question about taking care of a snake and a poll

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I found a newborn pacific california ringneck snake yesterday. It got into the house somehow. I think it hatched somewhere near one of the entrances the ants use. Basically i can narrow down where it was born to an area that is about 30x15 square foot area.
Wild animals should be let go unless they need rehabilitation. The only reason i didnt take it to a nice place is because his brothers and sisters are DOOMED. This guy was actually lucky i almost stepped on him in the kitchen. At this house there is an old man that kills all animals small enough to do so, 2 dogs and 2 outside only cats. Everyone else other than me is afraid of snakes. I need to take care of this snake for a couple weeks, wuntil it is large enough to improve its chances of survival. It has to at least be big enough to not be seen as prey by the lizards. This type of snake rarely comes out into the open and isnt used to stress because they hide so well.
I got a setup figured out but I would like help checking my plan for errors. I got the home for it, it's only 4 inches tall but thats plenty for a snake that never wants to be above ground. I used a knife to cut out a bunch of little chunks of some pretty moss like sod, which i placed nice furtile soil, i lightly sprayed the soil with water and placed the "moss sod" on top of it with a couple tiny twigs and rocks so that the "sod" tufts are little caves. My snakes little homes look like the houses the hobbits lived in in the lord of the rings. Now to regulate it's tempurate ive got little flat stones that i leave in places that make sure i should have a warm rock or a hot rock during most of the day. i change them in and out very gently(so that i dont stress out the snake). I found a nest of teeny and medium pill bugs and put them in, even though that is known too be a common food source. I have to go out back and dig a hole to find tiny worms to introduce into the little ecosystem im making. Thats my plan unless i forgot something.
So, if i cant tell hes eaten in a week, or if he starts to lose his stamina(fast little guy, but he likes the feeling of a warm hand, just like all snakes. He was lying on my open palm in the sun earlier, dont know how long he wouldve stayed there but i couldnt hold it all day so i put it back once i finished putting together its home. Im pretty certain its in a good mood with its hobbit hole and heat rocks.

If i am making some sort of fatal flaw or if you have helpful hints, let me know.

Here are some questions i have:
-How small do those guppies that pet stores sell as reptile food come?
-Are those kryll things in salt water?
- is it true that if you cut a worm in half, they will both live?

Krill aren't a food source for the snake, and they're not easy to get either.
I don't think that if you cut a worm in half that they both live. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think so.

The only thing I would mention is to make sure he is eating. You will know if he isn't eating because of the ways his skin will look and feel.
If the skin is scruched up and dull, and you can see his bones, particularly the spine - it means he's not eating enough.
A well fed snake should have very smooth comfortably stretched out skin, the color should be bright and they should be fairly plump after a meal, and they will return to "normal" in the days following the meal.

A lot of information about them and caring for them:
http://www.virtualzoo.org/classificatio ... 0000000701

Krill, pill bugs, and guppies are not sufficient as a part of this species of the snake's diet so no use in wasting money buying them.

"Food & Hunting:
Prey of D. punctatus consists of small salamanders, lizards, and frogs, as well as earthworms and juvenile snakes of other species. Frequency of specific prey in the diet is dependent on availability. reports show that Michigan populations of the Eastern Ringneck (D. punctatus edwardsii) prey almost exclusively on the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus. The ringneck snake employs partial constriction to subdue its prey."

Also, basking spots and hot rocks are no good. Basking spots will only keep one area of the enclosure hot, not good enough. Hot rocks do the same and they are actually a potential hazard for getting to hot and they can cause burns to the reptile. The whole enclosure needs to have a consistent temperature 10-12 hours per every 24 hours to mimic the day/night cycle. According to the article you need to have the temperature in the mid 80's to high 80's during the day. That should be easy to achieve the temperatures needed with a lamp fixture and a lightbulb above a metal screen. You could try a 75 watt for example and see what temperature it makes the enclosure. Before you do that though, I am going to assume that the enclosure is not large enough for the snake. I would recommend a 5-10 (10 probably being the best) gallon tank at least if you feel the need to keep it in captivity...Various toads and frogs do well in small enclosures, but snakes tend to need more room.

If he's not eating and he is a baby, there isn't a whole lot of time to make things better. Smaller reptiles tend to die faster than large if they haven't eaten in awhile because they have much less fat and water stored in them to survive. I don't think I noticed that you had any source of water for the snake, but it's likely you need to have one. A small pool of clean water, enough for it to fit in, but not drown in. I would recommend you just let it go somewhere in their natural habitat away from people. Find a spot and let them go. You may not be helping them and actually be doing them a disservice by not letting the little snake figure out how and where to hunt on its own.

Remember, a snake is a steak.

Thanks. I have no intention of keeping it as a pet. Snakes are boring to me, i like parrots and tortoises. I've actually built a pretty darn accurate habitat. Once it cools down im going to get a shovel because i couldnt find enough worms while i wasusing a spoon to dig up and combine soils so that the roots in the moss stuff might take hold. As for water, i put some good leaves that hold dew when i spray. One spray a day sound good? Just with a simple spray nozzle like on windex(but not from a chemical container!). What about skin shedding? Is there i time frame? Sheds to early from stree? Sheds to late from malnutrition? How long do they survive off of thier egg yolk?
Also, in case some of you areworried my aspergers is not a danger to the snake. I understand animalsbbetter than i understand people. I can befriend a violent cockatoo any time of the day but am clueless when it comes to befriending a human. ve also been a very strong advocate of not removing animals from the wild. even as a young child. i would tryto buildprotection for the ants in the sandbox. it was all fine until people realized what i was doing from then on any bug, even if i hadnt noticedit yet would be murdered in front of me.

I can tell the snake is comfortable and i disturb it rarely. As of now its skin is gorgeous and no sunk stomache orskeleton to be seen. Its behavior is calm but it still roams under the protection i gave me. It even dug a tunnel. I see this as hunting and\or getting familiar with its new surroundings. a good sign, i think.

ps, did i mention that i didnt remove it from its home and that i found it in the house?
pps. sorry for the typos im doing this message from my gameboy.

It would be best to release it into the wild. Ringnecks don't get very big, and grow slowly, definitely more than a few weeks. They are not good for being in captivity, even temporarily, without any experience with snakes.
The only thing that you are likely to get it to eat are earthworms, isopods (pillbugs/woodlice), and possibly other small invertebrates.
Lizards will not normally eat ringnecks. The most likely chance of it surviving would be if you released it, into a secure area outside. You could also spray the area with water first, making it easier for the snake to burrow.
I have caught and released many small snakes before, including ringnecks, earth snakes, crowned snakes...

It would be best to release it into the wild. Ringnecks don't get very big, and grow slowly, definitely more than a few weeks. They are not good for being in captivity, even temporarily, without any experience with snakes.
The only thing that you are likely to get it to eat are earthworms, isopods (pillbugs/woodlice), and possibly other small invertebrates.
Lizards will not normally eat ringnecks. The most likely chance of it surviving would be if you released it, into a secure area outside. You could also spray the area with water first, making it easier for the snake to burrow.
I have caught and released many small snakes before, including ringnecks, earth snakes, crowned snakes...

You should let him go. You cannot provide the variety of insect life that young snakes need. He'll get bigger and he won't know how to hunt properly. It's for his own good. Pet snakes require a heat rock and uv lighting. Did you know that snakes can get colds, too?

You should let him go, it's for the best. Even if he passes away in the wild, that's nature. What you are doing is keeping it from their way of life and forcing them to live what you think is suitable which is inaccurate. You may think you are doing it good but you are most probably not at all.

By the way, snakes do not require a heat rock. That is misinformation. This kind of info may fly amongst the common reptile keeper in the 70's 80's. and early 90's but not anymore. Heat rocks have been proven unsafe and insufficient for keeping reptiles in their top condition. The heat rock only supplies heat in one small area and it only heats one section of the reptile. If the snake gets on the rock, it will be warm on the stomach but nothing else, if it gets under it just the top of the snake will be warmed. So even if the rock reads at a temperature of 85 degrees, it will not be enough because it's only heating the snake from the bottom, not all around like being outside or a lightbulb would. Because of this the snake may develop an upper respiratory infection because it is not receiving enough heat. An upper respiratory infection can also be caused by the humidity being too low or too high as well. Heat rocks are also very unsafe because they have been known to overheat and burn the reptile. The reptile often doesn't notice these burns until it is too late for them and they end up seriously injured or dead. Seeing as the rest of the enclosure is not warm enough in general, the snake may want to cuddle up to the heat rock where their only source of heat is. Say the snake falls asleep while touching the heat rock while the rock overheats, I think you can imagine what can happen...

ReptileChannel.com is a very helpful site,hot rocks are very dangerous.I adopted an Iguana that had severe burns from a defective hot rock.Each snake species have different diet and habitat needs.I have a rescue Ball Python and have got lots of info from the above mentioned site and Reptiles magazine.It's great that you rescued the little fellow.Most people have such an unreasonable fear of snakes.I think they are amazing creatures.My snake lays on my lap and I pet Ju-Ju while watching t.v.