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Banded Water Snake

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Nerodia fasciataPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Zach

     The Banded Water Snake as well as the common water snake are inexpensive and extremely hardy snakes.

     The Banded Water Snake may initially be nervous or aggressive. When picked up they will discharge an offensive musky odor as a means of defense, and they may bite.
   Generally they calm down with gentle handling and then they will rarely use this odor discharge as a defense measure. Some will gentle to the point of accepting food from your hand while others will always bite.

For more Information on keeping Snakes see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Herptile

Distribution:      Banded Water Snakes are found in North America, specifically in the southern part of the United States.

Description:      The Banded Water Snake will grow to an average length of 30 inches (76cm), though they can grow up to four and one half feet. They are a heavy bodied, keeled snake.
     Their natural color is a deep brown or reddish-brown background with brown crossbands that are wider on the back and narrowing on the sides. The belly is yellowish, brightly spotted with red and black. Older snakes tend to loose the banding, becoming almost an even brown.

Feeding:    Their diet consists of small fish, frogs, salamanders and crayfish. Feed every few days as they don't eat much at once and are very active. Fresh water in a shallow dish should always be available.

Environment:      They do not eat other snakes, and so they can be housed alone or in groups with other snakes of similar size and habits.
     You can set up their terrarium as either a woodland terrarium or an aqua terrarium. Although they need high humidity and are often aquatic, you must keep the basking side of their terrarium very dry to avoid skin infections, especially boils. See the terrarium types described under Basic Reptile and Amphibian Care for more information. This snake needs a hiding place and a small water dish. They like to climb, so a vertical or semi-vertical tree limb with some plant vining is great.

Temperature and Lighting requirements:      They do well with temperatures around 77 ° F (28 ° C) in the daytime and cooler at night. Full spectrum lighting is important for your snakes well being and its long-term maintenance. You can use a a low wattage full spectrum incandescent daytime bulb and a blacklight bulb or red incandescent bulb for nighttime heating if necessary. Be sure you use a thermometer so you don't let the terrarium become overheated!

Breeding/Reproduction:
     These snakes are livebearers and generally have about 25 babies in the late summer months. Robert Anderson states in his book, A Step-by-Step Book About Snakes, 1995, that there have been litters of up to 44 babies reported. The young are about 8 inches (20 cm) long and are brightly patterned. Their musk glands are fully developed and they will bite. They breed readily in captivity.

Availability:    The Banded Water Snake is very common, readily available, and very inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
I've had my Florida Water Snake for more than 5 years, and it's an easy pet to care for - just 10 large comet goldfish every week to ten days, with bullfrog tadpoles for occasional treats. Nerodia live for up to 30 years in captivity, but with the very low maintenance required, it's not as much of a commitment as, say, my Amazon parrot (had for 33 years so far). bob 2008-03-15
I have one banded water snake. He is about 8 inches long. Its a lot of fun to watch them hunt, however he is very aggressive towards me. He tends to strike at anybody who puts their hands in the cage, but as soon as he is in your hands he is very calm and pretty much just sits their. great snake, cost me 10 dollars at the pet store. ben 2008-02-01
i have 2 water snakes and had them for 4 months now and they have been doing well. they like to hunt and eat live fish so i added live guppies (male and female) so i dont have to worry about feeding time. guppies grow and reproduce quite fast. i also feed them live worms. Lou 2007-01-27
Some of the coolest comments:
Please do not feed these snakes goldfish! They contain an enzyme called thiaminase that blocks a snake's absorbtion of vitamin b1 (thiamine). Eventually after a long period of eating goldfish a snake WILL die of thiamine deficiency. It could take months, or even years, but goldfish in the diet WILL shorten the lifespan of a snake considerably. Catfish, smelt, rosy reds and carp also contain thiaminase and should not be fed. You can safely feed guppies, platies, mollies, or strips of salmon, tilapia, or trout from the grocery store with a calcium supplement added. You can also wean fish eating snakes onto a diet of rodents by scenting the dead mouse with the fish it likes to eat. Eating rodents is safe for them and will even reduce the amount of smelly runny poops! For more information, visit thamnophis . com Anonymous 2009-04-12

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