Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, not sure if this is the best forum for spilotes discussion, but theres not much closer.
Basically I would like some feedback from anyone who has kept S pullatus in captivity either successfully or not. I know they have a reputation for being nasty in captivity and the ones ive worked with in the wild definately support that! but, any success stories would be great to hear so id be thankful if you passed them on.
oh and heres a pic of one i found about a month and a half ago on the rio napo in ecuador where im currently living.

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lost in the jungle somewhere
Z

z, wc's actually will tame down somewhat eventually & fare pretty well but cb's are much better naturally. although i never handle mine, they are generally pretty gentle & will accept food from my hand having coming to trust me. here are some older pics of them, an 03 male & an unrelated 04 female which are now about 9' & 7' respectively. i'm gonna pair them up this spring & they can't wait! they've been in clear view of each other for a long time & they're extremely sharp sighted & alert! hope this helped answer your question.......

Hi Z,

Would love to see more pics of Spilotes and other Ecuadorean herps!

The spilotes I've kept are flighty but don't seem to want to bite as much as some snakes. I've been bit (or slashed really) a time or two and was surprised at how easily they cut me - teeth must be very sharp!

Mine have wanted to stay under cover generally. I also noticed the wwild caught ones drink copiously when misted. Small food items seem to go down and stay down better.

Here's a page with photos and links:

http://www.herpnet.net/spilotes/gallery_test.html

Joe

Thanks for the info guys, and here are a few pics of some of the other cool things ive picked up lately

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lost in the jungle somewhere
Z

Must be nice! Of course, we're waiting for the wild caught yellow tail pictures too.

Joe

I've been keeping them for years. Mainly "bluffers" and I've never been bitten by a Spilotes. 6'-7' seems to be the average minimum size for breeding and all of mine have seemed to grow at the same rate regardless of food intake.

A cool dry brumation (low 70s) of 60 days followed by an abrupt rise in heat coupled w/frequent mistings will trigger breeding. As another posted, they will spend most of their time in a hide box if given one. Mine are far more terrestrial than arboreal. I'm expecting F3 offspring next Spring and captive bred, although just as nervous and jerky as wc, are completely docile.

They are the most ravenous feeders of any snake I've ever had the pleasure to work with.

Bill