Already at home. Already ordinary (non-venomous snake). Terrarium for snake

Surprisingly, common grass snake(lat. Natrix natrix) is rarely found in the collections of snake lovers. This is explained by the fact that, despite its prevalence in nature, the snake is capricious and demanding in terms of conditions of keeping and feeding. This animal cannot simply be put in a terrarium, stuffed with mice and hope that very soon the pet will grow and prosper. Already requires a special approach, and in this article we will tell you how to create the best conditions for it.

Snakes are widespread throughout Europe (except for the subpolar and polar regions), as well as in southern regions Siberia and the Far East. They live on the banks of water bodies (streams, lakes, rivers), sometimes they are found in gardens, in basements, less often in cities.

It is easy to understand what is in front of you: it is distinguished from the same vipers by light spots (“ears”) of orange, white, yellow flowers located on the sides of the head. The body of the snake is black, but there are specimens with brown and dark gray colors. The belly of the snake is light, white, with an uneven dark stripe. Usually the length of the snake does not exceed a meter, but sometimes there are larger specimens. Males are smaller than females and have slightly longer tails.

It belongs to non-venomous snakes. When caught, it bites quite rarely, preferring to “flatten” its head and hiss like a viper. If the enemy is not afraid, he resorts to the following trick: he releases a few drops of a sharp-smelling, smelly liquid from the cloacal opening and hangs on his hands with a string, pretending to be dead. If you caught a snake and settled it in an apartment, at first it will arrange such “performances”, but pretty soon it calms down, gets used to it and stops reacting so aggressively.

Cover the bottom of the terrarium with a layer of coconut substrate or gravel; as a temporary option, paper is suitable. In no case should sand be used: small grains of sand during the absorption of food inevitably stick to the food object and fall into gastrointestinal tract along with food, which can lead to the death of the snake.

The next task is to equip the warm and cold corners. For heating, a thermal cord, a lamp, a thermal mat are suitable. In a warm corner, the temperature should be 30-32 degrees during the day and 20-22 degrees at night. A layer of wet sphagnum is placed there, and on top of it is a shelter for the snake. Place another shelter (dry) in a cold corner. So that the humidity level does not fall, once a day warm water spray the terrarium, or use a humidifier, while making sure that the sphagnum in a warm corner is always wet. Thus, your pet will not only have a place where he can warm up, but also a cool corner to relax. In addition to the above, in the center of the terrarium, you can place snags, stones, branches, artificial plants, other scenery.

A UV lamp is suitable for lighting the terrarium, but in warm days you can pamper your "snake" with sunbathing. Turn off the lights at night, as snakes sleep at night.

Another important element is a container of water, which should be placed in the dinner home. The snake will drink from it, and in it - swim, swim or lie down during molting (get wet). Change the water in the container every day.

Many difficulties for beginners often cause the process of feeding the snake. Snakes do not eat standard food - mice - either alive or thawed. The diet of these snakes in nature is frogs, toads, fish, so you will have to work hard to get suitable food items for your pet. It is important to remember: snakes should be given a variety of food. In particular, it is unacceptable to feed the snake with fish alone, since the thiaminase enzyme contained in some types of fish can cause a lack of vitamins B, E, C and chlorine, which is responsible for the osmotic pressure of the blood. Fish food should be interspersed with frogs and toads as often as possible. Please note: snakes only eat what moves; they may not even touch an immovable food object.

They feed snakes 1-2 times a week, adults, large individuals - a little less often. Once a month, mineral supplements are added to the snake's food (sprinkled with food or injected directly into the food object). Sometimes poured into a drinking bowl mineral water.

An additional difficulty in keeping snakes lies in the organization of hibernation. To do this, in the fall, the time of lighting and heating is reduced, bringing it from 12 to 4 hours. Snakes hibernate at a temperature of 10-12 degrees. In hibernation, the snake spends about 2 months. Wintering improves the activity and vitality of the snake, and also contributes to the reproduction of snakes.

As you can see, it is already a rather problematic and troublesome snake to keep, and it will be quite difficult for a beginner to cope with the care of which. But if you manage to provide him with comfortable conditions, then you will have a unique chance to observe interesting and interesting things in the terrarium for snakes. unusual pet whose beauty and grace long years will delight you and your guests.

Most often kept in captivity tiger snake which has a beautiful color with rings different color. But some amateur serpentologists buy common and water snakes in a zoological shop.

Most common snakes sold in the bird market or in the zoological shop are caught in wild nature. Create conditions for home maintenance, identical to natural ones, is an almost impossible task. But bring them closer natural conditions well within the power of every serpentologist.

To keep the snake you will need a long and spacious terrarium, most which should be separated under the pool. Cover the top of the terrarium with a net so that the reptile does not escape. Lay moistened sand or peat on the bottom. In the corner, arrange a plot of quality wet moss. It will sleep in it. Driftwood, a scattering of stones, branches, bark - this is what the snake will need for a comfortable stay. But the most important rule that you should not forget is maintaining a temperature difference in the terrarium. From the side of the corner where the moss is located, put a heater and heat up to 35 degrees. On the other side of the terrarium, the temperature should not exceed 22 degrees. A special UV lamp will help create natural light. Turn off the lamp at night.

Special attention devote to the diet of the snake. Food must be alive. In captivity snakes eat alive tree frogs, rodents, small fish, snails, worms, bloodworms. All this can be bought at the zoological shop.

Feed a medium-sized snake 2 times a week. If the reptile is large, it is enough to feed it once a week. Give the snake as much food as it is ready to eat at one time.

It is rational to give special dressings for snakes or crushed dried shells once a month. Alternatively, you can add 1 cup of alkaline mineral water to the aquarium.

Clean the terrarium once a week. Completely replace moss, sand, peat and pool water. Already dip in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. This will help prevent the appearance of mites. It is not recommended to dip the reptile's head in the solution.

Comfortable conditions contents allow the snake to live in captivity for more than 20 years.

Already - this is a snake that belongs to the class of reptiles, the scaly order, the suborder of snakes, the already-shaped family (lat. Colubridae).

The Russian name "already" may have come from the Old Slavonic "uzh" - "rope". At the same time, the Proto-Slavic word presumably comes from the Lithuanian angìs, which means "snake, snake." According to information from etymological dictionaries, these words may be related to the Latin word angustus, which translates as "narrow, cramped."

Types of snakes, photos and names.

Below is short description several varieties of snakes.

• ordinary snake (lat.Natrix natrix) has a length of up to 1.5 meters, but on average the size of the snake does not exceed 1 meter. The snake's habitat passes through Russia, North Africa, Asia and Europe, except for the northern regions. In southern Asia, the range border includes Palestine and Iran. characteristic distinguishing feature common snake is the presence of two bright, symmetrical spots on the back of the head, on the border with the neck. Spots with a black border are yellow, orange or off-white. Occasionally there are individuals with mild spots or no spots, that is, completely black common snakes. There are also albinos. The back of the snake is light gray, dark gray, sometimes almost black. Dark spots may be present on a gray background. The abdomen is light and has a long dark stripe that extends all the way to the snake's throat. Most often, the common snake is found along the shores of lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, in coastal shrubs and oak forests, in floodplain meadows, in old overgrown clearings, in beaver settlements, on old dams, under bridges and in other similar places. In addition, ordinary snakes settle next to human habitation. They make a home in the roots and hollows of trees, in haystacks, in burrows, in other secluded places, in gardens and orchards. They can settle down in basements, cellars, barns, woodpiles, in heaps of stones or garbage. In bird houses, snakes like moist and warm bedding, and they get along well with poultry. They can even lay their eggs in abandoned nests. But next to large domestic animals that can trample them, snakes almost do not settle.

• Water already (lat.Natrix tessellata) much like his close relative ordinary snake, but there are differences. It is more thermophilic and is distributed in the southern regions of the habitat of the snake genus - from the south-west of France to Central Asia. Also, water snakes live in the south of the European part of Russia and Ukraine (especially in the mouths of the rivers flowing into the Caspian and Black Sea), in Transcaucasia (very numerous on the islands of the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan), in Kazakhstan, in the Central Asian Republics, up to India, Palestine and North Africa in the south and to China in the east. Outside water bodies, snakes are extremely rare. Water snakes live on the coast of not only fresh water bodies, but also the seas. They swim well, can cope with the strong flow of mountain rivers, and stay under water for a long time. The water already has a color of olive, olive green, olive gray or olive brown in color with dark, almost staggered spots and stripes. By the way, Natrix tessellata literally translates from Latin as "chess snake". The belly of the snake is yellowish-orange or reddish, covered with dark spots. There are also individuals that do not have a pattern or completely black water snakes. Unlike the common snake, there are no “signal” yellow-orange spots on the head of the merman, but often there is a dark spot in the shape of latin letter V. The length of the water snake is on average 1 meter, but the largest individuals reach 1.6 meters. With the onset of morning, water snakes crawl out of their shelters and settle under the bushes or, literally, “hang out” on their crowns, and when the sun begins to bake, they go into the water. They hunt in the morning and evening. During the day they bask in the sun on stones, reeds, in the nests of water birds. Water is already non-aggressive and safe for humans. He is not able to bite at all, since instead of teeth he has plates to hold slippery prey. But because of its color, it is confused with a viper and is ruthlessly destroyed.

• Colchis, or big-headed (lat.Natrix megalocephala) lives in Russia in the south Krasnodar Territory, in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia. Already lives in chestnut, hornbeam, beech forests, in thickets of laurel cherry, azaleas, alder, where there are glades and ponds, on tea plantations, near streams. Colchis snakes can be found high in the mountains. They are adapted to life in swift mountain streams. From an ordinary snake, this snake differs in wide, with a concave upper surface head and the absence of light spots on the back of the head in adults. The body of the big-headed snake is massive, from 1 to 1.3 m in length. The top of the body is black, the head is white below, the abdomen with a black and white pattern. In spring and autumn, Colchis is already active in the daytime, and in summer - in the morning and at dusk. The snakes living in the mountains are active in the mornings and evenings. Colchis is no longer dangerous to humans. He escapes from enemies by diving into the water, even despite the rapid flow of the river. The number of large-headed snakes is small and in recent times decreases. This is due to uncontrolled capture, with a decrease in the population of amphibians due to the development of river valleys, and with the destruction of snakes by raccoons. Conservation measures are required to preserve this species.

• Viper already (lat.Natrix maura) distributed in the countries of the Western and Southern Mediterranean, not found in Russia. Snakes live near ponds, lakes, calm rivers, swamps. The snakes of this species got their name because of a color similar to that of a viper: a black-brown pattern in the form of a zigzag strip with large eye spots on the sides of it stands out on a dark gray back. True, in some individuals the color is similar to water snakes, and there are also individuals with a plain gray or olive color. The abdomen is already yellowish, closer to the tail in reddish and black spots. The average length of the reptile is 55-60 cm, large individuals reach 1 meter. Females are larger and heavier than males.

• Brindle already (lat.Rhabdophis tigrinus) lives in Russia in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, distributed in Japan, Korea, Northeast and East China. Settles near water bodies, among moisture-loving vegetation. But also found in mixed forests, away from water bodies, in treeless spaces and on the seashore. Tiger already - one of the most beautiful snakes in the world, the length of which can reach 1.1 meters. The back of the snake can be dark olive, dark green, blue, light brown, black. Juveniles are usually dark grey. The dorsal and lateral dark spots give the snake its striping. Adult snakes have characteristic red-orange, red and brick red spots between dark stripes in the front of the body. Upper lip snake yellow. The snake defends itself from predators by releasing the poisonous secretion of their special neck glands. The brindle is already capable, like, to lift and inflate its neck. When people are bitten by enlarged back teeth and poisonous saliva enters the wound, symptoms are observed, as with a viper bite.

Taken from: www.snakesoftaiwan.com

• Shiny tree snake (lat. Dendrelaphis pictus) common in South-East Asia. Found near human settlements, in fields and forests. It lives on trees and bushes. It has a brown or bronze color, a light stripe bordered by black stripes is located on the sides. There is a black "mask" on the muzzle. This is non-venomous snake with a long, thin tail, making up a third of her body.

• Angler Schneider(lat.Xenotrophis piscator) lives in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, some islands of Indonesia, western Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan. Lives in small rivers and lakes, in ditches, in rice fields. The color of the snake is olive green or olive brown with light or dark spots that form a checkerboard pattern. The abdomen is light. The length is 1.2 m. The head of the snake is slightly expanded, has a conical shape. Non-poisonous fishermen are aggressive and fast. They hunt mainly during the day, but often at night.

• Eastern earthen already(lat.Virginia valeriae) distributed in the eastern United States: from Iowa and Texas to New Jersey and Florida. It differs from other species in its smooth scales. A small snake, the length of which does not exceed 25 cm. The color of the snake is brown, tiny black spots can be observed on the back and sides, the abdomen is light. Ground snakes lead a burrowing lifestyle, live in loose soil, under rotten logs and in leaf litter.

• Shrub green(lat.Philothamnus semivariegatus) - a non-venomous snake that is found in most of Africa, excluding arid regions and the Sahara desert. Green snakes live in dense vegetation: on trees, in shrubs growing along rocks and riverbeds. The body of reptiles is long, with a thin tail and a slightly flattened head. The body of the snake is bright green with dark spots, the head is bluish. Scales with pronounced keels. Active during the day. It is not dangerous for a person. It feeds on lizards and tree frogs.

• - one of the types of snakes found on the territory of Russia, namely on Far East: in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as the Amur Region. Distributed in Japan, East China and Korea. Inhabits forests in these regions, thickets of bushes, meadows in the forest zone, abandoned gardens. The length of the snake is up to 50 cm. The color is monochromatic: dark brown, brown, chocolate, brown-red with a greenish tint. The abdomen is light, yellowish or greenish. Small snakes are light brown or more often black. The non-poisonous Japanese already leads a secretive life, hiding under the ground, stones and trees. It feeds mainly on earthworms.

Common already distributed almost throughout Europe, in North-West Africa, Western Asia to the North-West of Mongolia, south Eastern Siberia and regions of Northern China in the east and Southwestern Iran in the south. It lives in various wet biotopes - along the banks of rivers, in meadows, in reed beds, in forests. The coloration is of the same type - the general color is from gray to black, characteristic feature is yellow or white spots behind the head, however, in some individuals they may be absent. Ordinary is already very popular with beginner terrariumists, and its maintenance is not difficult. He needs a terrarium of a horizontal type, spacious enough, since the snake is already quite mobile, with a large reservoir and several shelters. It is advisable to use hygroscopic soil - sphagnum moss, peat, a mixture of gravel and earth. Lighting must be powerful enough. Daytime temperature 24-26 C, nighttime about 18C. Frogs serve as the main food, and it is often possible to accustom the snake to take not only live, but also pre-killed frogs, which is especially important in winter time. Sometimes you can offer fish. To stimulate reproduction, snakes can be placed in artificial wintering - 2-3 months at 8-10C, which, however, is not necessary. For a year, you can get 2 or more masonry. Mating usually occurs in the spring, in April-May, after a few weeks, eggs are laid, up to 50 pcs. Incubation at 29C - 23-30 days. Young growth independently begins to eat small frogs and live fish. It is interesting that snake clutches are extremely viable, withstand temperature drops for a short time from 10C to 55C.

Description and distribution

This harmless snake, well known to many Russians, reaches 120 (occasionally 150) cm in length. It has a dark, often black, coloration of the back and white spots on the belly. To understand that this snake is just an ordinary snake, and it should not be feared, you need to take a good look at the head. characteristic feature in its color is the presence of yellow or white temporal spots.

The range is very wide. It can be found almost throughout Europe, in Northwest Africa, in Western Asia, in the south of Eastern Siberia and the adjacent regions of Northern China.

Features of biology

It lives in places one way or another connected with water - along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, in floodplain meadows, in reed beds, swamps, near mountain streams and near springs. He swims and dives beautifully, and indulges in this activity with pleasure. Perhaps you have met snakes in nature more than once. And not only in the forest, but also in the immediate vicinity of your home - in the garden, in the basement, in a barn or in a haystack.

During the winter, these snakes hibernate. To do this, they crawl into rodent burrows, under tree roots and other shelters. The snakes come out of wintering from March to May, depending on the latitude conditions.

In the wild, snakes feed on frogs, toads, fish, lizards, as well as small rodents, birds and insects. In July-August, the female lays from 6 to 35 eggs in heaps of rotten leaves or manure, in rodent burrows, in soil cracks and other shelters with high humidity. Egg incubation lasts approximately 60 days. Babies appear in late July - early September.

To distinguish a male from a female, you need to pay attention to the tail. In males, it is long and with a characteristic thickening at the base, while in females it is short, without thickening.

Content Features

To keep these reptiles, you need a terrarium with a size of at least 100 50 60 cm. To make the snake feel good, install a heater in one corner of the terrarium - an incandescent lamp, and make an air vent covered with a strong mesh in the other. The temperature in a warm corner during the day should be up to 30 ° C. It would be nice to put some kind of stone under the lamp so that the snake can warm itself. The heating must be turned off at night.

To make the snake feel comfortable, put some free-form shelter in the terrarium: a snag, a shelf, a piece of bark. In the dwelling, be sure to install a cuvette with water, where you could easily swim and lock up during the molting period. And also put a cuvette with peat or sphagnum or use them as soil. After all, snakes always choose damp places for their place of residence, and peat and sphagnum retain moisture well. In order to better retain moisture, periodically spray the soil with a spray bottle.

Feeding

They feed snakes in captivity mainly with live frogs and fish. It must be remembered that it is especially difficult to provide snakes with live food in winter if snakes are not hibernated. We can only recommend making a solid supply of frogs in the refrigerator. You can feed the snake about once every three days, after the snake has digested the previous food. For a change, you can offer him mice, but, in general, they are reluctant to take such food.

In order to be able to drink fresh water, you should regularly change it in the artificial reservoir of the terrarium. Along with feed, it is necessary to give various mineral supplements: crushed eggshell, calcium gluconate or glycerophosphate. Mineral water ("Borjomi") can be added to the drinker. No more than once a month, you can offer powdered vitamins with food. Once a month, it is necessary to irradiate the snake with ultraviolet light, household appliances such as UFO, from 1 to 5 minutes during the week from a distance of 50 cm. The substrate and the skin of the animal must be dry. In summer, you can take out snakes in the sun.

Wintering

With constant feeding, especially for young snakes, wintering is not required. If the snakes refuse to take food in the winter season, or if you want to prepare it for breeding, it is necessary to arrange wintering under strict observance of the following conditions. The snake should be placed in a light-tight, ventilated cage filled with sphagnum. The temperature during wintering should be approximately 5-9°C. . Within two weeks, the temperature should be gradually lowered, always making sure that the snake has completely digested the food from the last feeding. When removing a snake from wintering, on the contrary, it is necessary to gradually increase the temperature. To maintain moisture, the soil in the cage must be periodically sprayed. The duration of wintering in the normal state of the animal is about 2 months.

After the withdrawal from wintering, the snake is irradiated with ultraviolet light and fed, adding preparations containing vitamin "E" to the feed. Then males and females are planted next to each other.

reproduction

Approximately 50-60 days after mating, the females lay eggs, for which it is necessary to prepare a cuvette with sphagnum, where they will lay the clutch. The masonry is removed and together with the cage is placed in an incubator at a temperature of 27-29°C. . After 50-60 days, the snakes hatch from the eggs, which begin to feed after the first molt.

We emphasize that under the conditions home terrarium all this is easier to describe than to do, since the risk of losing the snake, laying it down for the winter, is too great. In general, it is much easier to keep tropical snakes that do not hibernate in their homeland than any temperate reptiles.

Water already

The water one is already painted in olive or brownish tones with dark spots in a checkerboard pattern. Occasionally there are completely black individuals. The belly is yellow or red, with black spots.

This one is more heat-loving and moisture-loving. It lives in Russia and Ukraine in the lower reaches of the rivers flowing into the Caspian and Black Seas.

The main food in nature - small fish, also eats tadpoles and frogs. The content of a water snake in captivity is almost the same as the content of an ordinary snake. However, it requires that the aquaterrarium has twice as much water as land.

As a child, I often went fishing and to the forest for berries or mushrooms. And, of course, in wet weather I met snake. Very nasty animals. And most often already. Yes, many will say that you should not be afraid of snakes, and they are generally harmless. But when you are in the forest and you see a snake, you do not have time to quickly determine what kind of snake it is. So, now I will tell you about the fear of my childhood. About " already».

What do snakes eat

Already - this snake, which is most common in Eurasia, not poisonous. The diet of the snake is not too varied, here is a list of what it usually is eats:

• live frogs.
• rodents.
• Fish.

Here is a list of those who usually eats snakes:

• storks.
• Predatory birds.
• Some mammals.

The way the snake feeds is the same as that of all other snakes. No longer chews prey, but swallowsfully, and since this snake does not have poison, the victim at the time of ingestion will still be alive. If the object is large enough, then the process of eating can take a very long time. But after such a meal may not eat for a few days. Several cases have been recorded when the snake remained no food for 300 days and did not receive any harm to health. Snakes can go a long time without food, but they cannot do without water.

On the ground, usually a snake for a long time haunts your victim. In the water, on the contrary, it hides in some place and waitingt prey, which swims towards him.

Some information about already

Distinguish the snake from other snakes in yellow or white spot on the head. But in very rare cases, there may be no spot on the head at all. Usually, snakes do not differ in size, but in some cases, the size of females reaches up to 2,5 meters in length.

No matter how strange it may sound, but it's easy tamed and does not experience any problems with life incaptivity. In Ukraine and Belarus, cases were recorded when locals tamed kite for capture mice.

Already - not aggressive snake. But when attacked, he starts hiss and throws his head forward. If this does not help, then he issues odorous liquid which repels animals. When all else fails, the snake just pretends to be dead, relaxing all muscles.

Not many people like snakes, but we have to meet them. The main thing is to know how to distinguish one snake from another. But never get close to a snake unless you're sure it won't do you much harm. be careful!