Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all. I'm wondering if there is any way to get regal ringnecks. Are they being bred in any significant numbers? The Carolina Reptile show comes in May, would they be sold there? I am fascinated by them as they are rear-fanged and quite voracious feeders of other snakes, and I would be interested in obtaining one or two. I had a northern ringneck at one point that fed on nightcrawlers and salamanders, and he was very neat. Anyone who has experience with regals, I would greatly appreciate any additional input. Thanks,

-Mack

Do they constrict their prey as well or just envenomate it? My northern would constrict his salamanders.

Hello Mack

I undestand your interest w/ these enameled jewels, they are really facinating critters.

I have seen Glades offer them from time to time, so talk to them about getting on a waiting list.

While my Diadophis folder is now ~ 80 Mb & 550 files in some 52 folders, I wont take the time to provide you any info. beyond what you asked for here. One day...I intend to produce a monograph on various aspects of this spps life history.

I can tell you this tho., I have never observed constriction of prey, & their venom is quite virulent as their squamate prey dies faster than when bitten by a coralsnake! Death occurs via respiratory paralysis. While they differ from the N ringnecks in that wild regalis never attempt to bite [humans]...I wouldnt let a habituated captive chew on me for any length of time!

In the meantime ck out:

Gehlbach, F. Evolutionary Relations of Southwestern Ringneck Snakes;
Herpetologica 30: June 1974 pp. 140-148

Degenhardt et al; Amphiibians & Reptiles of New Mexico

Fowlie; Snakes of Arizona

& of course good ole Google.

Saludos RxR

Thanks for the response! Yes, I find them quite fascinating. It's interesting as many people (at least that I've talked to) still don't consider them as venemous. My northern was cool, and I can only imagine what a regal would be like. Mainly what I've seen from people who own regal ringnecks is them feeding them other snakes. This is fine, but what should you feed them if you don't have a handy supply of small snakes? Also, are they safe to hanlde, not like a cornsnake, but if you need to change a cage or something? Thanks again!

-Mack

OK see answers below....

Thanks for the response! Yes, I find them quite fascinating. It's interesting as many people (at least that I've talked to) still don't consider them as venemous. My northern was cool, and I can only imagine what a regal would be like. Mainly what I've seen from people who own regal ringnecks is them feeding them other snakes. This is fine, but what should you feed them if you don't have a handy supply of small snakes? Also, are they safe to hanlde,not like a cornsnake, but if you need to change a cage or something? Thanks again!

Mack

A) Appropriate sized smooth scaled lizards like skinks.

B) Completely safe.

C) Youre welcome, RxR.

Just to follow up on the constriction angle with Diadophis...We published a note a couple of years ago in Herp Review concerning an observation of an adult Diadophis in CA found constricting a plethodontid salamander. The whole business of whether Diadophis envenoms prey across its range is unstudied. Regals are obviously venomous and I suspect that ringnecks from other parts of the range are too--it's just that they don't attain the impressive size of regalis and don't feed on other snakes--so detailed observations of feeding have not attracted much attention from careful observers. My hunch is that ringnecks that employ constriction do so not in the conventional sense (which is to kill prey before ingestion), but rather use constriction to subdue prey in order to facilitate envenomation/ingestion. But, they are great animals, aren't they?

Cheers,

Bob Hansen
rwh13@csufresno.edu

Interesting post there Bob,

Id like your full citation if you dont mind making things easier for me.

You are correct not only about the venom/feeding angle but virtually every other aspect of Diadophis aut-ecology is unknown across their range. My [& perhaps others] hypothesis using that term figuratively [w/o data!] is that the red-tail-coiling group is venomous & are a seperate spps from the yellow ventered non tail coiling group. I dont doubt, as sibling spps., they intergrade.... though Im unaware of this.
What might really be wild is to discover one or more of the red-tail-coiler populations are in fact non-venomous mimics!
Another difficult concept for me is to reconcile is that certain blackheaded snakes [Tantilla ex. nigriceps]....appear to be mimicking Diadophis.

I look forward to interpreting my eventual feeding trials with color sensitive predators such as shrikes & roadrunners.
The Nightsnakes [Hypsiglena] appear to employ constriction or some sort of "para-constriction" while envenomating serpent prey, so while constriction is known in xenodontines, its interesting that despite others observations such as yours, I've never observed this with a substantial number of feeding trials w/regalis.

Thanks for posting, John Gunn

Posted by: BobHansen at Wed Nov 17 14:51:41 2004 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]
Just to follow up on the constriction angle with Diadophis...We published a note a couple of years ago in Herp Review concerning an observation of an adult Diadophis in CA found constricting a plethodontid salamander. The whole business of whether Diadophis envenoms prey across its range is unstudied. Regals are obviously venomous and I suspect that ringnecks from other parts of the range are too--it's just that they don't attain the impressive size of regalis and don't feed on other snakes--so detailed observations of feeding have not attracted much attention from careful observers. My hunch is that ringnecks that employ constriction do so not in the conventional sense (which is to kill prey before ingestion), but rather use constriction to subdue prey in order to facilitate envenomation/ingestion. But, they are great animals, aren't they?

Cheers,

Bob Hansen
rwh13@csufresno.edu

Here's the citation for Bob's paper:

Batrachoseps stebbinsi (Tehachapi slender salamander). Attempted predation.
AU: Burkhardt,-Timothy {a}; Winegarner,-Samantha; Hansen,-Robert-W
SO: Herpetological-Review. 2001 December; 32(4): 245

As a native northern Californian, where ringnecks average between 12" and 18", it was quite a surprise to come down to Tucson and see the monster regals down here. Right now, I've got a DOR regalis in my freezer thats approx. 33" in length! Too bad I didn't come across it while it was still alive-
Eric

That was good of you to post it. Bob was so good as to email me the paper in .pdf
Shall I send a copy of it on down to the old pueblo?
BTW; that serpent of yours sounds.... way big...I'd say foto-document it [w/ a tape alongside, posting that jpg, & think about submiting the carcass to the UoA collection.

Saludos, RxR

Hi-
Thanks for the offer but I already have the paper here. Also, I've done a search and, although it's a large Diadophis, it's not a record. I have promised it to someone at Texas A & M who's doing some genetics work, so it will go to a good cause!
Cheers-
Eric

That may be a good cause, pity tho...its not a real university!!!
Never forget nor forgive: Thats the bastard institution that brought us african bufflegrass & lovegrass that now is all over S. Az, Sonora, & I hear...S Texas.
Their aggie attitude to complex ecosystems has the rest of us paying dearly. Damn them.

As far as a record regalis, Im unaware of any such note existing, and though Ive heard of a handful of monsters such as yours....Ive never actually seen one in life nor jpg.

Saludos, RxR

I obtained a little neonate regal from John in August, the snake reguarly fed on small garter snakes and brown snakes. One day, I dropped a little shorthead garter in with it, the regal followed it's scent trail and caught up to only about 3 mins after I put it in, biting the garter about an inch above the vent. The garter kept moving, so the regal started wrapping itself around it, loop by loop went over the garter's body and I watched as the regal squeezed. This is the first I have ever heard of a regal using constriction, and the little regal constricted the garter just as a kingsnake would constrict a mouse. The regal did this one other time, and the loops always started going around when the regal bite prey around the vent, and the prey kept moving.

With northern ringnecks(edwardsii), I have found that when feeding my 20 inch female, 8 times out of 10 she would fully constrict salamandrid prey. She would approach one, bite it on the neck and immediately wrap around it(you'd think that a kingsnake was eating w/ this constriction). I had a few other northerns do the same, but not with any frequency that "Giant" did it.

I have had northerns prey on snakes, mainly neonates, the venom of a 14 inch northern ringneck male will take more than 15 mins to be effective against a shorthead garter snake neonate that is only 4 inches long. The male will only take on snakes that were less than 2 weeks old, and it will gladly take down 10 snakes a week if the babies are in it's enclosure(it's happened).
Michael's Place

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