Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I've had her a little over a month now and she's shed twice and refused to eat anything. Until tonite. I offered her a dor Corn and she immediately took it!

Have anymore dor Corns in that freezer of yours Pierson? I may need them.

Looks like she hit that corn with some gusto. I was looking at your hide you have for him. I buy dog/cat bowls simular to what you have pictured of various sizes, that have those openings/cutouts for hides. I always love it when I have around four of these in my hand and the clerk ask me how many cats/dogs I have, LOL

Steve

Aren't those bowls perfect Steve! And they're cheap at Wal-Mart.

sean is that legal,keeping any animal found in the apalachicola national forest?

As far as snakes go, certain species are protected. The Indigo is federally protected and you're not even allowed to touch one. The Pine snake is protected but you're allowed to possess just one specimen. If you want to keep venomous, you must have a venomous reptiles permit in the state of FL. Everything else is legal to collect and keep. State Forests are different and as far as I know, you're not allowed to collect anything from those areas.

you may wanna double check that,the national forests i have been had signs posted,forbidding collection of any plants,animals,even rocks,etc.....that being said,that (goini) has always been a target species of mine-always been my favorite of the genus-but i have yet to get all the way down to that part of fla.....congrats on the find....i have always heard they are very challenging if you collect them from the wild,esp. as adults-very much snake-eating....i just bought a virtually patternless female,'05,very orange,for just 45$....and she is just a frickin' hog,eating a thwed pinky every day or two(would probably eat more if i offered,but no need to push too much)....that one you got obviously shows some classic eastern king influennce,kind of dark,but still says 'goini' to me....very hot,consider yourself lucky...also keep in mind that population needs every bit of goini genetics it has(might wanna consider shooting pics and releasing her....sorry,i could'nt resist that last remark,i know people will say i'm a dick now,lol.....peace.oh yes,thanks for posting that copy of herpetologica....gloyd's personal copy?cool

I've spoken with several people that work for the forest and even asked people like Kevin Enge and Bruce Means about collecting in the ANF. All said it was legal.

The female I found obviously is more Eastern but does show some of that Apalachicola King influence in that she has wider bands, some interband lightening, and some ventral scales are bicolored. Either way, I'm happy to have her as I can't wait to breed her with the male I collected back in 2003. Don't worry about me collecting her. She was found within 1/2 mile from the male and I plan on replacing what I found.

man,that sounds too perfect....awesome.i wanna see pics!i started to do the same thing with a whole 'nother species not long ago....but eventually decided to return them before i bred them....good news was i saw one of the pair about a month later,quite close to the inital capture(and release) site..looked very healthy.just keeping my fingers crossedthat it did'nt pick up something while in my care(wehich i doubt,as my collection is showing no signs of ill health at all,and are housed separately)....anyway,good luck!i know lots of herpers that have never found one,let alone multiple,goinis!

Maybe in some Nat'l forests it is legal to take herps but many are bordered by and/or surround State properties and Forests where collecting is not, so it can be a "tricky" thing. And since sometimes you have to travel through one to get to the other, proving the animal was collected in the "safe" zone can also be tricky..
Add to that another questionable (legal AND moral/ethical) practice of releasing animals into the wild population and you've got quite the mix.
:Mark

Sean
Hey I was thinking about you problem with that WC. I wonder if giving her a substrate she can burrow in and a couple more hides might change her mind on feeding. I had good luck with No-Float Cypress mulch about 2-4 inches deep and some leaf litter from outside thrown on top. You can add leaf litter right before feeding to spur the snake into looking around its cage at all the new smells. I know that WC getula up there can have a problem with skin issues when kept on anything other than paper but it might get her feeding. Also I have had rat pups/pinks taken readily by WC that where not taking anything else. Also if you have a rodent colony or someone nearby that does you can try the nesting bedding from the breeders placed in the cage with live pink/pups under a hide. Just some ideas cuz I want you to get some babies out of that pair for me. LOL
Later jason

Jason,

That cage she's pictured in is not the one I house her in. That's a cage I use for feeding only. I stuck her water/hide bowl in their in case I had to leave the Corn overnite to see if she'd eat. I do the same thing with my WC male. The cage I keep her in has about an inch of substrate and one hide/water bowl...not sure if I have enough room to put another one in the cage. Also, along with my male I've tried multiple food items...live and frozen mice/rats, scented dead mice/rats, dead snakes, live snakes, Glass Lizard tails, you name it. Currently my male will only take scented fuzzies/hoppers and nothing else. I'm hoping the female won't be as much trouble but as long as she eats anything for me, I'm happy!

Also, keep in mind this pair are definitely your intergrades as they both have very dark blotches. Although their offspring may lighten up quite nicely.

Try the dirty rodent bedding under a hide in their cage. It makes a mess but it would be worth it if they ate. Also if they are not eating then moveing them before trying to feed them is a bad idea as you are stressing them. I had problems with a few WC snakes and the fake nest with pink rats seemed to work. Also if you feed in their cage the idea of putting in a offering and then sprinkeling some leaf litter in the cage might work. The idea being to not disturb the snake and then offering a bunch of new scents with the leaf litter and hopeing all the exploreing the snake does will lead it to the food item. With kings nestling size is always the best.

By the most of this is kinda for anybody having problems but something for you that I was thinking about. Catch a few of those momma rats under the tin up there. Are they still around this time of year?? If so I would bet they would be gobbeled up quick.

Nice Sean! Good to see she's getting a good meal. Phil

Thanks Phil!