Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi; I'm looking at the possibility of acquiring a Royal Diadem and was wondering if anyone might have some info on this species, as there is very little regarding husbandry on the net!
Basically I'm looking for accurate care info, as well as tempermment, and : Can they be kept together, or are they cannibalistic? If kept together what works: male/male, male/female, female/female, groups, etc.

I know most snakes are better off kept alone, but I figured I'd ask.

Freight

Sorry, but those are not true rat snakes, but I did find a link for you. I hope this helps you out.
Royal Snake

Thank you! I actually did come across that page, and as it turns out the atriceps seems to be a subspecies with a bad attitude!

I understand what you mean about it not being a true ratsnake, but I figured since they, as so many others get tagged with ratsnake as a selling point, that I would give this forum a try. Does it fit into another forum category that would be more appropriate?

Thanx

Freight

I am not sure where to send you. Snakes, General would be a start.
Where did you hear the name " Royal Diadem" for the snake that you want? I could find nothing about a snake with that common name. Do you know its scientific name? You might try asking about it using the scientific name. People might know of it by another name. You might try posting here again with that name, and see if you can get some advice. There are a lot of nice people in here will to help.

Good luck in your search.

It's Spalerosophis....S. diadema atriceps, I believe...the Royal Diadem Snake. It's one of those racer/ratsnake type snakes from deserty regions of the Middle East. It gets talked about once in awhile on this forum. You could try the racer forum also.

TC

It appears that the Diadema, and the Atriceps are actually sub-species, with the Atriceps being known for being more aggressive and hunted, as well as having less of a pattern. From the small amount of info I have read it appears that the Diadema is actually appreciated for its rodent catching abilities.

Anyway, I have 2 little beauties that will be shipped as soon as the weather decides to cooperate with me! I'm told they are very easy to keep, and I'm in the process of building a new enclosure, which is also a new design for me. I'll try to post some pice when its done!

Thank you

Freight

Freight,

I'll look forward to seeing your new set-up, as well as your atriceps. I usually keep my smaller snakes in functional 10 gal. set-ups that look like this....

Of course, this one is set-up for a gravid female, with the nest box, but notice the dry hide and water jug in the rear. Your snakes should do well with similar props. I'm anxious to learn more about the sp. and see what the babies look like.

PS: I know they are pretty quick moving, but I assume they have some ratsnake characteristics, including constriction. Let us know...

TC

Ratsnake Haven