Ringneck Snake Captive Care In-depth
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 24 Feb 2020
A greatly requested video. I've read hundreds of studies about these snakes in the wild, shifted through tons of forum posts, spoken to anyone who would speak with me, etc to formulate the way I care for my particular Ringneck Snake. After a year with my animal to ensure my methods have been working, I am finally able to share with you how I've been successfully keeping such a beautiful animal. Cliff (key) notes below along with some final thoughts.
*Small & slender means they're super good escape artists so I feel plastic totes are the securest option.
*Shy and easily stressed, so lots of cover is required. When provided with lots of hiding areas, I've found them to be quite active and inquisitive snakes that can be watched from across the room.
*A fairly handle-able species, just not for long periods. Preferring shade, I try to avoid handling mine during the day or under bright room lights, and this seems to keep her calmer. Not squirmy nor nippy by nature it seems, but they do musk and they can move swiftly if they want. Their strength and skill at holding onto you during handling is weak, sorta like a hognose or garter snake (so better than a sand boa). Note they may posses a very mild venom (not mentioned in the video), which may cause some itching or swelling in some people if bitten.
*They won't take up much space in your home but they do need a larger cage than an equivalently sized snake (ex. baby corn snake), due to the amount of humidity and temperature variation they require (since there's no good studies that have provided exact captive caging temperature or humidity guidelines).
*Most sellers say to feed them earthworms, because it's a cheap and easy food source for many people (easier to make a sale). Most existing care sheets suggest this as well and while they've been documented in the middle of eating an earthworm it doesn't seem to be their preferred or common diet, though this may vary by subspecies/geographical origin. Small amphibians or reptiles should be the 1st meal(s) offered and once the snake is established an attempt to switch it to different prey (scented earthworms, scented rodents, etc) may be made. I suggest breeding your own reptile/amphibian feeders or making your own scenting solution. DO NOT EXPECT THESE SNAKES TO EVER EAT RODENTS! Rodents are not a normal common part of their diet, so while it may be possible to teach them to take rodents, they are not going to do so right at the beginning and they possibly never will even if you scent them.
*Pretty much exclusively found as wild caught, so a fecal parasite check should be routinely done and strict quarantine should be followed.
*I didn't mention this in the video due to time restrictions and plan to discuss it in a separate video at some point, but I'll touch on it briefly here. There are 14 different subspecies of Ringneck Snakes. Very generally speaking more northern and eastern subspecies have plain or low patterned bellies, while those from the more southern and western states have more ventral pattern. More northern and eastern subspecies seem to prefer amphibians more strongly with a greater likelihood of accepting earthworms, while the western and southern subspecies seem to favor eating small lizards/snakes.