African File Snakes are fascinating reptiles native to the rainforests and swampy regions of West and Central Africa. These snakes are non-venomous and nocturnal.
File snakes are, by nature, burrowers. They will occupy old, abandoned burrows of rodents where they shelter from the heat in the relative coolness underground. They are also adept at burrowing for themselves, their flattened head aiding them to push their way through the earth and leaf litter.
Before we get into it, its important to be sure we're on the same page. There are a few species of file snake, and they are not all the same. Limaformosa is the current genus (in the family lamprophiidae) that contains file snakes. They have also been listed in Gonionotophis. Previous to the their placement in Limaformosa, they were listed in Mehelya. This is why most online stores list all file snakes as "mehelya crossi".
Distinguishing File Snake Species
Problem is that not all file snakes are of the "crossi" species. The primary way to tell a poensis file snake from a crossi is that the poensis have a rectangular shaped head and slender bodies. They tend to be more grey than pink/purple although there certainly are some pink poensis too. They are primarily lizard and snake eaters, and there are several sightings of them up trees suggesting a more aboreal nature. I have hatched a few poensis, from wild caught gravid females, but I do not find them easy to start. Even when using live geckos or anoles. I feel this may be a species we just don't understand well yet. Hopefully we will gain more understanding of them in the wild to give us more clues as to how to keep them in an optimal way in captivity.
The beautiful cape file snake is easily distinguished from others by the white stripe down its back. They also get fairly large. In the wild they are almost exclusively snake eating snakes. The subject of feeding reptile eating reptiles an exclusively rodent diet is a touchy one, and I certainly wont make friends for saying this, but in the name of education it must be mentioned. Rodents are high in fat, and reptiles that naturally eat other reptiles aren't built for a high fat diet. They are prone to developing hepatic lipidosis, a condition that causes animals to prematurely die of liver failure. While it certainly doesn't happen overnight, the kind of diet that leads to hepatic lipidosis can halve an animals natural lifespan. This brings up ethical concerns about the practice. Yes, there are ways around this, but to be most ethical it would require careful monitoring of liver enzymes, and perhaps a diversity of diet to include other reptiles to "lean out" the diet. The "other reptiles" will need to come from a non-parasitized source as well, so the "cheap" wild caught animals commonly used wouldn't be practical in a "best practices" sense, due to the fact you would need to be constantly deworming feeders or breeding your own. This is why I don't personally keep this species, despite its beauty.
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So that leaves us with Crossi, the species this caresheet addresses. Crossi have rounded heads and no line down the back. Im currently refining two lines one that is pink and one that's purple.
Physical Characteristics and Behavior
They have a unique appearance characterized by rough, file-like scales running along their bodies. These scales aid in their natural camouflage among the leaf litter and forest debris, making them excellent ambush predators.
File snakes are not large snakes, growing to around 3-4 feet (0.91-1.22 m). Their dorsal scales are most peculiar. Large patches of bare skin are seen, and scales are separated by large gaps. These scales are strongly keeled, giving the snake the feel of a file - hence the common name.
File snakes are exceptionally docile snakes. On occasion they may squiggle a little, but at the time of this writing, I have never once been bit by one. I don't know anyone else who has either. I can not say this about ball pythons, boas, corn snakes, kingsnakes, or any of the other common pet snakes.
Habitat and Diet
African File Snakes primarily feed on small mammals, such as mice, which they capture using their sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
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The genus Mehelya feeds mainly on snakes and small lizards, such as geckos.
Most file snakes are less than 1 metre (about 3 feet) in length. They are active by night on the ground, where they prey on frogs, lizards, and other snakes, including venomous ones.
Often exceeding 1.5 metres (about 4.9 feet) in total length, the Cape file snake (G. capensis) of central Africa is one of the largest species. It preys regularly on snakes, including cobras and puff adders.
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Care in Captivity
When it comes to the care of African File Snakes in captivity, it is essential to provide them with a suitable enclosure that mimics their natural habitat. A spacious glass or plastic terrarium with secure lid or sliding doors is recommended to prevent any escape attempts. The enclosure should have plenty of hiding spots, such as caves, logs, and dense foliage, as these snakes are shy and prefer secluded areas. A substrate of coco husk chips or a mixture of cypress mulch and coconut fiber can be used to maintain the proper humidity levels and allow the animal to burrow.
As babies they are roughly 8-12" long and are housed in v15s (18"x 5"). Cage sizes progress as they grow. As adults they are about 4-5 feet. I keep my files in 32qts (24x18x7") or v70 tubs (34x18x6) depending on size.
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Temperature and Humidity
Maintaining the correct temperature and humidity is crucial for the health and well-being of African File Snakes. The ambient temperature inside the enclosure should be maintained between 75-88°F during the day, with a slight drop to 70-75°F at night. Providing a temperature gradient within the enclosure allows the snake to regulate its body temperature effectively. A basking spot with a temperature of 85-90°F can be created using an under-tank heating pad or a heat lamp. Always use a thermostat when adding heat. The humidity levels should be maintained between 50-80% to replicate the snake's natural environment. Regular misting of the enclosure and providing a shallow water dish for soaking can help achieve the desired humidity.
Temperature ranges from 70 degrees on the cold side to 88 degrees on the warm side (hot spot) in my enclosures.Humidity ranges from roughly 60% everywhere to 80% inside the humid hide. You will need a large heavy water bowl, big enough for the file snake to soak in. I also use a humid hide made up of a tupperware container filled with spagnum moss with an access hole cut in the side. A dry hide is also provided. Prococo is recommended for bedding. Its texture allows them to borrow should they choose and it can handle more humidity. Do not use wood or dirt type substrates. The dust from the wood or dirt will get lodged into their nostrils causing health problems.
Diet in Captivity
In terms of diet, African File Snakes are primarily carnivorous and feed exclusively on small mammals in the wild. In captivity, they can be fed a diet of appropriately sized live or frozen-thawed rodents, such as mice or rats. The prey items should be no wider than the widest part of the snake's body to ensure proper digestion. Juvenile snakes may require smaller prey items, gradually increasing in size as they grow. It is recommended to feed adult snakes every 1-2 weeks, while juveniles may require more frequent feedings (once per week).
Crossi file snakes can be kept on appropriate sized mice their entire lives. Exceptionally large adult females may require an extra mouse or to be fed small rats to keep body weight up, but most will fall into that jumbo mouse range. Most file snakes are voracious, "junk drawer" type snakes that will feed on frozen thawed very easily, although some will require more convincing. If your file snake does not feed on frozen thawed, make sure that your prey item is reheated appropriately. A surface temp of 92 degrees is appropriate, higher than that temperature would be unnatural for them. Snakes of many species also turn up their nose at prey items that have been freezer burnt.
Health Considerations
Files have a fairly unique skeletal system. They always are, and always should be, a triangle shape. File snakes sometimes pop or scrape their own scales off. They almost always grow back.
Captive born file snakes are a pleasure and easy to keep. However, you absolutely must deworm your wild caught file snakes. Wild caught file snakes sometimes catch lung flukes that are deadly to snakes and transmittable to humans. I have contracted lung flukes and it is not pleasant, and very unlikely to be tested for in the US. I only found this because I ran a fecal on myself, then presented that to my physician for treatment. I mention this because it can make you or your family members sick. I don't mean to alarm or discourage you, but this really highlights the importance of deworming.
Sadly there are many wild caught file snakes being sold as "captive born". So how do I know if my snake is wild caught? You cant know for sure but here's some tips: If it's "too good to be true" price wise, its likely wild caught. Captive breeding is more expensive than reselling wild caught stock so if you paid less than $100 for it, then its very likely wild caught. If you bought it at a reptile trade show from a vendor that had a wide variety of other species from the same region, odds are it is wild caught. If you found ticks on it or others offered for sale by the same "breeder", it was wild caught. If they don't know or cant tell you the scientific name of the species, they likely don't breed it, so its likely wild caught.
Wild caught file snakes may behave different. They may look or seem uncomfortable for no reason (pacing, scared), not eat or eat voraciously but still fail to gain weight long term. They sometimes vomit food for seemingly no reason. They sometimes rally for a few months and then die inexplicably. If kept long term but not dewormed they often have reproductive issues. To be honest, there are only a handful of file snake breeders i'm aware of in the US at the time of writing, so its best to assume any file snake you have acquired (without thoroughly researching its breeder) is going to be wild caught. Unfortunately, even being captive born doesn't guarantee that they will be parasite free as they can be kept in collections with other wild caught snakes that could have infected them. Buying a hatchling from an unknown source is also no guarantee, as they often are hatched in captivity from stressed out imported wild caught mothers, then regularly fail to thrive "inexplicably".
The best thing to do with any snake you aren't certain of its origin is to have it dewormed. It's typically done with panacur, flagyl, or both. Fluke treatment will need one or more other medications which have low safety margins so definitely do not attempt to treat file snakes yourself outside of veterinary supervision. Fortunately, with the aide of your local veterinarian, deworming is not difficult or expensive.You can of course avoid the deworming process by purchasing your snake from a reputable breeder. There are a handful of them, and the cost to buy captive born is typically still less than the cost of purchasing wild caught then deworming, with better outcomes.
Conservation Status
The file snake is classed as “least concern” for conservation status by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Like all snakes, the Arafura file snake has suffered population losses because of habitat loss and other factors.
