Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i just recieved a pair of cape gophers in a trade, but any way they are around 21 inches and have good girth so far. they are poundind good sized fuzzy mice. i was wondering though i have heard they can be bred at 18 months. at the size they are now can any one tell me around about guess on the age. i am guessing 4 or 5 monhts. these are my first capes and to me they seem a lot smaller than the bulls and pines i am used to keeping. any light on this subject will be greatly appreciated! thanks a lot.
max draper

Hey Max!~

Congrats on your capes!!! I love these gophers, and I have two. I can't believe the colors, ya know?

Here is my take on the subject of breeding.

If you heard that they can be bred at 18 months..to me that is completely wrong and unethical. Here is why.

Capes are slender snakes, and also very shy and timid. If a snake is bred at 18 months, such as a corn or king..they may take better to " power feeding" ( which I don't agree with ) than a pituophis. Some pits, like the bigger ones such as large bulls or pines, do grow fast. BUT the thing to remember is this. Pits lay eggs far larger than kings, milks, or corns, thus their girth and age needs to be more than just 18 months. Capes especially. I have a 3 year old, and a 2 year old and they are both males and still are not ready for breeding. Some capes grow slow, such as mine.

I have never bred pits...but have plenty of friends that do and have learned quite a lot from their experience. I have always been disgusted with the current trend of breeding snakes at 18 months. Nothing against the people that do...but the question to be asked should be this:

IS breeding my 18 month old female pit, or any other snake, really safe for her health and well being?

The reason that people want to breed at 18 months is that they want babies as fast as possible. This is my opinion, but from what I have seen, premature breeding, or before the snake is really physically ready...can lead to smaller babies, egg binding, and the female to be totally wore out at an early age. I always would breed my female kings and milks when they were at least 3 years old. I bred a snake that was 2 once, and she paid for it with her life. I learned the hard way. That doesn't happen all the time... but leaves the opportunity open more for trouble.

So, in all..I would wait until your capes, female especially, is at least 4 feet and 3 to 4 years old. Hope this helps!

Take care!
Billy
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Genesis 1:1

Couldn't agree more.Even with kings Ive seen females in poor health because they didnt have properbody mass to handle the pregnancy. by the way how do your capes tolerate handling.Ive put off buying capes because i heard they don't tolerate handling very well.My snakes are kind of a family affair and I didn't want my kids to be afraid of them.

Yeah....my capes seem to enjoy being handled. They do hide a lot more than some of my other pits though, as they are secretive animals.

If your cape seems agitated, make sure he has an adequate hiding box and a temp of around 78-80. They do like and do better at lower temps, so maybe that would be a factor.

Take care!
Billy
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Genesis 1:1

ya my sonoran seems to be really secretive also i have to force him out of the hidebox when i have to move him. but in the mornings he does come out sometimes to see whats goin on but when theyres movement he goes right back in.

they are very well behaved at handling, they have never even hissed or anything, thanks for the input.