Arafura File Snake

[gold&black...]

Hi Guys, I was hoping to get a care sheet for these snakes...... I wana buy some from the trader but need to get all the info that I can b4 I get them........ I did check the WIKI but didn't find any there... Also googled it but most of the info there is very general.... Thanks a lot...

G/B.........

 

[elapid@]

g'day mate
you need to have the water about 30 c all the time and plenty of natural plants. dont do complete water changes. its also good to have the water neutralised from chlorine.they dont like to be handled , also they are supceptibale to fungle problems and stress related problems. never put to many fish in at once. also becarefull what fish you put in there and make sure the fish are not diseased . my file snakes died so did my other mates and they where from the same clutch, im not sure if it was a genetic problem but when we got them sent from darwin to gold coast they were accidently sent to sydney missied flight and they had to stay down there over night. when we got them the next day they were ice cold. mine lived for about a year his died in about 8 months. i noticed that the day i got them they had white spots and i try'd getting rid of it but just got worse and there was no one in my area that could treat the infection. it was a bad time for me to see this happen. i would like to try again but would need more info . i would call currumbin wild life center they have one now and im sure that they have a good knowledge in keeping them. i would also use natural rock basicly you need to transfer there natural enviroment. im going to try again but will get more info. good luck let us know how u go. they are a really nice snake. they take about 14 years to mature also give live birth. they eat fish .
they dont like to be removed all the time and becare full they will climb out of there water. i also still have my complete set up. also use good filters heater dont use cheep stuff and alway keep a spare heater. keep in touch im really intersted in these guys and want to start again. i think when they get stress it causes there immune system to drop to a low level and manafest to disease like fungle infections also there skin being like file dose collect stuff in the water if they have no way of fightin the bacteria it can cause them to get sick. they shed like any other snake and eyes go milky. if there is any thing eles feel free to ask.
cheers steve.
[email protected]
0423906074.

 

[dansfish4tea]

can some throw in reasent pics

 

[Scotth]

Try these previous threads.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=53647&highlight=arafura
http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=35099&highlight=arafura
http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=33230&highlight=arafura
http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=30163&highlight=arafura

Hope that helps

 

[gold&black...]

Thanks elapid, will call the sanctuary to get some info tomorrow and will let u know what they said....... Also will b in touch with u... All the best with u the new snakes when u get them..... cheers

G/B...........

 

[gold&black...]

some questions....... Can these snakes be sexed as juvies??? If so, can they be housed in the same aquarium??? What kind of ph levels should I try and maintain???

 

[Wrasse]

PH at around 7.
OK to be kept together as long as living together isn't stressing one or both of them and you can monitor food intake.
I have no idea if they can be sexed as juveniles. Never tried.

 

[gold&black...]

thanks for that Wrasse......... I was wondering if they could be probed... I did read some where that the best way to sex them is visually as these snakes are so fat that it's not a good idea to probe them..... Is this correct??? Since these snakes are know to have equal number of males and females in a clutch, I was wondering if it would be possible to tell the difference between the males and the females when they are born........ Do let me know........ Have sent the seller a message but haven't heard from him yet........

 

[elapid@]

mine where sexed and i had mine together and there wasn't a problem with that. about the ph levels ,(after you neutrlize the water of 1drop per litre of aquarium water or 5ml per 50L) take a sample to a aquarium place and they will tell you what the ph level is or will help you get it to its right level. Even know your snakes dont breath under water , you will be puting in live fish(in small amount, remember you dont want to stress the snake's out) the fish still must stay healthy because your snake will consume them fish can catch disease pretty quick. fish benifit from a 25% fortnightly water change using water treatment and conditioner, thats where it get confusing because i was told if you change the water too much it can stress the snakes out. but there is a way , taking the water outs fine i would add the the water diluted and then poor it in very slow next to your filter so the snakes dont feel a sudden cold change, or you could have a spare heater getting the water to the right temp. most aquarium heaters have built in thermostat so you shouldn't need one for that but i still used a safety swich.

how did you go with currumbin did they give you any info on them.? ask for kurt he might still be there he's really good when it comes to that sort of thing.hes the man who looks after the reptiles and dose snake shows.
cheers steve.

 

[gold&black...]

Steve, thats a lot of good info mate....... Thanks a lot for that........ I recon I would heat the water with heater and then add it in....... When u say add a few fish at a time, does that mean that these snakes have a good success rate with catching their prey?? Cos I intend on buying a 3foot tank for the two for a start so what quantity of fish would I add into it?????? I still haven't called the place but will in a day or two.... Also I will ask for Kurt..... Thanks again......

G/B.....

 

[salebrosus]

g'day mate
you need to have the water about 30 c all the time and plenty of natural plants. dont do complete water changes. its also good to have the water neutralised from chlorine.they dont like to be handled , also they are supceptibale to fungle problems and stress related problems. never put to many fish in at once. also becarefull what fish you put in there and make sure the fish are not diseased . my file snakes died so did my other mates and they where from the same clutch, im not sure if it was a genetic problem but when we got them sent from darwin to gold coast they were accidently sent to sydney missied flight and they had to stay down there over night. when we got them the next day they were ice cold. mine lived for about a year his died in about 8 months. i noticed that the day i got them they had white spots and i try'd getting rid of it but just got worse and there was no one in my area that could treat the infection. it was a bad time for me to see this happen. i would like to try again but would need more info . i would call currumbin wild life center they have one now and im sure that they have a good knowledge in keeping them. i would also use natural rock basicly you need to transfer there natural enviroment. im going to try again but will get more info. good luck let us know how u go. they are a really nice snake. they take about 14 years to mature also give live birth. they eat fish .
they dont like to be removed all the time and becare full they will climb out of there water. i also still have my complete set up. also use good filters heater dont use cheep stuff and alway keep a spare heater. keep in touch im really intersted in these guys and want to start again. i think when they get stress it causes there immune system to drop to a low level and manafest to disease like fungle infections also there skin being like file dose collect stuff in the water if they have no way of fightin the bacteria it can cause them to get sick. they shed like any other snake and eyes go milky. if there is any thing eles feel free to ask.
cheers steve.
[email protected]
0423906074.

Damn elapid@ wish you were on here when i was last looking at buying some of these.

Simone.

 

[elapid@]

when i started mine they ate feeder fish then moved on to gold fish. and there success rate on catching them was about 90% they ambush so they stay there and mimic a branch and wait for the food to come to them but some times they swam around and grabed there food, and it looks cool because the fish are still swimming around in there belly for a few seconds so dont be alarmed it all right.when they bite there prey they rap around the fish ,the fish basicly swimms down there throet. i used to put 10 feeder fish in at a time when they got bigger i gave them gold fish about 2-6 but i also had a spare tank with a filter etc for the fish to live in until they become food. but you dont need a heater for that. the most impotant thing is your snakes are in good health - to keep them that way is for the fish to be in good health the snakes are nocturnal and do like to hide , when they get to a good size they should be pretty hardy . they are a snake just to look at and if every thing is fine they should live a long time.

cheers steve.

 

[markars]

try this web site http://www.arafurae.net/. I found this when i was looking at getting some but the breeder i found had 30 hatchlings and they all got that fungal infection so they ancelled the sale and i didnot hear from them again. It seems to me that if someone who is succsessful enough to breed them and they still have trouble with white spot it must be a bloody hard thing to avoid or treat. good luck and post pics.

 

[Mr_48Volts]

I know Pete at Canberra Exotics has had these snakes for ages, and his look very healthy, he could give some great info. I love watchin those guys eat fish.

 

[gold&black...]

Hi guys, just picked up the tank and the heater today... Also some drift wood and plants.. Still have to buy a canister filter and a ariater..... Don't intend on using gravel for obvious reasons........ Will start working on the water as soon as I get a chance........ lol The funny thing is, the seller still hasn't gotten in touch with me........

 

[elapid@]

it takes up to 14 years for these snake to mature, so to have a breeding pair would mean that they have had theres for that period of that time. im not sure if thats the case because im not sure of the licencing up there because any body could get a gravid female from the wild and then get the live born file snakes . if that was the case these snakes would not survive in captivity maybe a couple but for such a change into captivity and going into water that they have no immune to would cause them to stress and get white spot. If people have been successfully breeding them for over 14-15 years wouldn't there be more known about them. i hope im wrong but i reckon there would be people up there selling wild gravid file snakes.
because they are easy to find.

cheers steve.

 

[jack]

heres how i keep mine:
two in a big aquarium, lots of logs, and i mean so many logs you cannot fit much water in!!!! they like to hide.
water movement minimum.
kept in a really dark corner of the house, an aquarium light on for only 3 hours per day, to simulate a dark billabong.
water at 29 degrees celcius in summer, 27 degrees at hot end in winter (the heater nearly running 24/7). two heaters in case one fails.
the water should go red with tannin from the logs, this is good.
change about one fifth of the water each week, it is good stuff to water ferns and orchids with.
monitor the pH if you want to, but once the tank is set up well it will remain slightly acidic and it is actually harder to try and get it bang on 7 than it's worth the effort.
chuck in about 10 feeder fish (like comets or small carp) every month, they will go overnight, if you are lucky you will see them feed.
mine have grown considerably in 1 and a half years, and shed about every 4 to 5 months.
sexing from sheds is easy as hemipenes in shed are obvious.
mine both came with white spot fungus, i treated them with fish fungicide and soluble antibiotics and it cleared up within a week, i kept the treatment up until they had both shed and the little ulcers left had healed over.
good luck, they are amazing beasties.

 

[elapid@]

thats good to no i think i will get some and try again.

 

[gold&black...]

I think u should Steve cos then both of us can share thoughts and info on our snakes development...... That would be a great idea.........

That is good news Jack... Since I'm using drift wood, can I use those commercially available additives that help colour the water??? or would u recommend collecting regular wood to introduce into the water???

 

[Wrasse]

Use Peat.

Some of the commercially available water additives (like Blackwater extract) are rumoured* to be carcinogenic. Why take the chance? Peat works within 24 hours to colour the water nicely and more or less peat in the filter will make it darker or lighter. You want a nice tea colour, so in an Eheim Pro II and a 4 foot tank, use the measurements below.

Just get your small bag of peat from Bunnings (about $7). Remove the carbon granules/pad from the filter (as that polishes the water and takes the colour out, just what you don't want), cut the leg off a stocking and put a half cup of peat into the leg. Tie a knot and place the peat filled stocking into the cannister filter.

Invest in some Zeolite granules (or ammonia stripping granules) and pop that into the cannister filter with the peat (in the other stocking leg), to help keep the water clean of ammonia.

*rumoured - Talk around the aquarists/aquaculture groups. NOT internet fact.