SREL Reprint #1772
Survival, weight changes, and shedding frequencies of captive scarlet snakes, Cemophora coccinea, maintained on an artificial liquid diet
I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr. and Clarence Bagshaw
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA
Conclusion: In conclusion, the data presented here show that some individuals of Cemophora coccinea can be maintained in captivity for extended periods of time on an easily prepared artificial liquid diet. Since food intake could also be readily quantified by analyzing the nutrient and energy content of the liquid diet and weighing the snakes immediately before and after their feeding soaks, data on nutrition, energetics, and contaminant cycling could easily be collected using these procedures. Despite being considered one of the most difficult of small snakes to maintain in captivity, with further refinements of the procedures described here, Cemophora coccinea could possibly become a useful laboratory model for studies of many aspects of the general biology of the smaller snakes.
SREL Reprint #1772
Brisbin, I. L., Jr. and C. Bagshaw. 1993. Survival, weight changes, and shedding frequencies of captive scarlet snakes, Cemophora coccinea, maintained on an artificial liquid diet. Herpetological Review 24: 27-29.
This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).