Rough Green Snake

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

A vine-colored insect eater

Rough green snakes, Opheodrys aestivus, are the pencil-thin green snakes of the eastern and southeastern United States. Adults are about 22 to 32 inches, mostly tail and nerve. They commonly reach 5 to 8 years in captivity, care is intermediate to advanced, and they are docile, delicate, and easy to stress. That combination is a warning. Pet shops still sell wild-caught adults for a few dollars.

They need a tall planted cage, temperatures of 75 to 85°F, humidity of 50 to 70 percent, and tiny food: crickets, flies, small roaches, caterpillars that have not been sprayed. Gut-load the insects. Dust with calcium. A 20 to 30 gallon vertical tank is a fair size. Water droplets on leaves are how many of them drink. A deep bowl they cannot find is not a plan.

Buy less of this species

Captive breeding exists and is uncommon. A bargain green snake is a wild snake. They dehydrate, they carry parasites, and they starve while looking calm. Handling adds stress to an animal that already has too much. If you keep one, keep the cage quiet and the insect supply steady. Do not mix them with a garter that will eat them.

A thin snake that stops hunting insects needs help fast. The appetite page and a vet from ARAV are the next step, and prevention would have been a different pet.

Rough green snake questions

Do rough green snakes eat mice?

No. They eat insects and similar small prey. A pinky mouse is the wrong offer and a sign the keeper has the wrong species in mind.

Why do pet green snakes die so quickly?

Most were caught outside. Stress, parasites, and a diet of the wrong bugs kill them. 5 to 8 years in captivity, and many never get close.

Can I hold one?

They are docile and delicate. Holding is how tails get injured and how a shy snake stops eating. Watch them in a planted cage.