NEWS113
17
Literatur
:
Böhme,W.&M.Böhme (2011):
„Berus“ und
„Tirus“, zwei schwer zudeutendeSchlangen-
namenaus vorlinnaeischer Zeit.Sekretär
11(2):3-16
Niehuis,M. (1996):
DieWürfelnatter -Natrix
tessellata (Laurenti,1768).Kapitel II 27,pp
429-450 inBitz,A.,Fischer,K.,Simon,L.Thiele,
R.&M.Veith (1996):DieAmphibienund
ReptilienvonRheinland-Pfalz.Gesellschaft für
NaturschutzundOrnithologieRheinland-
Pflalz,Landau
Kreiner,G. (2007):
SchlangenEuropas.Alle
ArtenwestlichdesKaukasus.Edition
Chimaira,Frankfurt a .M.
conditions in the normal terrarium usually
ends in disaster, as either the land area
becomesaswamporthewaterareabecomes
heavily polluted with earth, rotting plant
material,etc.Itisbettertoconstructalandarea
intheformofadrystonewall,asthennothing
willgowrongandsuchawallalso looksnice.
Not justfishonFriday
DiceSnakes feedalmostexclusivelyon fish,so
obviouslytheidealistofeedthemonlivefood
fishes of suitable size. This will keep their
hunting instinct alive and simultaneously
provide themwith all theessential nutrients,
vitamins,etc,they require.Obtaining live food
fishes can be problematical, but luckily Dice
Snakes will also take deep-frozen fish. Smelt
(
Osmeruseperlanus
) are ideal,andare soldas
animal food in the form of whole fishes,
innardsandall.Fish fillet shouldbeusedonly
inextremis.Snakes fed long-termonthis food
become ill. Dice Snakes should be fed 2-3
timesperweek.
Breeding
In the terrariumDice Snakes usuallymate a
fewweeks after comingout of hibernation.
Because this snake species is completely
peaceful, it can readilybe kept ingroups or
pairs year-round. Once the females are
heavilygravid and ready to lay, they should
be transferred to a separate egg-laying
terrarium.
Generallyspeaking,neitherhorsemanurenor
gardencompost is sold for useasegg-laying
substrate inthehometerrarium,asbothsmell
abit.Buthouseplantpottingcompostwillbe
fine(alsoavilable inBio),withadepthof15-20
cmbeingaboutright.Theterrariumshouldbe
placedonaheatingmatwiththetemperature
setto30°C.The incubationperiodforthe5-25
eggs isaround40-45daysat25-27°C,andthe
newly-hatchedyoungaresome23cm long.
Hibernation
InGermany,where the climatic boundary of
the species' distribution is reached, Dice
Snakes areoftenactiveonly from theendof
May to theendof September.The restof the
year istoocoldforthem.Inotherpartsoftheir
vast range, however, Dice Snakes are active
year-round.Because theexactprovenanceof
most terrarium strains is unknown, it is
sufficient to conduct just a mild period of
hibernation.The first step is simply to turnoff
the lighting,which,of course, simultaneously
represents themain sourceofwarmth in the
terrarium. It is important that thesnakesnow
undergoashortdaylength(lessthan12hours
of daylight).After about aweek they canbe
put into hibernation. A hibernation
temperaturebetween10and15°Cwillsuffice,
andanyonewhodoesn'thaveacellarorother
room that cold can put the snakes in the
refrigeratortohibernate.
If you are now filledwith the desire to keep
and breedDice Snakes, your pet dealer can
undoubtedly order them for you from a
trustworthy wholesaler, for example Tropen-
paradiesinOberhausen,Fax+490208-665997
