Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Iv been lookin at gopher/bull snakes for awhile now. how big of a cage do they need? ive got a 37 tall, 20 at the base. could one be kept in that? how often do they eat, and what? also, what species/sub-species is the best/ best temperment?im looking for a good handling snake. any other suggestians as to whats another good snake? thnx in advance. Nick H

Nick,

I would suggest that you do a little research looking at the care sheets and the pituophis page here at Kingsnake.com and the other sites as a minimum for information on size and basic care. It would just take up to much band width to answer all those questions in this space.

As far as do they make good pets, yes they do. But you need to realize that they are not corn snakes. Even though they get very tame with handling they will never be as calm an animal as a corn. Which is one of the reasons most of the folks here on this forum are pit. junkies.

They are very alert, come in a numerous color and pattern morphs and are great easy keeping captives.

Good Luck,

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms
Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

Hi there,

You asked about handling. Don't know if my gopher is typical, but I use mine in education programs here at the Desert Botanical Garden. (I love my job!!) He was donated last month from specifically for that reason. If I had to do it over again I would have looked for a calmer species so that kids could hold it... he likes to just go- go- go! You have to make like a treadmill with your hands to keep him from slithering to the floor, and is a lot stronger than my last snake (a black rat snake). If he was a dog on a leash he'd be a german shepherd and the black rat snake would be a poodle. In other words, I can't let just anyone hold him. And his hissing (when he's ready to go back in his cage) is scary to people who are not used to it. (I'm trying to get him out of the habit of hissing--any advice from other herpers on how to wean him of this is appreciated!!)

On the other hand, for watching purposes he is the best choice. In his tank he's always looking around, stretching out, moving. He likes to 'watch' people. He's right next to my desk, and when new people come into my office, he 'rears up' a few inches to 'look out',and it appears that he is 'checking them out'. So he has great 'personality'!

Hope this helps in your decision!
Amy

Your wording "calm" is probably a good choice; I would say I have some that are as "tame" as a corn snake, but they just tend to be more active and less content to just sit in your hand. If you're doing a 5 minute talk, most would be fine, but most won't want to sit in your hand for a half hour talk; they will get very restless by then.

All that said, I think Pits get a bad rap regarding their temperament. Most are much better than your typical milk snake for instance when it comes to nervousness, and no worse than many kings. Of all the Pits I've had(about 30 or so), probably 3/4 of them will occasionally give you that little(sometimes bigger) hiss if they don't like the way you move while holding them, maybe two that consistently make you think they're going to bite, and only one that I would actually say "bites".