Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Where did you find your red coachwhip? This one is from Arizona.

>>Where did you find your red coachwhip? This one is from Arizona.
>>
WOW! That one looks EXACTLY like the one I found. Sorry I can't post a pic, but I'll try later. It is a good 4 feet long, quick as a thought, and vicious too!!! LOL.

You won't believe how ELATED I am that it ate a hopper today. I'll probably have to get at least 3 next time... or perhaps I should try a small mouse? Hopefully, this means that it'll continue to eat mice and I won't have to let it go. Although I live here in the desert, it is still TOUGH to catch those lizards... unless you have some idea that would make lizard catching simpler!!!

I caught it here in Mesa. We're right off of the 202 (Red Mountain) and Higley Road. It was about 5:30 pm when some friends saw it on the road and turned around to get me. Some kids helped me corral it (I don't have a snake hook YET) and I was able to grab its latter half. Amazingly, it didn't bite me immediately. It did try to nip and struck itself, but overall, it was pretty calm. It wasn't until I was surrounded by about 20 kids, that it got nervous, crawled back up to my hand, nosed my index finger, grabbed ahold and go VICIOUS!!! That was Wednesday and the bite is already healed over and all.

Sorry for the book, but I was/AM still excited about this guy. LOL. You live in the area too? Where was that guy caught? I look forward to hearing from you!

Take it easy!
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0.1 Blotched King Snake - Relena
1.0 Amelanistic Corn Snake - Peek-a-Boo
1.0 Snow Corn - Hiro
1.0 Albino Bull X Albino Pine - Sven
0.0.1 Western Coachwhip - REALLY RED!
1.0 Bearded Dragon - King Kamehameha

No worries about a thorough post--I'm usually the one for which people wish they could find an off switch.

I know that finding enough lizards for a large coachwhip is challenging, but the coachwhips I've had almost always accept dead mice. Some like the mouse wiggled a bit but even then they scoop it up and down it goes. I find that wc coachwhips need a hide spot--I usually use a piece of bark with a bit of a curve to it for a hiding place, and I've had good results with cypress mulch for bedding. Try laying a dead mouse in front of the hide bark and see if the snake eats it. Sometimes, a new snake will eat for a while and then get fussy, so you may need to return to live mice or wiggled mice for a while even if your snake accepts dead food for now. After a coachwhip has been eating steadily for a while, it's not uncommon for it to go off feed for a few weeks or feed sporadically after feeding steadily at first. They just do it to drive us crazy.

The red coachwhip in my photo came from Scottsdale. Just a sidebar for readers who might think that Mesa and Scottsdale areas are some kind of hot spot for red coachwhips, the red phase is in all populations and there are always more browns and blacks in the same locations. It's just the luck of the Fates that there are stories of two red-colored coachwhips from the same general area on the forum at the same time.

Anyway, I do not live in Arizona any more but I was there for over 30 years and found many coachwhips. If I recall correctly, every single one bit me. Ahhhh, Arizona.

I met many other wonderful herps during my time there, some of which can look you right in the eye.

Thanks for the pointers. I'll make sure to try everything without letting any harm come to him. If I feel that I can't properly meet his needs, I'll just let him go... somewhere safe as I don't want him to get run over.

As for other herps here... I've been here for 4 years and have run across some rattlers, kings, and Night snakes but this is the first time I've run into ANY coachwhips (3 so far). I'm still waiting to run into a Gila Monster, Bull snake, etc. Maybe next year will be the year of the Bull snake as this one seems to be the year of the coachwhip!! LOL.

Thanks again!
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0.1 Blotched King Snake - Relena
1.0 Amelanistic Corn Snake - Peek-a-Boo
1.0 Snow Corn - Hiro
1.0 Albino Bull X Albino Pine - Sven
0.0.1 Western Coachwhip - REALLY RED!
1.0 Bearded Dragon - King Kamehameha

to pain, I wonder if you are willing to probe your lovely red coachwhip to see what it's gender is? Just call the hospital and make sure they have plenty of whole blood on hand before you probe. Oh--and leave a note to someone to let me know what the results were in case the ambulance is slow....

>>to pain, I wonder if you are willing to probe your lovely red coachwhip to see what it's gender is? Just call the hospital and make sure they have plenty of whole blood on hand before you probe. Oh--and leave a note to someone to let me know what the results were in case the ambulance is slow....

LOL. I was thinking about doing that... but with it being so "new" I wanted to give it some time. I'll ask a friend who works at Arizona Reptile Center if they'd do this for me. LOL. Gotcha on the whole blood... closet is stocked - just in case the gloves aren't enough.
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0.1 Blotched King Snake - Relena
1.0 Amelanistic Corn Snake - Peek-a-Boo
1.0 Snow Corn - Hiro
1.0 Albino Bull X Albino Pine - Sven
0.0.1 Western Coachwhip - REALLY RED!
1.0 Bearded Dragon - King Kamehameha

to ask for Loyal. Loyal has a sincere and long-standing passion for coachwhips and years of experience probing them. He's the one you want. And also be sure to tell him that you've been exchanging posts with some guy on the Racer and Coachwhip forums on KS, and this forum guy said to be sure to ask for Loyal. Then, if you don't mind, could you give him a message for me? The message is: "I know what you need." He'll understand.

>>to ask for Loyal. Loyal has a sincere and long-standing passion for coachwhips and years of experience probing them. He's the one you want. And also be sure to tell him that you've been exchanging posts with some guy on the Racer and Coachwhip forums on KS, and this forum guy said to be sure to ask for Loyal. Then, if you don't mind, could you give him a message for me? The message is: "I know what you need." He'll understand.

Well, I did go there today, but they were EXTREMELY busy... and I didn't get a chance to ask about probing the snake. I DID find out who Loyal is... and I'm gonna give him the message next time I'm there... perhaps tonight.
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0.1 Blotched King Snake - Relena
1.0 Amelanistic Corn Snake - Peek-a-Boo
1.0 Snow Corn - Hiro
1.0 Albino Bull X Albino Pine - Sven
0.0.1 Western Coachwhip - REALLY RED!
1.0 Bearded Dragon - King Kamehameha

>>Where did you find your red coachwhip? This one is from Arizona.
>>

Well, after 2 weeks, I decided to let this one go. He's now well fed and off in the wilds. My kids were afraid of him and his "personality" (LOL) didn't help. I'm glad that I had him for a while, though.

Now, to disinfect his tank... to see what comes next!!! LOL.
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0.1 Blotched King Snake - Relena
1.0 Amelanistic Corn Snake - Peek-a-Boo
1.0 Snow Corn - Hiro
1.0 Albino Bull X Albino Pine - Sven
0.0.1 Western Coachwhip - REALLY RED!
0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty - Kokoro (Heart)
1.0 Bearded Dragon - King Kamehameha