Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking of getting some stillwater hypo bull and some applegate albino gophers. My question is how are thier temperments over all. I know temperment will vary with each animal but are they know to be mean?

Bulls in general have a rep for having bad dispositions (though much of this is often bluff). Your choice of a Stillwater Hypo is a good one-they typically are known for having an almost unnaturally (for a pit) calm and docile temperament. Mine are hand down the most laid-back colubrids I own, A real joy to work with.

I can't, unfortunately, say the same for my gophers
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Totally agree, my two Stillwater Hypos are "unaturally calm", that is until they smell mouse...then extremely aggresive feeders. I love 'em, the best of everything, looks, temperment, and feeding response.

...bizzare coincidence.

Just as I mentioned the extremely aggressive feeding response get this:

One of my Stillwaters was hiding under a shelf tonight after being "out" all day. I lured her out with an f/t mouse and the action got hot She missed the mouse and latched onto my thigh as I was kneeling down. Then, while resisting my attempts to gently decouple her, she became even more excited and threw a coil around my leg. This lasted for more than a couple minutes before I confused here enough to let go...Dang, sure glad I don't keep hots!

Never the less, my Stillwaters are definitely the calmest and most trusting snakes I have...until they smell food.

LOL, yep those Brewsters are a handful!

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Todd Hughes

some bulls can be rather aggressive as in this gal. this is not a feeding response, she simply wants to kill me every time she has the chance. even though i'm used to her & i know what's coming, she still manages to get me a few times a year.....:>/

I pretty much have the same experience as the others just posted. My hypo Stillwater is very calm. He has never hissed, bit, or struck. I'm sure there are some pissy hypo stillwaters, but it seems more keepers have said their hypo stillwaters are more calm then your average bull. Steve

Thank you. I do have a Northern Pine that is a hisser but not a biter. I can deal with that but my 4 year old daughter is fearless of snakes and I didn't want to get a snake that will bite and poop on us.

I have a pair of Stillwater x Kingsville bulls born this last May. The male is tame. The female was timid when I got her in July but she is tame now. All my gopher snakes are tame. I did have a couple of babies hiss and buzz their tails at me but after they got used to me they mellowed out. One tiny little female gopher actually spit at me when I lifted her hide to put her in the feeding jar, but she is relaxed with me now. I really like pituophis; they are intelligent and alert, and learn quickly.

My Applegate is as tame as a Corn snake. Never bites or hisses.
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Bigger, meaner, rarer, hot.

Man, you guys are lucky with your calm Stillwaters I have a yearling pair that are both pretty crazy. The male was very calm and deliberate when I got him and for several months after that. But now he is a big hisser. The female, who is unrelated and came from a different breeder, is insane. She is very violent hisser and striker. If I move very slowly around her she will calm down but it takes nothing to make her crazy again. She's hard to handle as she is always puffed up and moving. She has a bit of red bull (not the drink. LOL) in her so maybe that explains her temperament. I was bummed when the male went from a shy, slow snake to a spazzy one. Although he's not nearly as bad as her...

Well, at least she's a looker!

"Well, at least she's a looker! "

My friend, men have made it through life on that phrase since time began
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

"Some things are flat impossible-until they're done."
Robert A. Heinlein

And there have gone I