Jake not eating

[wayne36223]

I found Jake on 06/01/2016 in the grass front yard from it's marking look like a gray rat snake 24" long.look healthy.Not my first snake .In the pass I feed my snakes live mice .I want too try frozen mice.Any information will help.Thank You:)

[Spencer_Suttle]

For the most part , you shouldn't just take a snake from the wild to try to turn into a pet. If I were you I would just release it.

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[axis1]

I found Jake on 06/01/2016 in the grass front yard from it's marking look like a gray rat snake 24" long.look healthy.Not my first snake .In the pass I feed my snakes live mice .I want too try frozen mice.Any information will help.Thank You:)

Hiya Wayne!

I don't normally judge others so quickly and with very little info but I hope you can elaborate on what you might only think is a gray rat snake, as there are several concerns with your post. Mainly amongst them is if you aren't certain that you have captured or "found" a rat snake, then how can you be comfortable with ANY feedback anyone here would give you WITHOUT them knowing what kind of a snake they may actually be referring to? It's kind of a LOSE-LOSE situation, if you get my drift. Even the most well-intentioned response might be the WRONG response in this case.

Make sense?

[DollysMom]

With so many inexpensive captive bred snakes, there really is no reason to make a pet out of a wild snake. I'm not surprised Jake is not eating.

There is some controversy about releasing a snake back into the wild as well, but as long as it has only been two weeks and you don't have any other reptiles who could have infected him with something, he's probably better off being what he is, a wild snake. Keeping him may well be a death sentence. If he has parasites, captivity only makes that worse since kept in close quarters he can reinfect himself.

The downsides of keeping a wild snake are just not worth it. Years ago, that was the only choice; but among the American rat snakes, you can pretty well get any species you want captive bred. And that's for under $100. If money is tight and you can't afford the price of the snake, you certainly can't afford the proper upkeep. It's not that much, but it is around $20 per snake. If you include annual vet exams instead of when needed visits it can easily be closer to $35 a month.

You also haven't mentioned your enclosure and the other things you are doing to care for your snake. That can definitely affect his adjustment to captivity and his willingness to eat.

There is no reason to capture any American rat snake unless it is by a professional who has a specific scientific or breeding plan for that snake. And even then it should not be done casually.

Spend some time here reading the stickies please. Please do ask questions. Though it is discouraged to keep a wild snake I'd certainly rather see Jake live than to see him waste away on you over several months. Please know that everything that I have said is by way of education, not of judgement.

I'd really love to see you have a great pet snake that was born and bred for the captive life. There really are no down sides except for the nominal initial price of the snake itself. Everything else about it is a plus. Of course around here we are partial to corn snakes. They are rat snakes but are so docile, friendly, and adapted to captivity that they make the best pets ever.

[Dragonling]

Fortunately for you, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allows the possession of Class III wildlife as a personal pet without a permit. I won't tell you to release it, but consider that every rat snake removed from the wild, whether by capture or being killed, potentially makes room for a rattler or coral snake to come in. While I respect those species and am glad they're part of our ecosystem eating up tick- and disease-laden vermin, I'd personally rather have non-venomous species closer to home.

[axis1]

With so many inexpensive captive bred snakes, there really is no reason to make a pet out of a wild snake. I'm not surprised Jake is not eating.

There is some controversy about releasing a snake back into the wild as well, but as long as it has only been two weeks and you don't have any other reptiles who could have infected him with something, he's probably better off being what he is, a wild snake. Keeping him may well be a death sentence. If he has parasites, captivity only makes that worse since kept in close quarters he can reinfect himself.

The downsides of keeping a wild snake are just not worth it. Years ago, that was the only choice; but among the American rat snakes, you can pretty well get any species you want captive bred. And that's for under $100. If money is tight and you can't afford the price of the snake, you certainly can't afford the proper upkeep. It's not that much, but it is around $20 per snake. If you include annual vet exams instead of when needed visits it can easily be closer to $35 a month.

You also haven't mentioned your enclosure and the other things you are doing to care for your snake. That can definitely affect his adjustment to captivity and his willingness to eat.

There is no reason to capture any American rat snake unless it is by a professional who has a specific scientific or breeding plan for that snake. And even then it should not be done casually.

Spend some time here reading the stickies please. Please do ask questions. Though it is discouraged to keep a wild snake I'd certainly rather see Jake live than to see him waste away on you over several months. Please know that everything that I have said is by way of education, not of judgement.

I'd really love to see you have a great pet snake that was born and bred for the captive life. There really are no down sides except for the nominal initial price of the snake itself. Everything else about it is a plus. Of course around here we are partial to corn snakes. They are rat snakes but are so docile, friendly, and adapted to captivity that they make the best pets ever.

Wow!! Bravo Dollysmom!!

I doubt anyone could have said that better than you did! I, for one, can definitely use this post as an example for times when I get so upset at someone for what they just said that I kinda throw the baby out with the bath water by venting my rage without constructive feedback which can benefit the poor little sneaky one! You have managed to do both successfully and without coddling the offender in this case!

I just hope it got through in time!!

[BeauBoi]

With so many inexpensive captive bred snakes, there really is no reason to make a pet out of a wild snake. I'm not surprised Jake is not eating.

There is some controversy about releasing a snake back into the wild as well, but as long as it has only been two weeks and you don't have any other reptiles who could have infected him with something, he's probably better off being what he is, a wild snake. Keeping him may well be a death sentence. If he has parasites, captivity only makes that worse since kept in close quarters he can reinfect himself.

The downsides of keeping a wild snake are just not worth it. Years ago, that was the only choice; but among the American rat snakes, you can pretty well get any species you want captive bred. And that's for under $100. If money is tight and you can't afford the price of the snake, you certainly can't afford the proper upkeep. It's not that much, but it is around $20 per snake. If you include annual vet exams instead of when needed visits it can easily be closer to $35 a month.

You also haven't mentioned your enclosure and the other things you are doing to care for your snake. That can definitely affect his adjustment to captivity and his willingness to eat.

There is no reason to capture any American rat snake unless it is by a professional who has a specific scientific or breeding plan for that snake. And even then it should not be done casually.

Spend some time here reading the stickies please. Please do ask questions. Though it is discouraged to keep a wild snake I'd certainly rather see Jake live than to see him waste away on you over several months. Please know that everything that I have said is by way of education, not of judgement.

I'd really love to see you have a great pet snake that was born and bred for the captive life. There really are no down sides except for the nominal initial price of the snake itself. Everything else about it is a plus. Of course around here we are partial to corn snakes. They are rat snakes but are so docile, friendly, and adapted to captivity that they make the best pets ever.

Well said! I couldn't agree with you more, and you have stated the position beautifully!!!
~Beau