Banded krait

Banded krait (金环蛇) is also known as Banded krait, Yellow armor, and Golden armor, etc. They are a highly venomous snake, but generally, Banded kraits do not attack humans. The venom of Banded krait is weaker than its close relative Blue krait, but it stil

Banded krait is also a famous edible snake. Banded kraits are found in areas around 25 degrees north latitude and south, including Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and southern Yunnan. They can also be found in southern areas of Jiangxi in the east. They are also found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. There are also many distributions in the mountainous areas of Hunan.

History is unknown. Mainly distributed in Guangxi Province, Guangdong Province, Hainan Province, Fujian Province, Jiangxi Province, Yunnan Province, Hubei Province; also found in Vietnam, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar and other countries.

Not recommended for keeping

Banded kraits have various parasites in their bodies. The light parasitic diseases weaken their physical condition, causing other diseases, and severe cases often lead to death.

Prevention and control methods:

1. Proglottids are the larvae of tapeworms, and snakes are the second intermediate host of Mesocestoides proglottids. The proglottids mostly parasitize under the skin, generally causing little harm to snakes.

If the proglottids parasitize under the snake's epidermis, they can be cut open with a knife and then coated with 1% to 2% iodine tincture on the wound. If the proglottids parasitize in other parts, they do not require special treatment and can be treated incidentally when treating other parasites.

2. Heterakis nematodes parasitize in the snake's lungs and trachea, causing significant harm and can suffocate snakes to death.

For this type of parasite, it can be treated by administering animal-grade dichlorvos solution into the stomach, with a dosage of 0.01 grams per kilogram of body weight, and continuous stomach gavage for 3 days.

3. Rhabditoid nematodes parasitize in the alveolar cavity of the lungs, often densely distributed in the affected area, causing the snake's lungs to become necrotic and resulting in death.

Treatment using thiabendazole, administered orally at a dosage of 0.1 to 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

4. Heterophyid flukes parasitize in the snake's gallbladder.

5. Ticks and lice are infectious diseases caused by poor sanitation in cages and breeding environments.

Ticks and lice can reduce the snake's serum protein, spread pathogens, and cause strong adverse stimulation to the host, weaken their immune system, and often lead to systemic diseases.

Ticks and lice generally parasitize in the recesses around the eyes, throat, and around the genital opening. Once ticks and lice are found on the snake's body, continuous treatment is necessary, and snakes that have come into contact with the infected snake should also be treated comprehensively. After soaking the snake's body in water for a few minutes, ticks and lice can be found in the water, which can be used to determine if the snake's body is infested with ticks and lice.

Snake Breeding

After the baby snakes hatch, they can be kept in snake boxes with a temperature above 15℃. Within the first 10 days, they rely on the yolk sac for nutrition and do not need to be fed. They only need clean drinking water. After 10 days, they can start eating a small amount of food. It is recommended to feed them with easily digestible and high-quality food such as chopped fresh yellow eels and loaches. For snakes that are weak and won't eat, fluid food can be administered using a syringe or ear bulb. Baby snakes have strong hunger tolerance and can go without food for 20 days as long as they have enough water to drink. However, they will die of thirst if they don't have access to water. Artificially bred baby snakes should be encouraged to eat as early as possible to promote their growth and reproductive development. Baby snakes should be kept separate from adult snakes and snakes of different species, and should be housed separately based on their variety and size to prevent adult snakes from eating the baby snakes or snakes from biting and injuring each other. If the temperature is low during the breeding process, a 200-watt light bulb can be used for heating or coarse bran can be placed in the snake room to keep it warm. During the breeding process, the water in the feeding pool and the bedding in the snake nest should be replaced regularly, and residual food animals and feces should be promptly removed. Regular disinfection should be carried out to maintain the hygiene of the snake enclosure. Attention should be paid to the snakes' activity, feeding, drinking, and mental state. Diseased snakes should be promptly caught and isolated for treatment. In addition, attention should be paid to preventing damage from natural enemies of snakes.

Adult Snake Breeding

For adult banded kraits, frogs and lizards can be raised in the snake enclosure for them to hunt freely. Frogs can be caught and placed in the snake enclosure to supplement the insufficient food supply. In early March each year, after emergence from hibernation, adult banded kraits are weak and need a large amount of nutrients to replenish their bodies. As the temperature drops after November, when it gets below 10℃, they enter hibernation. Before entering hibernation, the banded kraits also need to accumulate a large amount of nutrients to meet the nutritional needs during the hibernation period. In order to meet the nutritional needs of banded kraits during these two peak feeding periods, small mice or fresh fish such as loaches can be released into the enclosure every evening before the banded kraits start to move around. The quantity should be enough for them to eat without leftovers, and they should be fed as much as possible. Banded kraits are poikilothermic animals, so attention should be paid to thermal protection during winter hibernation. Sun-dried fine soil should be filled into the snake nest to maintain a temperature of about 11-13℃ and a relative humidity of about 10% in the nest, ensuring the safe wintering of the snakes. After hibernation, the newly awakened snakes can be taken out of the nest for about 3 hours of sunbathing to enhance their physical condition. Shaded awnings should be set up for the breeding pool and feeding pool in the snake enclosure to avoid overheating of the water, which can result in the death of the snakes and live food animals during the hot summer. To prevent snake diseases, strict hygiene measures should be implemented in the snake enclosure, and leftover food and snake feces should be promptly removed, and utensils and tools should be regularly disinfected to prevent diseases. In addition, the safety management of the snake enclosure should be strengthened to prevent snake escapes and damage from natural enemies of snakes.