The Keeled Grass Snake – an emerald beauty for beginner terrarium enthusiasts

If you are looking for your first snake for your home terrarium, consider the keeled grass snake. This reptile is one of the most popular and deserving candidates among novice enthusiasts.

What is so special about it? First, its appearance. It is an emerald, bright green snake that looks simply stunning. Second, its character. Grass snakes are usually very calm and quickly get used to being handled, which is extremely important for a beginner.

They are relatively easy to keep. They do not need huge terrariums or exotic conditions. It is enough to create a comfortable “forest corner” with the right temperature and humidity. And there are usually no problems with feeding — they eat insects and small mice.

In essence, the keeled grass snake is the ideal companion for taking your first steps in terrarium keeping without unnecessary stress and with enormous aesthetic pleasure. Let's learn more about it.

Habitat

The keeled grass snake inhabits the southern United States and Mexico. The western border of its range runs through central Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico, while the northern border extends to southern New Jersey and then stretches along the eastern coast of the Florida Keys archipelago.

In its native habitat, the grass snake prefers the edges of moist forests located near water bodies. At night, it climbs deciduous trees and shrubs, curls up into a ring, and sleeps, and during the day, it hunts on the coast.

Keeled grass snake

Sometimes it is found in fields.

The keeled grass snake is a calm, undemanding snake with bright emerald coloring, which is perfect for beginners in terrarium keeping. It does not grow longer than a meter, is not poisonous, and feels good with simple care: a regular terrarium, dry bedding, shelter, and moderate heat. This snake is almost hassle-free, rarely gets scared, easily gets used to being handled, and does well with mouse food. If you want to start with a snake but are afraid of complications, the keeled grass snake is the perfect choice.

Character and lifestyle

The grass snake is a tree snake that is active during the day. It is active from March to November.

At this time, the snake hunts on the ground and sleeps in trees. When encountering danger, the keeled snake will not attack or defend itself against its enemy. It will simply crawl into thick grass and hide well from its pursuer.

The cold months (December to February) are spent in hibernation.

Appearance

The keeled grass snake is a very beautiful, graceful snake with a slender, flexible body and a narrow head. The back and sides of the reptile are colored in a solid lime-green color.

The abdomen is light in color, ranging from yellowish-green to cream. Males grow up to 89 cm in length, while females grow up to 95 cm.

Please note! There is a scaly keel running down the center of the snake's back. This anatomical feature is reflected in the animal's name.

Table. Appearance of the keeled grass snake.

Characteristics	Description of characteristics
Length of females	95 cm
Length of males	89 cm
Average weight of females	27 g
Average weight of males	16 g
Body shape	Graceful, long, thin
Head shape	Narrow
Back color	Lime green
Belly color	Yellowish-green to cream

Note! Sexual dimorphism in snakes is insignificant. Females are longer and heavier than males, while males have longer tails. Both males and females are colored the same. The skin color of young snakes is slightly lighter than that of adults.

Housing conditions, care

Keeled grass snakes do not boast a high survival rate. Due to early sexual maturity, large annual egg clutches, unfavorable climatic conditions (heat, drought), and the presence of natural enemies, these snakes die early.

In natural conditions, they live up to 5 years, but when kept at home, their lifespan increases to 8 years.

What to look for when buying?

When buying a keeled grass snake, pay attention to the condition of the animal. If the reptile looks too thin, lethargic, or sleeps constantly, it is better to refuse to buy it. Lumps and growths under the animal's skin indicate that it is infected with helminths.

Quarantine

To make sure the animal is healthy, take its feces to a veterinary clinic for analysis. While the analysis is being prepared, place your new pet in quarantine. Under no circumstances should you put it in a shared terrarium for 30-45 days after purchase. Monitor the health of your new pet, its diet, and its daytime and nighttime activity. In the first few days, the reptile may experience stress from the new environment and refuse to eat. After a few days, it should resume eating.

Opheodrys aestivus

Tip! In the first few days after your pet arrives in your home, try not to disturb it unnecessarily and keep contact to a minimum. Give your new pet time to adapt. And be sure to place a container of clean, cool drinking water in the terrarium.

Terrarium

Keeled grass snakes are active, so they need enough space to move around. If you only have one snake, you can keep it in a terrarium. 60x40x45 cm. The tank should be made of glass or wood with glass walls. A plastic container is not suitable for representatives of this species.

Larvae

— Ekaterina Alekseeva Got acquainted with the world of terrariums as a child

Beetles feel comfortable at temperatures between 25°C and 28°C. Being inhabitants of the tropics, they cannot tolerate cool weather. At temperatures below 20°C, beetles stop reproducing and their eggs die. The optimal humidity level in the terrarium is 60-70%. To maintain this, the beetles should be sprayed frequently, but in small amounts, with fresh water from a spray bottle.

An excellent substrate for keeled grass snakes is when transplanting beetles, protect your hands with gloves, as these insects secrete a foul-smelling liquid. Humidity. Artificial mats are a good choice. There should be two mats: while one is in use, the other is being cleaned.

Please note! Paper towels or newspapers can be used instead of bedding, but they will make the terrarium look less attractive.

It would be good to add some dry leaves to the soil. To clean them of parasites, put them in the freezer overnight.

Close-up

Decor

Since keeled grass snakes are arboreal, the terrarium must be supplemented with plants with dense foliage. The thickness of the branches for climbing should be commensurate with the thickness of the snake itself. Approximately half of the terrarium's volume should be occupied by foliage.

Keeled grass snakes belong to the tree species

Life hack! Artificial plants are suitable for keeled grass snakes. They are much easier to care for than live ones.

Shelters

Snakes need shelters. These can be made from pieces of bark. A few shelters will be enough to make your pet feel comfortable. If you do not provide the snake with shelters, it will be in a state of constant stress, refuse to eat, and will not live in your home for long.

Lighting

Keeled grass snakes need ultraviolet light. Low-power lamps such as ReptiGlo 2.0/5.0 are suitable for this purpose. The lamp should be turned off at night. The length of daylight for snakes is 12 hours. An automatic timer for the terrarium will turn all lamps and heaters on and off according to a set schedule.

Make sure that the snake does not come into direct contact with lighting and heating devices.

Humidity

In a terrarium for keeled grass snakes, the air humidity should be maintained at 55-65%. A hygrometer is required to measure humidity. It can be purchased at any pet store.

This is important! Place a large water bowl with fresh water in the cool corner of the terrarium.

Spray the walls of the terrarium once a day, as snakes like to lick water droplets from plant leaves. However, water should not get on the substrate, otherwise mold will appear on it.

Photo of a snake

Heating

The terrarium should be equipped with cool and warm zones. The warm zone is located in the upper part of the terrarium, on branches, among the foliage. The temperature here should be 22-25 °C, and at the heating point (the warmest point) — 27-30 °C. At night, the background temperature should be 18-21 °C, and at the heating point — 23-26 °C. Install thermometers in the cold corner and at the heating point to control the temperature.

Diet

In its natural habitat, the keeled grass snake hunts in shrubby and grassy prairies. It feeds on grasshoppers, crickets, and other insects, spiders, small amphibians, and lizards.

When kept in captivity, snakes can be fed exclusively with insects: crickets, mealworms, and zophobas. Adults should be fed twice a week, giving them 5-10 insects each time. Uneaten insects should be removed from the terrarium so that they do not interfere with the snake.

Opheodrys aestivus

To diversify your pet's diet, you can feed it 1-2 times a month mouse larvae. Mice contain valuable nutrients and are beneficial for snakes. However, it is not recommended to feed them more often to avoid obesity in snakes.

Please note! Young snakes should be fed every other day. The diet for newborns and growing snakes will be the same as for adult snakes.

Reproduction

Male keeled grass snakes reach sexual maturity at 21 months, females between 21 and 33 months. These animals are polygamous, and the male leaves the female immediately after mating.

Pregnancy lasts 5-12 weeks, depending on the ambient temperature. The female then finds a suitable damp place in rotting trees, stumps, logs, or under rocks and lays 3 to 19 eggs there. She usually does this 20-40 meters away from a body of water. After that, the female returns to her normal lifestyle and no longer has contact with the newborn snakes.

The hatchlings are 128-132 mm long and weigh 1.1 g. In their first year of life, they grow rapidly and gain weight.

It should be noted that breeding keeled snakes in a terrarium is more difficult than breeding other snakes. To stimulate your pets to reproduce, you need to send for wintering. To do this, the air temperature in the terrarium is lowered to 10-12 °C, and the lighting is reduced to dim.

Rough green snake

After 2-3 months of wintering, the temperature is gradually raised to normal and the terrarium is thoroughly moistened. Then the male is released into the female's terrarium. The individuals mate once, after which the female lays eggs. The female can lay two clutches per year, in spring and autumn.

Laid eggs should be removed from the terrarium and placed in an incubator with moist vermiculite underneath them. The vermiculite should cover ⅔ of the eggs, with the remaining ⅓ exposed to the surface for gas exchange. The optimal temperature in the incubator for eggs is 27-29 °C. After 55-75 days, the young will hatch. Eggs in the incubator should not be turned over, as this will lead to the death of the embryos.

Ekaterina Alekseeva

I became acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child

For the first 2-5 days after hatching, the young will feed on the contents of their yolk sacs. Once the sacs have been absorbed, the young will begin to hunt and eat on their own. At this time, they should be fed live insects. Young snakes are raised separately from adults. If kept together, the parents may eat their young.

— Ekaterina Alekseeva I became acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child

Interesting facts

During the mating season, males gently court females, wrapping their bodies around them, rubbing their chins against them, nodding their heads, and waving their tails.

The cost of keeled grass snakes depends on their length. Young snakes up to 12 cm long (size S) can be purchased for 1,100 rubles, the cost of adult specimens up to 35 cm long (size XL) reaches 3520 rubles.

Brief conclusions

The keeled grass snake is a beautiful, graceful animal that will adorn any terrarium. The snake leads a diurnal arboreal lifestyle and feeds mainly on small insects. The terrarium for keeping it should be equipped with branches with dense foliage.

Rough Green Snake

Note! It is more difficult to breed grass snakes in a terrarium than other snakes. In order for a pair to have offspring, the male and female must be put into hibernation. Young snakes require the same conditions as adults.

Overall, the keeled grass snake is an excellent choice for a first encounter with the world of snakes. Its modest size, calm nature, and relatively simple care requirements make it a truly convenient pet.

This snake is not only easy to care for, but also incredibly beautiful. Watching its emerald iridescent scales is a real pleasure. It can show how fascinating it can be to interact with a reptile without creating any serious difficulties.

If you have been considering acquiring a snake but have been hesitant, consider this species. With proper care and attention, this small emerald beauty will become your calm and impressive companion for many years.