The herald snake or Black Templed Cat Snake. (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)
the black templed cat snake hails from Tanzania. It is a new snake to the U.S. snake trade, but is very common in South Africa. It reaches a maximum length of 3.5 feet but 3 foot for females and 2.5 foot for males is the norm. I have noted some aquatic and arboreal tendencies but it is more common for them to be terrestrial and less aquatic. They do indeed have rear fangs they are quite large to. They use them to subdue the prey they most commonly eat. This includes fish, frogs, toads, other reptiles, and occasionally mice. In captivity you can train them onto mice. My ’08 CB female is feeding well on pinkie parts scented on a Ornate horned frog. She is a bit aggressive. When angered they flatten their heads and make a hiss similar to that of what a bull snake makes when disturbed. Their venom has not been well studied but does have some side effects on humans. It causes headache, swelling, itching at the bite site, soreness, and nausea. I have been bitten only once and felt all of those symptoms but they all subsided in less than 24 hours. They are also called Savannah White lipped snakes, Red lipped snakes (color phases), White lipped snakes, rolilipslangs, Herald snakes, and Gorilla house snakes. They are egg laying snakes. If you want a CB the only breeder I know that does this is Glades Herp Farm. But many African importers often have WC adults or juveniles. I house mine in a 5.5 gallon glass cage with aspen bedding a large hide, a few fake plants and a shallow but large water dish. I put her in her deli cup when feeding. She is a CB ’08 and is about 7 inches and is active mostly at night. Their behavior is often a kin to that of a Mangrove snake but with a ground dwelling tendecy
Feeding: I feed mine scented and unscented pinkie mouse and fuzzie parts as an adult it will eat fuzzies
Caging: An active snake I house a 7in baby in a 5.5 gallon. But as an adult it will go in a 15 -20 gallon
Size: The size rage for this snake varys in the genders hotamboeia is a sexually dimorphic snake which means genders hgave a large noticable difference in size and color and other traits. In hotamboeia it is size. Not quite the difference seen in anacondas (eunectes) have a huge difference. Hotamboeia have a smaller difference. Males average 1.1-1.2 meter. Females .9-1 meter.
Lifespan: From what i have heard 10-15 years
Behavior: Aggresive by nature, very reluctant to bite, when disturbed flatten their head and hiss. Don’t usually latch on when the do bite. They arre also nocturnal by nature. Mine burrows in the aspen bedding or under the water dish
Captive requirements: Need a higher humidity than most colubrids 70% humidity is good. I keep mine at 85- 90 on the hot side on the cool side 78-80.
Breeding: Typical colubrid breeding forumula











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