Posted by Amy Badertscher on April 13, 2007

Q: My daughter found a midland brown snake in the yard and we have to decided to keep it. He has seemed happy until the last ocuple of days and now he seems restless and is not acting like he usually does—-he doesnt want to be held and is not wrapping around our fingers as usual. Can you please help me find out if he is ok and what we need to do for him?

State: Ohio

A: Wild animals really don't make good pets although I can understand your daughter's interest in keeping this beautiful snake. Aside from the kinds of food and habitat this animal is adapted for, your question is really more of a pet question than a natural history one so I'm not really very well-informed in this area. If you have a local person who has many snakes in their care, contacting them may help with what is going on with your snake. I would definitely recommend, however, that you release your snake rather than keep it. Maybe take some nice photos as a reminder then release the snake near the area you found it. I know this can be kind of a sad thing to do but if you're interested in what's best for the snake, this is definitely the best plan of action, especially since it isn't acting normal. Maybe you can find a pet store snake that has been raised in captivity for your daughter that would help make her feel better.

Raising animals is one of the best ways I know to really begin to understand them, but doing this with wild ones more often than not, ends up with an animal's death, or at least its trauma, for being in captivity. Sorry I can't be more supportive but I trust you understand. Good luck on your decision.

John Wiessinger ( April 17, 2007)