[Mustangrde1]

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[Mustangrde1]

Captive Care and History of the Eastern Coral Snake
By: Scott Bice

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Micrusus fulvis fulvis

Family: Elapidae
Genus: Micrurus
Species: fulvius
Common Name: Eastern Coral Snake
Continent: North America
Country: United States of America
Region: From South Florida, North to Southeastern North Carolina and west to eastern Texas
Habitat: These snakes occur in all terrains through their range. From upland scrub to the edges of swamp land. Often reported in cities as well as agriculture zones.
Prey: Snakes, Lizards, Frogs and can be converted to small rodents in captivity. Cannibalism has been observed.
Similar Species: Within the range of the Eastern Coral Snake there are two species of colubrid that mimic the coral snake in appearance and habitat.
1. The Scarlet Kingsnake ?Lampropeltis triangulum.?
2. The Scarlet Snake ?Cemophora coccinea.?

Country: United States of America
Region: From South Florida, North to Southeastern North Carolina and West to Eastern Texas

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Identification

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The Eastern Coral snake is a long slender tri-colored snake. The prominent markings are Red, Yellow and Black. The average size of this species based on numerous reports form collectors and field personnel are from 22 to 34 inches with a maximum of up to 52 inches.


The head of the Eastern Coral Snake is Black on the snout to yellow mid section back to black at the neck. This pattern differs from the two species that mimic the Coral snake ?The Scarlet Kingsnake ?Lampropeltis triangulum? The Scarlet Snake ?Cemophora coccinea.? Both these species commonly have red or off red snouts fading to black.

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The Tail of the Coral snake also differs from the Scarlet Kingsnake and the Scarlet Snake, The tail on the Corals snake is bi-color black and yellow. The tails of both the Scarlet Kingsnake and the Scarlet Snake is tri-color, red, black or yellow.

The under belly pattern also is another identification factor. The Coral Snakes belly markings has three colors, with a black mark normally present in the red band. The Scarlet Kingsnake is try color as well but the belly scales are normally have a broken pattern. The Scarlet Snake has a single white belly pattern.

The coloration and pattern of the juveniles is the same as the adult. This species does not exhibit color or pattern transformation.

This is the only member of the elapidae family in North America. Other members of this family of snakes are the Cobras, Mambas, Kraits and Sea Snake.

Similar Species Comparison Photos

Eastern Coral Snake

 Micrurus_fulvius_fulvius_2.JPG (63.09K)
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Venomous / Dangerous
Micrusus fulvis fulvis

Scarlet Kingsnake

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Number of downloads: 4

Non-venomous / Harmless
Lampropeltis triangulum

Scarlet Snake

 Scarlet_Snsake.jpg (15.01K)
Number of downloads: 2

Non-venomous / Harmless
Cemophora coccinea

Captive Husbandry

A challenging reptile to keep
Keeping coral snakes in captivity is a challenge, wild collected ?w/c? or captive born ?c/b?. They stress easily and even the smallest amount of handling can cause them to die. This is a snake by nature that is secretive, living a fossorial life for the most part does not lend well to studies of this species.

I have kept and maintained coral snake colonies successfully however it should be noted for every one that thrives in captivity twenty require release back to the point of capture as they refused to feed and were showing signs of degenerating health.

If you are looking for a display snake these are NOT the animals for you as they are fossorial and seldom are viewable do to their life style. With that in mind over handling will cause stress and kill the animal. Hand off is the best rule of thumb. One trick to having one viewable is place a piece of glass on the substrate the corals may just hide under it.

Acquisition or collection

I suggest collection of your own coral snake only after numerous trips in to the field in the location you wish to collect one from. Learning about the other reptiles that inhabit the area is mandatory as they make up the prey base for the coral snakes of that area. Check all local and State laws prior to collecting for legality.

If you are purchasing one online or from a pet shop ask as to where it was collected and what other species are commonly collected from that area. If the vendor is not willing to disclose that information do not purchase the animal! or you will certainly be purchasing a headache. Also Coral snakes seldom eat rodents and the ones that do are as good as gold and seldom sold, so if a vendor says he/she has one that is and its for sale my advice is do not purchase it as it most likely is not feeding on rodents.

It is important to note that when collecting any species from the wild to note the exact location the animal was captured. This can be done by using a portable Global Positioning Satellite ?gps? devise. These items can be picked up through most sporting goods stores. If you can not afford or have access to one of these devices, my suggestion is to use your vehicles odometer. Simply zero it out and drive a straight line to the nearest permanent landmark, note down the mileage.

Strict quarantine procedures must be observed at all times in the event that the animal may need release. You do not want to infect the animal with a disease from your collection or infect your collection with a disease the animal may carry.

As these snakes inhabit many diverse habitats; you can find them in yards in a busy metropolitan city to the rural country side roads. They are fossorial by nature which makes collecting them at rest a difficult proposition. However they are crepuscular and you can find them moving about at dawn or dusk. Remember these are venomous snakes and fatalities have been attributed to them so extreme caution must be used when collecting these species as well as observation of all laws.

Quarantine Procedures

As with all newly acquired reptiles quarantine is a must. When I speak of quarantine I mean a room completely separate from the rest of your collection as to not introduce any unwanted pests or disease to your general collection. I personally use 90 day quarantine on any and all new arrivals.
First thing is in tank preparation, completely clean out the tank with bleach and water letting it stand for 15 minutes before rinsing it thoroughly, after rinsing and drying spray a heavy layer of "Provent A Mite" on the entire cage inside and out, paying special care to the rim at the upper inside of the tank. I let this stand for 20 minutes and then add cypress mulch for a substrate and then re-spray the tank again and allow to stand 15 minutes. One thing people overlook is the lid of the cage. Be sure to spray it as well. I repeat this procedure every 7 days throughout quarantine. When you dispose of the substrate, spray the inside of the trash can and the trash bag itself as well just to insure no external parasites try to get away. I have never had a mite or tick problem since I started using this procedure.

Caging

This is one of the few species I recommend an all glass aquarium style cage for as they require a deep substrate to do well in. Purchase a piece of Plexiglas from your local hardware store and have it cut to match the inner dimensions of the top lip of the cage and drill plenty of small ventilation holes in it. Place it on the inner lip and secure the screen on top of that with latches and locks. This will ensure an escape proof cage.

Preferred cage size for a Eastern Coral Snake is a 20 gallon long style tank with a minimum of 4 inches of substrate to allow for them to burrow. Large bark pieces on top of the substrate and a large water dish are also a must. This will suffice well for Coral snakes from hatchling to approximately 24 inches in length. Large Coral Snakes from 25 inches up to 48 inches or more I suggest a 55 gallon size tank for.

Despite the secretive nature of these creatures observations in both the field and captive situations have shown these reptiles to require larger space than one may assume.

The substrate should be moistened from very wet near the water bowl to completely dry at the far end of the cage. Misting the cage for about 2 minutes twice a week to maintain moisture is a must. These animals will stress without adequate moisture.

I suggest cypress mulch as it maintains moisture well without the degeneration many other substrates tend to have from exposure to water. If cypress is not available in your region spagmoss is another viable option as is purified leaf litter.

To purify leaf litter simply collect a pillow case full of leafs from your hard and put them in the pillow case. Tie the pillow case up in a knot and place zip lock ties above and below the knot. Place it in a mashing machine on HOT add 4 cups of bleach and wash. Run through the wash 3 times then place it in the dryer.

Because of their fossorial nature temperature is more a concern than lighting, with that in mind a simple 20watt full spectrum bulb can be used for the lighting. The temperature should be maintained between 78 degrees and 90 degrees with a constant temperature being between 83 and 88 degrees as the optimal ambient air temperature.

Maintenance

Cage cleaning should be restricted to a minimum complete water dish cleaning once a week and complete removal of substrate every three months.
Prior to the complete cage clean have another cage set-up and transfer the Coral Snake to that cage till the next cage clean.
Again I must stress that Coral Snakes stress easily and the absolute minimum of handling be used at all times.

Breeding

Breeding Coral snakes is always a risky endeavor as they have been known to exhibit cannibalistic tendencies. Or in simple terms eat their prospective mate rather than mate with it.

To breed Coral snakes the temperature should be dropped to the mid 50 degree to mid 60 degree range for 60 days then gradually bring them back to the optimal temperature range over a 2 month period offering plenty of food during this time period. Introduce the prospective mates and KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEM if they attempt mating leave them together for 1 week. Be ready for intervention however if one decides to make a meal of the other.

Place the gravid female in a cage after the week and in 50 days place her in a smaller cage with plenty of substrate for her to lay in. After she has lain the eggs remove her leaving the eggs to incubate undisturbed.

Prey

Feeding is a problem for most people as reptiles are their passion and many just can not find it in themselves to use other reptiles as feeders. Combined with the fact some corals are extremely prey specific they are not a simple reptile to get to feed.

Some of the more common and easily accessible reptiles to obtain as feeders and ones which I have personally used to feed Coral Snakes are.
1.Ribbon snakes
2.Water Snakes
3.Black Racers
4.Coachwhips
5.Scarlet King Snakes
6. Scarlet Snakes
7.Rat Snakes
8.Ground Skinks
9.Brown Anoles
10.Pine Woods Snakes
11.Swamp Snakes
12. Garter Snakes
13. Blind Snakes

Special Note: Avoid Ringneck snakes ?Genuus: Diadophis?. Ringnecks are toxic to some degree; Corals have died after eating these.

Converting a Coral Snake from reptiles to mice

Converting a Coral Snake to rodents is a difficult task, many never will convert. The animals I have had success in converting consequently were collected near large cattle ranches where rodents were in abundance. I should note they also refused anything more than 2 day old pinkies. But would readily take 10 pinks at a time lending to a personal belief they are nest robbers.

If you wish to attempt at conversion I suggest using two day old or less pinkies and rub them with other snakes known to inhabit the area in which the Coral Snake was collected. You may need to repeat this process numerous times and always be aware that the Coral will refuse and need a reptile as a prey source. One other tip is to try using lizard maker spray on pinkies head only in an attempt to convert to rodents.

Prey size is an interesting subject many people tend to feed small prey to coral snakes that they feel is adequate in size. By this I mean they feed a 24 inch snake a 6 to 8 inch snake as prey. I personally will feed a 24 inch Coral Snake a 12 to 16 inch prey item as they will fold the large prey item in their stomachs. I will offer them prey once a week.

Closing

I enjoy working with Coral snake; they are a challenge for any person from acquisition to proper husbandry practices. They are certainly not a snake for a novice or beginner to conceder getting as a first venomous reptile. This is a species that demands research as well as respect. If you are thinking about getting a coral snake please read this several times then do your own research from the net to asking other keepers before attempting to obtain one. I hope others will read this and become interested in this species and someday keep them successfully and add to the data on this wonderful species of reptile.

[arietans]

Thank you very much Scott. Two incredible threads. :D

[Duke]

Yeah thats a great care sheet! Thanks!

[MarknMiami]

I do believe this is worthy of being pinned!....Scott, Fantastic caresheets mate!!