Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. I think I've posted maybe once or twice on the pit board in ten years – I keep mostly pythons – but I was looking at the record of an old Sonoran gopher snake who just shed today and so should resume feeding after his last meal in September, 2011. This is a male I found on the road in Brewster County, Texas in June,1990. He weighed around 100 grams at the time. I've got a couple of questions.

I usually feed him 350g-450 g rats. I see he ate 2 rats in 2009, 4 rats in 2010, and 3 rats in 2011 (of which he regurgitated the last, so really 2 rats in 2011). Yes, that's all he's choosing now despite being offered food every few weeks throughout the feeding season. He's gone from a high of over 4100 grams in weight in 2006 to 2365 grams today. He looks fine, but just seems to be slowing down. Hey, we're all getting old. Aside from maybe offering him smaller food items going forward, I don't see myself changing his husbandry.

Here are my questions: Does anyone have a feel for what the typical longevity in captivity is for the Sonoran gopher snake? What the maximum recorded has been? Would you think that a 100 gram animal found in June in west Texas would have been a young of the previous year?

Thanks in advance for any answers!

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-Joan

I think definitely if you found him @ that size in June of 1990 that he's an '89 hatchling. That'd make him close to 23 years old. Wow! Very cool. I don't know what the record for longevity of WC Sonorans in captivity is, but congrats to both of you!

reako45

That 4000 grams is immense! He wasn't a little obese was he? Probably just doesn't need a whole lot anymore.

I believe Pituophis from that area are pretty much intergrade between sayi and affinis.

In either case great story and snake to be proud of.

...also agree with everything Darren (Reako45) wrote.
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See all my snakes at SerpenTrack.com