Elephant trunk snake info
- Thread starter rudukai13
- Start date
lol Unfortunately I have yet to find a single one for sale and I'm not in any position to purchase another live animal right now. I have however found two places online that sell the elephant trunk snakes and have called a few reptile stores in my area just to ask out of curiosity and a few of them said they could order them in for me. All still just research, not going to buy anything new for a while at least.
I've started talking to someone who's had one for six and a half years in the comments section of his youtube video (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IBtJb-GnGI). Take a look at what he has to say, it's extremely interesting...
For those who don't want to click the link, I'll copy and paste what he's said:
"mine ive had for 6.5 years and changed its water twice and touched it once (when i bought it) all my mates treated theres like a tropical fish and they lasted a few months......i was told yesterday the longest in captivity was 8 years and the water must be changed every two weeks......mate ive NEVER cleaned its filter in the 6.5 years ive had it.......go figure...mine is now 1.2 mtrs and as heathy as a butchers dog...."
Here's what he said when I started asking about Ph, hardness and other water parameters:
"ive never touched the water until we had to move house so i dropped it to a centimeter deep and then filled it up with the hose when i re set up shezam done i dont even know what temp its at so how do you expect me to know the rest..... "
For those who don't want to click the link, I'll copy and paste what he's said:
"mine ive had for 6.5 years and changed its water twice and touched it once (when i bought it) all my mates treated theres like a tropical fish and they lasted a few months......i was told yesterday the longest in captivity was 8 years and the water must be changed every two weeks......mate ive NEVER cleaned its filter in the 6.5 years ive had it.......go figure...mine is now 1.2 mtrs and as heathy as a butchers dog...."
Here's what he said when I started asking about Ph, hardness and other water parameters:
"ive never touched the water until we had to move house so i dropped it to a centimeter deep and then filled it up with the hose when i re set up shezam done i dont even know what temp its at so how do you expect me to know the rest..... "
i saw them at a show just alittle while ago for cheap. if i had known how rare i would have bought one
- So which advise you gonna follow? 
...Well I figure I can always do more, but once you do something you can't "undo" it, right? I'd start by trying to go with the "put it in the water, feed it and leave it alone" for a little while. If it appears to be doing well with that, then I'll know that works. If it's degrading, then I can start working with things to get a better result. To start I figure I'd use regular tap water with some regular dechlorinater, a teabag in the filter for tannins, and some plants to help with biological filtering. It'd definitely be a planted tank, with some floating plants for top coverage.
If you think about it, the logic is sound. If we assume that this guy is correct, that water changes and general commotion stress the snake out and ultimately make it sick, then what would any good fish keeper do when they saw a sick aquatic animal? Make water changes more extreme and frequent, pull the animal out for medicinal baths, and just all-around create more commotion and more stress for the snake which would end up killing it.
That makes sence, I would however use a very good biological filter as main water quality suport (lots of water letuce, lillys and duck weed), some substrate, lots of hidding places and a smaller filter as well (if you use a external filter you can change and clean its medium without botering the snake).rudukai13;3927147; said:
