Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I started getting into pines this year. I have a northern, two southerns, and a black. The Black is the oldest, I'm guessing just over a year. In the last two months it has lost most of its pattern, turning almost jet black, I am amazed at how quick its growing. I believe it is a female. It is very docile. I keep one side of its cage deep with a good diggable substrate. The other day I seen it use its neck to pull dirt up to the top of the pile! It was the first time I've seen it do that. I told my wife to come check it out, and it did it a couple more times. It was very cool! I've never seen a snake do that before. It was a intensional, thought out use of its neck as a tool to move dirt.
I'm thinking it is just now reaching that age were instinct is kicking big.
Has anyone else seen there pines do this? Is it shared behavior for males, and females?
Doug

They all dig that way; you've just observed the black pine in the act.

Jim Merli did an article on them a few years ago and had some great pics to illustrate a N Pine female excavating a burrow in the NJ Pine Barrens.