Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello, well my bro found A baby pine/bull snake im not sure what kind. Im leaning tward pine. but it was in the road and he saved it from getting squashed. he put it in my care but im not quite sure on how to care for it and what to feed it. any help is welcomed.

thanks.

First off, where do you live? Check your state laws about taking in wild snakes of any species. And be sure what species you actually do have. Because I know in a lot of states Pines are protected. So you might be better off releasing him in the general area where it was found.

But that aside, care for this species is similar to other colubrids. But they tend to like it a little cooler. I find my stuff is uncomfortable in temps much over 80. Be sure to have a spot in the cage that does get to around 82 in case they want it, but I find my pines stick to the cooler areas most of the time. Not that they don't use that hot spot. They just don't use it when I've been watching.

Make sure they have a good way to hide out of sight. Though they are active during the day, babies like to have a place to get away, and thus feel secure. In this same thought, don't start out with a HUGE cage, this can make a baby snake feel too insecure and it won't feed. Have a small water dish that it can find easily. This is done by placing it on the side against a wall. If you look at the top of this forum there should be a FAQs link, and following that should lead you to a page that can tell you a lot more about Pines. Best of luck.

But again, check your laws and regulations first.

http://www.kingsnake.com/pituophis/care.html

that's the link to the page your looking for that'll tell you everything you need to get started.

Pine snake care link.

hello, and thanks for the reply. well I live in colorado, our state law is you can take up to 5 diff. native speices out of the wild at one time. just as long as theres no saling of it, and if you do breed them the babys have to be released at least 10 miles from where they the perents where cought. i have it in a twenty 5 gallon. sice you said have a smaller enclosure, I think ill down size it today. my main concern is what will it eat?

heres a few pics of the baby.

Hello. Based on your residence, I can tell you that your snake is a Bullsnake if you live in Eastern Colorado or a Gopher Snake if you live in Western Colorado. Pine Snakes aren't found any farther west than Tenessee or Kentucky. But, there is an isolated population of Louisiana Pines in extreme Eastern Texas. The snakes of the genus Pituophis will readily accept appropriate sized mice and rats, based on how big the snake is. An 18" baby would eat mouse hoppers or large rat pinks. A 24" baby will eat adult mice or rat hoppers.

Hope this info helps,
Jim Burke

That's not a bullsnake or a pine snake. From those pictures it looks like a baby racer or coachwhip. Post that on their forums and some expert could tell you for sure. You should probably let it go. Racers and coachips usually don't make the best pets if you aren't experienced and don't have a HUGE cage for it. But if you want to try to feed it then a small lizard or frog or even grasshopper might work. If it downs any of those three you'll know its not a bull or pinesnake for sure! Racers and coachwhips don't constrict their pray either, so don't feed it anything with large teeth (like a mouse). Hope I'm not wrong about it being a racer/coachwhip!

As I get older I trust my failing eyes less and less. Are you sure that's a Pit??? Just doesn't look right. Looks more like a Coachwhip to me.

Pat GC

Yeah, trhat's gotta be somekinda baby racer. The field guide I've got says they look similar to Gophers/Bulls pattern-wise as babies. The head shape doesn't look Pit to me = no enlarged rostral scale, or black band.

reako45