Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 09 Stillwater x Kingsville bulls weigh 620 grams (Zoey) and 612 grams (Alfonzo) as of today.

Alfonzo

Zoey

They were hatched the end of April and first of May 2009. Are these weights proper for these snakes? They are very healthy calm individuals. I raise my own mice and feed them everything from fuzzies to weanlings, multiple items at a time, as much as they want. They are brumated every winter as they go off feed then anyway. People who buy my mice like the quality. If there is anything I can do to make my bulls get as big as Pit_Fan's Ahnuld please tell me! LOL! I know some will suggest rats but I don't really like rats, and would have to buy rats instead of raising my own.

Please excuse poor photos; they just ate yesterday so I didn't want to disturb them to much fiddling with camera.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Other than genetic potential, could be related to the diet that the feeder rodents were raised on. I purchase my feeders from one of the large suppliers and all of my snakes grow like weeds on that food source. Have a female SDG that went from about 9-10 inches to three feet in her first year. Have an adult California kingsnake (Oreo) that went from a four foot adult in 2004 to a six foot adult now on a similar diet. What do they feed those feeders anyhow? Miracle-grow?

Your snakes may ultimately top out between six and eight feet long, just may take longer to get there. One thing I have learned from keeping and observing reptiles for a long time is that they never stop growing during their lifetimes. Ultimate size is combo function of genetics, health, diet and lifespan.

I have an old friend who raised up a black rat snake from a neonate. It had a fairly typical growth rate and reached an average size of about four feet after a couple of years. Fifteen years later, that snake was nearly seven feet long and still in good health. From a snake that he picked up off the sidewalk in front of the building that we used to work in. Amazing!
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"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

I raise my rodents on a high quality breeder formula.

I think if my snakes didn't sleep all winter they would grow faster, but as long as they do grow at a decent rate and stay healthy, I am not in a big hurry.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

I have six '09 pits, all pines of some sort. The smallest is my Lined Pine at -400grms with the next smallest, a male northern at -800. The rest are over 900 with the heaviest, the sister of the small one, at about 1100grms.

...They don't do brumation though and that's what makes the diff I'll bet. I also bet yours just keep on growing steadily to whatever their max will be. Which will probably be at least 6ft.

Curious that the smallest of my 09's is the largest species ...linneaticolis.
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See all my snakes at SerpenTrack.com

Yeah, I think it is the brumation.

Gonzo here is an 08 Pacific who eats all winter, although this last winter she did take a month or so off. She weighs 950 grams.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Love that pic!
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See all my snakes at SerpenTrack.com

Two very nice bulls IMO.

Thanks!
They are my only bulls. I would love to have more but their cage is 4 x 2 x 2 ft and I only have so much room! LOL!
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.