Little File Snakes

I've had a little file snake (Achrochordus granulatus) for a number of months now. I won't say it's a great pet... It could be, but mine isn't yet. Being wild caught it still needs to get used to captivity. Although they don't seem at all inclined to bite and can be handled readily, they are still 'observer pets' (unlike corn snakes, ball pythons, etc). Being entirely aquatic, they don't seem to have muscles designed to support them out of the water so I am strongly against handling them out of their aquarium. Wild caught ones shouldn't be handled at all... it would simply be too stressful.

I am not an expert on this species, but here is a website that has absolutely brilliant information on it, both in captivity and in the wild. It has certainly helped me get my snake to calm down and start to eat more regularly. Enjoy!

Personally my setup is a 35 gallon aquarium with a light and temperature gradient, shrimp as cleaners, fish as cleaners and food, a section with gravel (large), a section with plants and soil, a hiding place on each side of the aquarium, and a few decorative rocks. I keep the temperature at around 32 degrees Celsius at it's max (down to about 28 degrees) and add a teaspoon of aquarium salt every couple of weeks or so (not too much as I am afraid it would kill the shrimp and fish).

Advice and suggestions from other little file snake owners would be welcome as a comment.