35 in x 17 in x 23 in sized cage would house a 17 in snake. The rough green snake is an
excellent climber and likes an arboreal type setting, so a vertical or semi-vertical tree limb with plant
vines is great. Green Snakes should be kept in a habitat with a temperature range from 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure you use a thermometer so the terrarium does not become overheated.
These snakes require moderate humidity but cannot stand stagnant air conditions, ventilation is very
important. A light daily misting with a hand sprayer will provide the humidity that is required.
Make sure to provide a hide box or shelter for the snake to hide under, a water bowl large enough
for the snake to fully submerge itself in, and a suitable substrate (paper towels, newspaper, and
reptile carpeting) as the snake may swallow its substrate. The enclosure should be easy to clean and
free of sharp objects. Keep light on in the enclosure for 12 hours then turn off the light source for 12
hours, continuous light will cause stress on the snake. Never use a heat rock, your snake will burn
itself on it!
Diet - They should be feed live insects once or twice a week. Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders
and earthworms are a typical Green Snake diet. Soft-bodied insect larvae such as waxworks, butter
worms, and mealworms are also good choices. They will also eat, but less easily obtained, flies and
spiders. Crickets are best, due to their availability, however, the crickets should be gut loaded with a
special mixture. Do not to leave uneaten insects in the cage. Green Snakes should never be given
food that is wider than their body.
Size and Life span 鈥?Rough Green Snakes only reach lengths of 2 1/2 to 3 feet. They have been
known live 15 years or greater in captivity, if properly cared for.
Handling - You should always support the snake鈥檚 body and avoid any fast movements. Try to
avoid restraining the snake. Avoid public situations that may be stressful on the snake. A nervous
snake may occasionally bite, snakes bite for two reasons: 1) they mistake you for a food source or 2)
they are in fear for their safety.
Most snakes eat mice or rats depending on the size. Really large snakes will eat rabbits. They only need to eat once every few days. The cage will need to be large and have some leaves, twigs, and some water that the snake can get in if it wants. You'll also want a rock and a lamp so that it can "sun" when it wants because snakes don't regulate their own body temperature.
We have green water snakes in Texas. They are non venemous and they like to live by lakes and streams. I am not sure if this is the same thing you are getting though. I see them on the trail by my house all the time. We live on a lake. We owned a red-tail boa for about six years and it ate rats. Probably go to google to see the proper care and feeding of this unique pet.
Green snakes are insect eaters. Don't give it mice. And be really careful if you pick it up; since they spend time in trees, they need to be light, and this means that they have more delicate bones than other snakes tend to. And they're shy; give it foliage to hide in.
And lastly, get a real book or do some more detailed research. That will be a lot more help.
Here is some great green snake info
http://members.aol.com/thewyvernslair/sn.
