Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

Just gathering information so I can make an informed decision. Since finding out that my city has a ban on constrictors, I've been looking for other species to keep. Someone on the main forum recommended indigos, but I'm having a hard time finding information on them.

First off, which species of indigo snake would you recommend? Personally, I'm pretty impartial but would like a snake that doesn't exceed 8 feet in adult length... probably something closer to 6.

My main concern, however, is temperament. I've heard that indigos on the whole are pretty docile, so this hopefully isn't an issue. However, I've also seen the kind of bites they inflict. Nasty. If anyone can share their personal experience, I'd appreciate that.

Just a question as an aside: Can anyone tell me more about spilotes? I've seen them on occasion and they're really beautiful.

Thanks for any info you can provide! ^__^

--
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

First of all, you have come to the right place! Here you will find keepers with years of experience who will be glad to help. My own personal experience with this species is limited to a year and a half. But I will tell you what I know. The Eastern Indigo is by far the most beautiful species on the planet. Period.[opinion] And they have the most incredible personalities. In that respect, they are unlike any other snake I have ever seen. As far as serpents go, they are quite intelegent. Their gentle, lovable nature is legendary. That is what makes them so saught after, and to a large degree has caused a decline in wild populations. I personaly cannot imagine either of my specimens ever biteing me on purpose. They just don't have it in them. Sometimes they will put on a big show, with hissing, postureing, and tail vibrating, but it's all a bluff. The only way to get bitten by an indigo, in my opinion, is to get down right careless when feeding, or when breeding. And even then it would be your' falt for not useing proper techniques, and it would be an accident on the part of the snake. They just don't have a mean bone in their body.

As far as the size issue, first of all because of their gentle nature, size is realy not an issue. Exept to say that they do require a fairly large enclosure. And as with most captive snakes the keeper can, to some degree, control how big they get by the size of the cage and the amount they are fed. Personaly, I want mine to get as big as possible, so I keep them in the biggest cages I have space for, and I feed them all they want, almost. Don't want them to get obese. Some have been recorded in the 8-9 foot range, but most don't get quite that big in captivety.

So go ahead man, you won't regret it. And they are not constrictors. And because of all the new constrictor laws going into effect all over the country these days, and the reasons stated above, I can forsee a rise in demand with no end in sight. So don't get one,...get at least a pair, breed them and spread the joy. Good luck,
Tony.

Thank you so much for the info! ^___^ They truly are beautiful snakes. It's difficult to see sometimes in pictures, but do they have an iridescent/bluish sheen to them?

Which indigo subspecies remains the smallest with the best temperament? Yellowtails seem to be out of the question after reading many of the posts on the boards... ^^ However, perhaps a female Eastern would fit the bill (females actually stay smaller than males in this species, right?)

What size cage would you recommend for an adult indigo (female or male)? I'll be staying in a roomy apartment, but size is still a concern. Would it be possible to build the cage vertically to make up for any lost floor space, or are they more terrestrial?

Finally, how much would you recommend I feed? Do they still take mice, even at such a large size? Are there any other concerns I should take into account considering my situation?

Thanks again for all your help! ^__^ It's either one of these guys or a garter from Scott Felzer, so it's coming down to the wire for me... ^__^ (That is, unless I can get the constrictor ban lifted.. ^_~)

--
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

It is true that the females are a bit smaller, But I can't tell a difference as far as temperment. Both of mine are so gentle and shy, I just can't imagine either of them ever biting me on purpose.

As far as feeding,...when they get big enough, you can switch to rats if you want, but there dosen't realy seem to be a need for that as far as I am concerned. Some keepers do,...some don't. You mostly just have to be concerned with size, because these snakes jaws do not expand the way others do. Some people like to give them a mixed diet of fish, chicks, mice etc. I'm not to sure I would do that though. Those who only feed one thing will tell you that mixing it up like that isn't realy nessecary. As long as your rats or mice are healthy and well fed so too will your snakes be. I occasionaly powder a mouse with reptical. But thats it. When young they can be picky eaters, so I'll wait till they are a bit older before I switch it up a bit. I don't want to ad to there pickyness by confusing them.

For cages, I made mine 6ft.x2ft.x2ft.[horizontal] These guys are terestrial animals who spend most of there time below ground in tortouise burrows. They aren't much for climbing, and they need to be able to stretch out. Some guys here probably have them in smaller cages, and some might even say Iv'e over done it a bit. But I wouldn't go too much smaller than that. Good luck,
Tony.

I've found that to be a perfect cage size for Indigos.

What do you think of that size cage for a blacktailed cribo? Can I go a little smaller, or would it be better to stick with the same size? I think I'd be more comfortable with a slightly smaller species like the blacktail... the females actually stay smaller than the males, correct?

--
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

I have been bitten one time by an Eastern Indigo. I still have no idea at all why he bit me. This was over 20 years ago, and it was a male that I had raised from a hatchling. I was showing him off to some folks and he just calmly reached around and latched on to my thumb. He had never even offered to bite before that and never did it again.

I've never been bitten by a Black Tail, Unicolor, or Rubidus. I've been bitten a few times by Texans and Yellow Tails.

Need for a federal permit for interstate shipping of an Eastern indigo is a factor to consider. Also check your state's restrictions on keeping threatened species. If you obtain an indigo or cribo plan on cleaning cage a minimum of twice a week.

Thanks for the info about the permits. As for the cage cleaning, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, is the rumor about eastern indigos' cages smelling way worse true, or just an exaggeration? What about cribos? ^_^

--
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

I don't think it smells worse, just different. Crap is crap, and all crap smells like crap. If you feed fish, it's a little worse I guess. But none of it smells like roses!
Tony.