Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Quick question...I recently took a herping trip to the Missouri/Arkansas border, and found quite a few ground snakes, very pretty snakes, the banded form. I let them be because I've heard they do poorly in captivity, but I was just curious if anyone here has ever had any luck with them? Thanks,
Kevin

Quick answer-Sonora make awesome captives. I've kept them in small desert vivaria, where they've fed readily on crickets, waxworms and spiders. Very seldom have I had one refuse food and languish. They come in such a wide range of colors and patterns that it would be interesting to perform breeeding experiments.

As with all insect eaters, make sure to pay attention to the nutritional value of your insects-occasionally dusting with vitamin/mineral powder couldn't hurt (if done in moderation anyway).

Brad Chambers

Yeah, I've heard different things about them, I remember reading earlier on on a post that they don't make great captives, but they seem like they'd be worth the effort. The ones I found along the Arkansas/Missouri border were absolutely stunning, they were the banded phase, also had a lot of orange and some red to them. I've seen others that are tan with a red line down the back, some that are just tan, I've seen a bunch of different phases on these guys. I know in the wild they eat mainly centipedes and spiders, but if they'll take crickets and waxworms, then that's the hard part. Any luck breeding them?
Kevin

A friend of mine had luck breeding them...

Produced an albino specimen and a couple hets a few years back.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.kingpinreptiles.com
^ Updated 4/17