Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought the Buttermilk Racer on the classifieds and would like to know if anyone has heard of or kept them before.
It is about 2 1/2 feet long, is said to be feeding on ft rodents and has a good disposition.
I've never seen one like this and was wondering if they are an uncommon type of Racer.
Any info about this type of snake (adult size, where they come from etc.) and info regarding specific care requirements would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bobby

Hey Bob,

That buttermilk you are buying is just awesome. I have one right now that has no spots and is navy blue. Mine is tame as well. Buttermilk Racer(Coluber constrictor anthicus) are from Louisiana and southern texas. They will eat small snakes, insects, rodents and more. They get up to 4 ft, but usally stay at 2 to 3 ft. Yours will do fine in a 40 gallon tank. Fed once a week. 75 watt heat lamp over for 12 hours a day. And once or twice a week mist them because they come from the south so they will need it. Make sure a water dish is always present and fresh. You can use aspen as substrate or non treated potting soil, and make sure there is a hide box, do not make it too large, make sure its faily small so when he goes in it, he will fell safe. And keep a few fake plants and rocks in there. Well Bob if you have any more question and if you ever get rid of that snake some day i would like first dibs on it. Email me at wchuntsman@msn.com for any additional questions. THANKS, WILLIAM H. AND THE GREEN PINE MUSEUM.
Green Pine Museum Website

Thanks for the info!
If I come across any more I'll let you know.

I also have a buttermilk but she is not even a year old yet. She has been pretty easy to raise and feed. Does anyone have info on pattern development in this species? When does the spotting occur?

I don't know for sure, but I would think that they are born with the spots???
I got my first one last week. It's about 3 feet long, spotted with powder blue and the belly is the same color.
The tail tip is gold/brown.
This is by far the meanest snake I have in my collection!
I have WC, 7 foot long YT Cribos that haven't tried to bite me the way this snake has been trying to do everytime I check on him! LOL
He's doing excellent and ate for me no problem. (ft rat pups)
I'll have pics when he settles in a bit.

Bobby

i think bob is right....some are covered in spots and some are not but i think they're born w/ whatever they're gonna get. i checked my books but nothing is said concerning that issue. ....stephanie, how did you adjust your jeweled racers diet since that post about fatty tissue?

My buttermilk is mostly dark grey and almost a year old. She has faint remnants of the pattern she was born with. They are born looking like hatchling black racers. I have changed my drymobius diet from rat pups to hoppers and fish and am feeding them less frequently. I am moving them to a large closet sized cage designed just for them in hopes of them getting more exercise.

You know what they look like when they are new borns!!!
Very cool!
Did you breed your own snake/s or did you get it as a hatchling?
Have you seen many new borns from different clutches to definitely know that they are born looking like baby Racers?
Does you snake feed readily on fish and is that a common food item for these snakes?
Sorry for all the questions, just very curious!
Mine ate 4 rat pups yesterday and would have taken more!

Bobby

Hullo from the heart of Buttermilk Racer country...

They hatch looking just like any other racer and gradually turn to a grey/blue/blackish color. I have never collected a small one (under 2') who showed many if any speckles but as they get larger they seem to develope more and more spotting. I just got done counting the speckles on a small series of pickled ones in the study collection at the university here and there is a significant link between total length and number of spots. Im going to explore this by examining the rest of the pickles as soon as I can get a chance.

Mine are kept in both aquariums with aspen and a wooden hide box and in some large troughs I built with screen tops. They usually feed pretty well and settle down nicely (for a racer) My largest female however has a distinct mean streak. If you put her on the top of the trough she will s-curve her neck like a mamba and if you stand there she will actually advance on you. Oddly enough she doesnt seem to mind being handled she only acts this way when you put her down and stand near her.

I built the troughs so they wouldnt have to deal with seeing people walk past the glass cage fronts.

Peter

Do you know anyone breeding or catching and selling Buttermilks???
I looked back on the old Forum and a guy named Tom Davis had his snakes lay eggs for him!
Other than that all the others mentioned were wc, which I don't mind.
I need to get a couple more nice, speckled Buttermilks! LOL
My snake is eating rat pups like a fiend!

Thanks for the info!
Bobby

The guy I bought mine from had already sold his adult pair to someone else. The adults were wild caught.

Thanks for the info Peter! She is mostly bluish grey with a white nose and chin. I hope that since I am raising her from a hatchling that I can work some of the racer meanies out of her. Keep me posted on your studies.

I bought two of them as hatchlings. One was very wimpy and died. The mother was heavily blotched but the father didn't have a lot of blotching. She is only about 8 inches long and feeds mainly on crickets. I can sometimes trick her into eating a pinkie if there are crickets in her cage.

Buttermilk racers are not born with spots. They look just like any other racer when they are born with the exception that they are just a little more pale than others. They will usually carry more burgundy coloration also. I really don't know why this is. They develop the spotting around 2'-2 1/2'. You will not know weather your snake will have spots or not until they get older. I have collected many of them over the years, and even from the same tin pile they will have different color patterns. Some are navy blue, and some are even powder blue. E-mail me, and I will send pictures of some WC specimens from Louisiana. The one that William has came from me, and I am sure that at least one other came from me somewhere down the line. I never have problems getting them to feed either.

Thanks,
Jeremy