Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all.

I am considering the purchase of a pair of Pituophis deppei jani (Mexican Northen Pine Snake I think - sorry if I'm wrong, here in France we use the latin name) and have some questions :

I found contradictory data about the max size of this animal, ranging from 7 to more than 9 feet, can anybody tell me the truth?
What size of enclosure do you recommend?
Which temp for hibernation? Being from Mexico, do they really need it, or just a slight temperature drop in winter?

Thanks for your help.

Personaly I have handled and seen over 200 of these guys and the average adult is around 5'. I have never seen one that is over 7' as you suggested. As far as temps are concerned realize first that Jani are montane animals and as such are therefore bestkept at reduced temps to begin with. we keep ours at 72 - 76 degrees and as far as brumation. We drop them for the center month down to 46 - 48 degrees. We also feel that brumation is required to get consistent results. When you are looking for deppei you might want to consider the deppei deppei as they are more variable than the jani which is always an enjoyment.

Good Luck,

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

Thanks for your answer John.
I found a French dealer advertising 280 cm potential length for this snake, obviously it's just a big lie. As I'm looking for something big, can you please tell me which one is the biggest of all Pituophis?
I want big colubrids, and something easy to deal with as my job leave me very little free time for entertainment... (I like for isntance E. taeniura, which is an easy snake, but I just have no time to mist them daily!).