The False Water Cobra is a species of Colubrid snake that is native to South America. This snake contains venom but the venom is widely regarded as not being medically significant to humans.
It gets its name from its ability to ‘hood’ when it feels threatened. This is primarily seen among ‘True Cobra’ species from the Naja genus. However, there are other snakes that can also hood up such as the King Cobra.
False Water Cobra Description
This is a large species of colubrid that has the ability to reach lengths of up to 9 or 10 feet. However, the typical adult size of a False Water Cobra is closer to 6 or 7 feet in length with females typically growing larger than males.
While these snakes are not particularly slender built, they wouldn’t be as heavy-bodied as other snakes such as the Blood Python or Boa Constrictor. A good description would be that they are of medium build. A large False Water Cobra is however, one of the heaviest colubrids due to their large size.
The defining feature of these snakes is their ability to ‘hood’. Their technique isn’t the same as a ‘True Cobra’ though, such as the Indian Cobra. A True Cobra will raise up to a third of their body off the ground and stare the threat in the face. The False Water Cobra will remain horizontal when they hood up.
The False Water Cobra’s hood extends further down its body while the True Cobra is limited to flattening out their neck. The Fangs in these snakes are in the back of the snake’s jaws so they do not have a good delivery system for injecting venom.
In terms of appearance, they are generally olive green or brown in color, with dark spots and bands covering much of their body. Hatchling and juveniles are much darker in coloration and have a similar appearance to a Garter Snake.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The False Water Cobra can be found throughout much of the Central parts of South America. In the North of their range, they can be found in the Southern areas of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guinea.
Their range extends throughout most of Brazil and as far South as Northern Argentina and Uruguay. They aren’t found along much of the Eastern coast of Brazil as they are cut off by the Brazilian Highlands.
The distribution of the False Water Cobra extends as far West as the Eastern parts of Peru and Bolivia where their distribution is cut off by the Andes mountains.
These snakes like to live in wet, humid habitats such as tropical Rainforests and Marshlands. While this is their preferred habitat, these snakes are adaptive and have often been found in drier areas.
They share some of their range with species such as the Yellow Anaconda, Brazilian Blue Tarantula, Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman and the Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula.
Feeding a False Water Cobra
A False Water Cobra is generally a very good eater. These snakes will accept a variety of prey items so varying their diet is recommended by many keepers.
The majority of a False Water Cobra diet should consist of an appropriately sized rodent once a week. An appropriate size is a rodent that is slightly smaller than the girth of the snake at the snake’s largest point.
Every couple of meals you can offer them something different. This isn’t necessary but many keepers find that it helps keep the snake’s appetite up. Varying a snake’s diet is always good for species that eat a variety of prey items in the wild.
You can offer them things like birds, frogs and fish. See what your reptile supplier stocks and test out what your snake likes. If you find these prey items difficult to come by, there is nothing wrong with keeping them on a rodent based diet.
Babies will usually start accepting food after their first shed but sometimes they can be a bit picky. If this is the case, you can try feeding them fish or fish scented pinkie mice. You can use tuna water to scent your pinkies.
False Water Cobra Housing
An adult False Water Cobra should be housed in an enclosure measuring around 4ft x 2ft x 2ft. This will give your snake plenty of room to move around while still feeling secure.
Cages should be heavily furnished with branches, hides, a water bowl and so on. This snake likes to burrow under logs or leaf litter so including these items will help the snake feel secure.
A hatchling False Water Cobra will do well in a plastic tub with ventilation holes. This type of enclosure, fitted with a number of hiding spaces is ideal for hatchlings and young juveniles.
Light and Heat
The False Water Cobra likes an ambient temperature of around 85F. Theis can drop by about 10 degrees at night but should be brought back up again the next morning.
You can provide your snake with an overhead or under-tank heat source connected to a high-quality thermostat. This should be set to around 90F.
You do not need to provide a False Water Cobra with any special kind of lighting such as UVB. However, they do need to be exposed to an adequate day/night cycle.
Substrate
The choice of substrate for a False Water Cobra is completely a matter of personal preference as they will do well on a wide variety of substrates.
If you want to keep things basic, newspaper or paper towel work well. These substrates are sanitary, quick to replace and easy to know when they are soiled.
If you want to go for a more naturalistic substrate, you have a number of good options. Aspen, Coco Fibre and Cypress Mulch will all work well for a False Water Cobra.
You can also add a damp hide box or large water bowl for a bit of humidity. This can be as simple as a plastic storage box with a hole cut in the lid. The box can be filled with damp sphagnum moss.
These snakes do really well in a bioactive enclosure. You can use a soil-based substrate and add some springtails and other clean-up crew to the soil. This will significantly reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do.
Handling a False Water Cobra
When it comes to handling these snakes, it is a matter of personal preference whether you want to free handle them or use a snake hook.
As these snakes contain a mild venom, it is recommended to be cautious when handling them in case you are allergic to the venom.
If you have a snake that isn’t very docile, it is best to remove them from the enclosure with a snake hook to help reduce the chance of getting bit.
While these snakes do contain venom, they have a poor delivery system. The venom itself hasn’t been thoroughly studied but it isn’t believed to be medically significant to humans.
However, as with any venom it is important to keep in mind that everyone reacts differently to even the mildest venom. One person can have no reaction, another can have minor swelling while someone else can have a severe allergic reaction.