Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Guys,

There is very little info about these snakes on the web. I was wondering if anyone cuold give me the basics on husbandry.(heating,humidity,substrate,etc)
Thanks for any info......SCOTT

Hi
From my experience of these great{but generally very snappy}
snakes, they are not too difficult to keep, they like a tall cage
with branches for climbing, and a large water bowl.
I keep mine on a substrate of dust free sawdust, in a vision cube
with a fairly low wattage bulb, as they do not like high temps.
A temp range from mid 70's to low 80's suits them fine.
All mine have very good appetites, and seldom miss a feed, for the adults that equals 3-4 adult mice a week.
My hatchlings all fed on fuzzys first time, although this is not always the case, some can take months to get started.
I spray them regularly, as they can experience trouble shedding.
my female laid 18 eggs in march, of which only 4 hatched, the
rest were dead in shell. i will make a few adjustment to my husbandry next year.
Luckily out of the 4 that did hatch i now have 2 pairs, i was dreading being male heavy, which seems to be fairly common.
Not many people seem to keep them here in the UK, but i guess thats down to their rarity over here.
I must stress that they are definately not a pet snake, they never miss an opportunity to bite, and do well in a secluded location.
My adults are around 7 feet long and can be quite a handful.
Good luck

Scott,
I currently have an adult pair of Cavers, the male of which is well over eight feet in length. My female just laid a clutch of eggs, of which fifteen look good.

I have found that my two definitely prefer lower-than-normal colubrid temps, preferably in the region of 76 - 79 degrees F. Their cages are on the floor of my herp-room. I have learned that they are distinctly uncomfortable if the ambient temperature goes over 82 degrees and will coil around their water-dishes, looking very forlorn, lol!

I also provide them with a moist hide-box, which they really seem to enjoy, and is an advantage during shedding cycles. I find that mine will NOT feed if they are even approaching a shed cycle!

They can, and will, eat surprisingly huge prey for such a slender snake. My two easily take medium - large rats. I feed them once or twice a week and they seem to do just fine.

I have found this particular pair to be of impeccable temperament. In fact, they are some of the calmest snakes I've ever met! I've never been bitten by either of them, nor do they ever posture and threaten. My four-year-old grand-daughter is able to habdle them with impunity (under close supervision, of course).

They are really beautiful and special animals, and I love having them in my collection. They are a joy to work with.

I hope that this may be of some help to you. Please feel free to e-mail me, if you like.

Cheers!

Simon