Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi i am new to owning snakes and have recently purchased a hatchling Bull Snake. I wouldnt say i am worrying but as i am new to snake keeping i want to know everything is fine. I know snakes are noctournal(excuse the spelling) but my snake seems to be very active both during the day and through the evening is the fact that its active during the day a problem could there be something not right? It is eating regular and looks in generally good health please give me some advice. Thanks Cheesemonkey.

bullsnakes are generally active in the day if it's not too hot out. don't worry & congrats!

Thanks for getting bck to me and what a beautiful snake how old

Just a quick pic of mine only 6 weeks old

How do you get a pic on here

Image

there's actually 2 [brothers] in that shot if you look closely. they were yearlings then but are now three.

Dont mean to pester but might aswell find out from someone who knows. I run off a heat lamp in my tank at about 70-80`f depending on the time of day would it also be wise to run a heat mat a a lower temperature at the opposite end of the tank? also what is the best substrate for this species? for now i just have newspaper due to the age.

If you are using a heat lamp at one end you should leave the other end a bit cooler. That gives them a way to thermoregulate(regulate their own body temp.). If you would like to provide heat on one side 24 hrs. a day, than a heat pad or heat tape would be better, as they don't really need direct light. Just make sure you don't run it under the water bowl because it could cause humidity to be to high, especially if you have him in a plastic encloser. As far as substrate goes, newspaper is fine. Aspen shavings are good because they like to burrow. You may want to feed in another container or use a tray to protect against ingestion of shavings. Some people like to use a combonation of the two, especially with adults(which can be messy). Hope this helped. You may get some other suggestions, that's what's good about this forum.

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Matt Kauffman

Hello hows it going? I love those snakes. As i am new here i have been reading alot of posts and viewing a lot of pictures and those were some of the first pics i saw on here. And how weird that you have messaged me. In a way am glad because i would love to know what species of bull they are? I think there coloring is awesome love the dark tones. Thank you very much for the advice i want to learn so much about keeping snakes. I have only had my bull 6 weeks and already i am moving onto 2 snakes getting it the week before christmas cant wait msg me bck thanks again.

Cheesemonkey.

Their common name is Durango Mountain pine snake(Pituophis deppei deppei). They are from high elevation areas of north-central Mexico. They are known as the ugly duckings of the pit snake world because they start out looking like they do in my post. With maturity they develope brighter, more contrasting colors. The parents to my pair have a very yellow ground color with purple/black blotches. I can't wait to see them change. It usually begins around the one year mark(so I've read).
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Matt Kauffman

Ok cool so how do i get myself 1 and how much can i expect to pay? i have only just bought my first one and soon to buy my second but now i want a 3rd its like a drug so addictive lol i have always had a thing about snakes but never owned till now now i have started i dont wanna stop

They usually cost about seventy five dollars plus 40-50 dollars shipping, if you get it overnighted from a breeder, as I did. I think there is a pair in the classifieds right now. They are really cool snakes. Mine have the best feeding response of any other snakes in my collection. They will literally play tug-of-war with me when feeding from tongs.
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Matt Kauffman

Cheese,
Please go here, and read the care sheet for bulls/pines/gophers. The key to pits is to make sure you're not keeping it too warm- at the very least, make sure you provide a temperature gradient and snug places for it to hide in different temp zones inside it's enclosure.

Pituophis Care Sheet

The restlessness can mean a lot of things, but hopefully, nothing bad. Can mean it's too hot, hungry, in the mood for love, etc.

You picked an awesome snake to get into the hobby with, and I'll bet you end up with more than one as a result.

Also, the forum archive search here is your friend...

//Todd

Hey Thanks for getting Bck to me. would you be able to help me determine what species of bull my snake is if i show you a picture? as i dont knbow how to work out what group my snake come under on that web link you provided get bck to me soon pls thanks cheesemonkey

My Bull