Feeding: Captive born Mandarin Rat
Snakes generally starting feeding on pinkie mice after their first shed. I
have had babies feed before their first shed but most start after. Females
seem to the ones which are the stubborn feeders in most cases. Keeping feeding
records can be a valuable tool. For example, a stubborn feeder may prefer
feeding on thawed pinkies only at night. If you place a thawed pinkie in it's
container early in the day, it will be spoiled by evening when the snake may
prefer to feed. I generally feed once a week offering 1-3 pinkies at a time.
Most babies will eat 2-3 pinkies per week and will grow very quickly. They
seem to prefer average to smaller size food items. As the Mandarins increase
in size, about 18", many will begin taking pinkie rats. I also
occasionally dust my pinkies with a good mineral powder.
Housing: I house my baby Mandarins in
plastic or Rubber Maid shoe boxes or the next size up which is better. For a
substrate, I use a commercial product known as CareFresh which is a grayish
looking wood product resembling shredded egg cartons. I spray the substrate
with water for moisture, which mountain snakes need. Usually only part of the
box is sprayed. I keep a fresh water dish in it's box. A small hide box of
some sort is good but not necessary because the babies will burrow in the
substrate. Keep the level of the substrate at least two inches high. I
generally just place the pinkies right on the substrate and I have never had
any problems with substrate ingestion. I keep my baby Mandarins in the Nursery
Room with all my other baby colubrids and boids. The room reaches temperatures
up to 85*F (my heat tapes are turned off in the summer months). I keep the
Mandarins on the lowest shelves and even on the cement floor where it is much
cooler. They seem to handle the high temperature and continue to feed but I
feel they prefer it cooler, the 70's *F being more ideal, similar to that of
the mountain king snakes. They are very shy snakes and prefer to left alone in
a quiet area.
Yearlings and Older: As the babies become
yearlings and older, I increase the size of their housing and maintain them in
large plastic tubs in a shelving unit or on the floor. I treat them as any
other colubrid and, of course, meeting their special needs of a lower
temperature, quiet area, moisture, etc. I hibernate the adults for 3 months in
the same room under the same conditions as my other colubrids. However in the
spring time I keep the Mandarins cooler which I think helps with better egg
fertility. I usually use two males when breeding for combat purposes and
guaranteed fertilization. 5-8 eggs are generally laid and hatch after a short
incubation period of 45-49 days at temperatures of 83-84*F. I plan to use a
lower temperature, 79-80*F in the future which might allow for more eggs to go
full term and hatch. Give me a call if you have any questions and enjoy your
new beauties!
