File Snake

[xScarlettex]

I have a friend who is interested in keeping a file snake.. ive been trying to gather some info for him but am not having much luck, does anyone know anything about the species? and what the licencing requirements are for SA to keep one??
Any info would be muchly appreciated =)

 

[trogdor1988]

I would LOOOOOVE a little file snake Acrochordus granulatus there so cool. From what i understand though you cant keep them.

 

[BlindSnake]

I would LOOOOOVE a little file snake Acrochordus granulatus there so cool. From what i understand though you cant keep them.

maybe in QLD you cant have them, but in S.A they are on the basic permit. Finding one for sale on the other hand is another story.

 

[xScarlettex]

so theyd be pretty expensive then?? id have thought youd need at least a specialist permit, you need a specialist permit for a gtp, i thought file snakes would be the same...?
..

 

[BlindSnake]

so theyd be pretty expensive then?? id have thought youd need at least a specialist permit, you need a specialist permit for a gtp, i thought file snakes would be the same...?
..

Not expensive, just hard to find for sale. Also they are not the easiest animals to keep happy and alive. I would suggest that you need a few years keeping herps and fish, as they are an aquatic snake and you need to make sure the water quallity, temps etc are spot on.

 

[PimmsPythons]

you can keep them in queensland.a mate of mine has 2 and seem quite easy to keep. a tank,a heater,some goldfish and off you go.

 

[moosenoose]

you can keep them in queensland.a mate of mine has 2 and seem quite easy to keep. a tank,a heater,some goldfish and off you go.

I was about to say I know someone who keeps them in QLD, but then I wasn't sure if you could :lol: Really interesting animals! Their skin is amazing to touch, but the most fascinating thing I found about them is their tongue seems to never fork! (I'm sure it does, but it just doesn't appear that way)

Excuse the picture, I took it through class and just wanted to get a shot of the tongue at full length

 

[redbellybite]

how hard are they moose to keep in capt? and what size tank would you need to keep them in ?do they feed well on goldfish?...would be interesting to have one and like you said their skin would feel amazing ..can only imagine what they feel like as I have never felt one ...

 

[PimmsPythons]

sorry to jump in,my mates 2 are a about 3 years old and in a 4 foot tank,1 of them was a bit of a picky eater for a while but going good now.love their goldfish.they are like a wet sock when they are out of the water,all saggy,rough skin and go nowhere fast

 

[Kris]

Yeah Simon, they are easy to keep. Mine are in a 4 foot tank. They need to be kept at around 29-30 degrees, keep the ph level neutral, with bit of cover such as branches and weeds and they thrive. They are 3 years now, you saw them when we got them at about 40 cm now the are approaching 3 1/2- 4 foot. At night they cruise around the tank a bit, during the day they hide in the submerged branches.

They are very easy to keep. If you can keep a goldfish alive(without a File Snake in its tank) you can keep a File snake.

Not sure about SA but the are legal in QLD.

Kris

 

[Aslan]

http://www.arafurae.net/

In the past they were advertised on a fairly regular basis and were selling for around the $400 mark. In the last two seasons I don't remember seeing any up for sale at all...

My understanding is that they are quite difficult to keep successfully, I think this would likely be a result of them not being commonly kept...

 

[Kris]

I saw the ones I have now advertised on Herptrader for $130-00. That's what they've sold them for for the past 5 or so years. I know of one bloke that bought one then tried flogging it off for about $400-00.

I think 3 years of keeping them is quite succesful. No deaths, growing well, feeding well. Don't believe all that you hear/see or read from people that don't keep them. Most people that say they are hard to keep have never kept them, or are to lazy to give the animal the basic care they require.

Kris.

 

[xScarlettex]

thanx for your replies guys =) how big do they get at full length?

 

[m.punja]

i hear they'll be put on victoria lic soon, if they are before i get mertens i might get some of them instead, always been interested in them

 

[xScarlettex]

and im guessing theyre non-venomous?

 

[Aslan]

I think 3 years of keeping them is quite succesful. No deaths, growing well, feeding well. Don't believe all that you hear/see or read from people that don't keep them. Most people that say they are hard to keep have never kept them, or are to lazy to give the animal the basic care they require.

Kris.

Kris,

I agree entirely, I would definately consider that successful.

...the grapevine is regularly wrong, but with so few people keeping them it is difficult to find too much information to dispute it.

Good to hear the experience of someone actually keeping these guys, definately puts it into perspective - and let me know if you know of any becoming available

...what sort of expense is there in feeding these guys?

 

[Kris]

Thanks,

The grapevine(forums) are full of info, just so much is incorrect.

The most expensive part is buying goldfish and filter cartridges. I usually get 20 or so goldfish at a time.Pet shops usually sell them from 50c to $2-50 each.

I'm not sure if I even have a male and female, they were purchaced just to be pets, If they are male and female and eventually do breed that would be a bonus and I'll pm you.

Kris

 

[Kersten]

and im guessing theyre non-venomous?

That's right, they aren't venomous. As Kris said, once they're set up they're remarkably easy to keep....and they're awesome to watch when they come out and explore.

 

[megrim]

I think Reedy's Reptiles had a bunch selling a few years ago. I'd assume they were wild caught, but I remember finding a bunch of information on them from his website.

That was a while ago though, so not sure if he's still into them.

 

[redbellybite]

MMMMMMMMMM after reading this thread you have me intrigued now and I might just have a really good think about having them .....thanks for the info