Is the red-spotted snake venomous? Get to know this common non-venomous snake

The red-spotted snake, also known as the water snake, water long worm, white-lined snake, etc., is a snake of the genus Elaphe in the family Colubridae. It is widely distributed across northern and southern China and is a national “three-have” (beneficial, of important economic value, and of scientific research value) protected animal. Its total length is within 1000 mm, and its body weight is 100-200 grams. Let's take a look below at whether the red-spotted snake is venomous!

Is the red-spotted snake venomous?

The red-spotted snake is non-venomous. The red-spotted snake is a semi-aquatic non-venomous snake species, distributed in China's Beijing, Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Henan, Hubei and other places.

Habits of the red-spotted snake

The red-spotted snake often moves around near streams, and is sometimes also seen in drier areas. It often basks in the sun in the grass near water areas, preying on loaches, eels, frogs, etc. It is ovoviviparous, generally giving birth to young snakes in July-August, with each litter numbering from more than ten to varying numbers.

How to keep the red-spotted snake

The red-spotted snake is very docile. Apart from a few nervous individuals, they are all easy to handle. Quite a few people also keep red-spotted snakes as pet snakes. Most are wild-caught, and captive-bred ones are hard to buy on the market. Many red-spotted snakes have many parasites in their bodies. If brought home as pets and not dewormed, they can easily die suddenly. Moreover, when the red-spotted snake is eager to escape from a person's hand, it often sprays feces and urine. Because this snake feeds on frogs and fish, its feces will have a fishy smell. Overall, however, the red-spotted snake is relatively easy to keep, and the conditions do not need to be too demanding.