Fox Snake

1 Overview

The fox snake is a member of the colubrid family. It gets its name from the unique glands near its cloaca, which release a secretion that smells like a red fox’s musk. It is mainly distributed around the Great Lakes region of North America. (Note: despite a common misconception, fox snakes are non-venomous and harmless to humans.)

2 Physical Characteristics

Many people are misled by the name into thinking the fox snake looks like a fox; this is not the case. It is a relatively large, non-venomous snake and is not recommended for beginners. Let us look at its physical features below.

The fox snake’s body is a pale gray or pale brown base color, overlaid with chocolate-brown square and clearly defined saddle-shaped blotches; the head markings are blurrier, and the underside has yellow-and-black checkerboard patterning. Among the rat snakes of North America, this species has a relatively thick trunk and short tail, usually about 120-130 cm long, with a maximum of 180 cm.

3 Behavior & Habitat

The fox snake is an amphibious animal that feeds mainly on live prey in the wild, mostly small mammals or birds, and sometimes frogs or birds’ eggs. If you want to keep one, learn its wild habits first to make later care easier.

The fox snake’s habitat is highly varied; it can be found in pine forests, sandy areas, grasslands, lake shores, and marshes. In nature it usually lives in fairly humid places, rarely climbs trees, and is almost entirely terrestrial, but it is an excellent swimmer. It is diurnal, though in summer it switches to nocturnal activity to avoid the heat. It is somewhat nervous in temperament and will adopt a defensive posture when threatened.

4 Care & Husbandry

The fox snake is rarely seen on the market; whether internationally or in the reptile trade it is a rather obscure species. Yet it is actually easy to keep. Of course caution is still needed because, although non-venomous, it can bite and musk when stressed. It does not need special heating or lighting; its environment can mirror that used for corn snakes, and its diet is mainly small mice or pinky mice.