Analysis of the Breeding Technology and Breeding Prospects of the Keeled Rat Snake
AbstractBreeding farm: It can be specially built or converted from an ordinary house, with the roof ventilated on all sides, enclosed with wire mesh to prevent escape, wall height not less than 2.5 m, walls and floor coated with cement, required to be smooth and seamless, no windows in the room, equipped with a water pool, water ditch and water basin, and drinking water kept clean at all times; the snake house is fitted with double doors to prevent the snakes from escaping. Breeding technology: Raise them in separate pools according to body size; the feed is mainly earthworms, yellow mealworms, fly maggots, minced meat, etc.; the feeding location should be fixed, with feeding once a day.
The keeled rat snake is a snake that many people are quite familiar with. It belongs to the non-venomous snakes, and it is currently distributed in many places. The keeled rat snake has high market value, so it attracts many people to breed it. However, before breeding, most people surely want to have a comprehensive understanding of its breeding methods. Let us take a look together below!
Breeding Technology of the Keeled Rat Snake
1. Indoor breeding farm: The indoor breeding farm for the keeled rat snake can be specially built or converted from an ordinary house, with the roof ventilated on all sides, enclosed with wire mesh to prevent escape, wall height not less than 2.5 m, walls and floor coated with cement, required to be smooth and seamless, no windows in the room, equipped with a water pool, water ditch and water basin, and drinking water kept clean at all times; the snake house is fitted with double doors to prevent the snakes from escaping.
2. Management of young keeled rat snakes. Place the newly hatched snakes in snake boxes for rearing and management. Especially when young snakes shed their skin, they do not eat or move and their skin is prone to bacterial infection, so they should be managed even more carefully. Keeled rat snakes should be raised in separate pools according to body size, which not only facilitates management but also prevents large snakes from eating small snakes when food is scarce. The feed for young snakes is mainly earthworms, yellow mealworms, fly maggots, egg cakes, minced meat, etc.; the feeding location should be fixed, with feeding once a day. Attention should also be paid to observing and recording the feed intake, excretion and activity of the keeled rat snakes. For snakes with poor feeding ability, small appetite or even no eating, the cause must be identified; newly hatched young snakes can be manually force-fed, and clean drinking water must be supplied after feeding.
3. Management of adult keeled rat snakes. The feed for adult keeled rat snakes is mainly frogs, rice field eels, mice, etc., generally fed once every 3 to 7 days, with the amount fed each time flexibly controlled. If adult snakes have a strong appetite during the mating period, pregnancy period, around the egg-laying period, and 1 to 2 months before hibernation, the feeding frequency and amount should be appropriately increased. Only by supplying a certain amount of nutrient-rich food can the physiological needs of the snake's body be met. While ensuring that the keeled rat snakes eat their fill and eat well, clean drinking water must also be supplied regularly. If water is lacking for a long time, the snake's body will become weak and it may even become ill and die.
Breeding Prospects of the Keeled Rat Snake
The breeding prospects of the keeled rat snake are considerable, and the price of the keeled rat snake will still rise, because a large number of traditional Chinese medicine pharmaceutical factories have an increasing demand for dried keeled rat snakes. As society enters the elderly era, various rheumatic diseases and hemiplegia caused by high blood pressure trouble modern people, and the keeled rat snake has an irreplaceable effect in this regard. Therefore, keeled rat snake breeding is still a popular snake species for breeding.
Feeding Techniques for Keeled Rat Snake Feed
The feed for young keeled rat snakes is mainly live small animals such as yellow mealworms, fly maggots and earthworms, combined with some minced meat and livestock and poultry offal. As the snakes continue to grow into adults, their food intake gradually increases and their feeding ability grows stronger day by day, so some larger live feed can be given, such as frogs, loaches, rice field eels, mice, etc. Generally, feed once every 3 to 7 days, but during important physiological stages such as the young snake stage, the adult snake breeding period, and 1 to 2 months before hibernation, they need to be fed once a day. The amount fed each time should vary according to factors such as the snake's age, individual size and climate, generally to the extent of meeting their needs with a slight surplus.
Overwintering Management of the Keeled Rat Snake
The keeled rat snake is a poikilothermic animal. It usually enters hibernation as the temperature drops in late October to early November. The soil layer on the snake nest needs to be thickened or short grass padded inside the nest to maintain a temperature of 5 to 10°C. It is best to place several snakes of similar size together for hibernation, which can raise the temperature around the snakes' bodies by 1 to 2°C. When the temperature is relatively high, hibernating snakes will wake up, increasing energy consumption and causing greater weight loss; if the temperature is too low, the snakes will freeze to death. During hibernation, the keeled rat snake's nest should also maintain a humidity of about 10 percent. On rainy days, attention should be paid to drainage within the site to prevent water from entering the snake nest. If the snake nest is too humid, dry soil can be added inside it; if the snake nest is not humid enough, water can be sprinkled on the soil in the nest.
When breeding the keeled rat snake, the construction of the breeding farm must be done well, mainly to prevent it from escaping. The management of young snakes and adult snakes is different, and this requires extra attention. Management in terms of feeding and overwintering should also be strengthened. The breeding prospects of the keeled rat snake are still good. Only by doing these tasks well can one ensure one's returns.