Suriname Parrot Snakes

Captive care and husbandry.

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reptologist
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Joined: July 28th, 2013, 7:56 am

Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by reptologist »

I thought I would share some photos of my Leptophis a ahaetulla. I have cared for them for about 3 years now and they are very interesting to observe. Unlike other snakes I have kept these are much more active. They rarely go to the ground and will instantly eat whenever food is offered. They mainly eat frogs but I have successfully offered an anole and a couple minnows. The enclosure they are housed in is a 75 gallon aquarium with a custom built screened enclosure on top of it. 2 powersun bulbs provide the light. A pro-mist system keeps the humidity and provides a drink when The drip system is not in use. Helix contols operate a ceramic heater and everything is automated on timers.
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I have a hard time getting quality photos and have taken many to end up with a few.
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I did not take this last shot, I wanted to include it because it shows the classic defense posture of these snakes. Mine did this when I first acquired them but have since lost all fear of me and I don't care to stress them just to get a picture of the behavior.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by Kelly Mc »

Spectacular
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BillMcGighan
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Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by BillMcGighan »

What she said.


I can't exactly see their size, but, have you tried feeding them frozen thawed chicks or the smaller, quail chicks?
Pretty cheap and available.
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reptologist
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by reptologist »

BillMcGighan wrote:What she said.


I can't exactly see their size, but, have you tried feeding them frozen thawed chicks or the smaller, quail chicks?
Pretty cheap and available.
They are about 4' in length and very slender. Just behind their head is about 1/4"wide. Feeding them frogs is easy/economical for me. I buy them in bulk in the spring and humanely kill them. They get vacuum sealed and frozen in pairs to make feeding the snakes convenient. They readily feed from tongs. Occasionally I will feed them live frogs and that is neat to watch. These guys are fast. I have seen them catch a tree frog in mid leap and I have witnessed them drop from the top of the enclosure for a frog on the ground. They literally just fall and capture the frog on impact of the ground. That is the only time they are aggressive. If I open the enclosure they will come right up to me and taste the air or some part of my body. I have not been bitten by them ever but I really don't handle at all. If food is present they act completely different. The female is more aggressive and must be fed first or they will fight over the meal.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by Kelly Mc »

I love the glassed in understory and bright, airy arboreal space, its beautifully principled.

I really enjoy reading your caretaking too, fantastic post!
mwentz
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Joined: December 8th, 2012, 3:06 pm

Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by mwentz »

Thanks for sharing, I love seeing "odball" species, especially when it appears they are thriving.
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reptologist
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by reptologist »

Kelly Mc wrote:I love the glassed in understory and bright, airy arboreal space, its beautifully principled.

I really enjoy reading your caretaking too, fantastic post!
Thanks Kelly, the enclosure is something I designed years ago. I have used it to successfully maintain about 5 different species of lizards including the Varanus reisingeri in my signature photo. This is my first attempt to keep snakes in it so I did a lot of research to find a species that would utilize the height and be active enough to keep me interested. I have kept a journal style word document and it is written based on my observations and dated events of interest. It is currently 34 pages and growing. With 3 years of notes it provides me with a fairly accurate blueprint. When I started working with these snakes I found it difficult to find any useful information that I could apply to their care. If anyone else is working with them or has an interest working with them, I would gladly share my observations.

mwentz, thank you for the compliment.
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Mike, did you build that enclosure yourself? Or just design it and have someone else put it together? That is fantastic- I really like it.
If you made it, could I ask what materials you used, and how you did it?

--Berkeley
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reptologist
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by reptologist »

Berkeley Boone wrote:Mike, did you build that enclosure yourself? Or just design it and have someone else put it together? That is fantastic- I really like it.
If you made it, could I ask what materials you used, and how you did it?

--Berkeley
Berkley, I did not build it. I came up with an idea and searched the net for companies that build screen enclosures. I had to do this twice because when I sold my V. reisingeri, the new owner wanted the screened portion of my enclosure and he made me an offer. They were doing so well for me using that style of enclosure that I decided it was in the lizard's best interest so I did the deal. He wanted the aquarium too but since it is a top end Oceanic aquarium we both decided it would be more economical for him to purchase a less expensive one on his own. When I tried to purchase a new one I was surprised how the price had increased. I eventually found a local vender at a reptile show in Hamburg Pa. We worked out a fair price and I gave him a dimensional drawing. When he was done we met at a location that was halfway between each other. I'm sure he ships but since I was working fairly close to him this was my best option. The enclosure material is identical to normal window screens but with plastic coated screening. I can provide his info to you if needed. I did alter his work slightly. I wanted to be certain that there were zero open spaces for small insects to escape so I took some vinyl material 1"x1/4" to create a seal around the backside of the doors. Fitting this to any size aquarium is easy because of the lip that is built into the inside top of any aquarium. If you measure that snuggly then the top will drop onto and be held securely on to the aquarium. If you want I can provide close up photos so you can see better detail.
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Fantastic, Mike! I (and I am sure some others here, namely Kelly Mc!) would like to see some details of the top. Do you have the aquarium set up on a custom stand? I would figure that having it on a stand of normal height would make it too tall over all, even with the front access doors on the extension.

Good to know that it is pretty much plastic window screen, and that it can withstand small monitors' claws. I think it would be good habitat for the various dragons and other arboreal monitors too.

--Berkeley
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Suriname Parrot Snakes

Post by Kelly Mc »

Agreed Mr Boone :thumb: yes great enclosure design and I was wondering if Mike could detail a bit more about the vinyl material - is it like tracking? Is there a commonplace usage that will serve as a way to look for it ?

Yes this is more exciting than the average screen cage, that deep base, wow there are so many guys that would have a good life in a house like that!
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