Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I have yearned to keep some of these snakes for a long time now. Seeing as no one is really captive breeding these I had to go catch my own, and have a buddy catch one for me.

First up my Male Coachwhip Masticophis f piceus/testaceus/cingulam
Pretty red and is starting to show some black tick marks on his fore body, I would be pretty thrilled if his head started turning black...

Next up my male Stripped Whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus
This years hatchling and around 14"

And finally my female Sonoran WhipsnakeMasticophis bilineatus
Also a recent hatchling and the same size as the taenaitus

They are all currently eating Uta and Scelops and the Coachwhip has started to show some promise of switching to mice. The little Sonoran took a dead lizard today after it had a heart attack in his cage. This leads me to believe with some lizard paste he could switch over pretty easily.

They are being kept in larger cages with hotsspots at 100-105 the ambient in the enclosures is 85 and they all have cool spots around 75-80.

Very inquisitive snakes the whipsnake sits out and watches me move about the room. The Coach looks for a bit before slinking back into his respective hide. They are all pretty fresh so I hope to see the inquisitive attitudes I've heard so much about.

Thanks for looking, I'm really excited to keep these snakes and can bet I'll be looking to pair them up. I think I'm pretty good with general care but if anyone has some unique insight I'm more than happy to hear it.

Nate

Hi Nate!

I can claim I know at least a part of your excitement, because I'm since two months the lucky owner of a wonderful female Desert Striped-Whip Snake, about 44'' long. She was emaciated, but healthy at purchase time; and subsequent heavy feeding on African Multi-Mammate mice (!), alive or thawed, made her gain 50% body mass. Believe it or not, she accepted a F/T Mastomys at first attempt.

Although she's quite enjoyable by herself, the point will be to find a mate for her; and that snake is NOT a common import in Europe! Strangely enough, the dealer told me he knew from his U.S. supplier that it had become much sought after.

Congratulations and regards,

Benjamin.

Cool man, you euros seem to be keeping more Masticophis than people in the states. I'm jealous yours took to mice right away as mine only want live lizards. I think I may "starve them out" to get them to come around.

Nate

I wouldn't recommend starving them out. These snakes have much faster metabolisms than most snakes, There have been observations of wild snakes eating daily, for up to a little over a week straight before observations could not be continued. (this is technically hearsay based on observations, but there were pictures included in that report). I'd just continue to feed them on whatever schedule you have them on, if they aren't taking rodents yet, still feed them what they will take, they aren't refusing rodents simply because they aren't hungry for them...

I wouldn't recommend starving them out. These snakes have much faster metabolisms than most snakes, There have been observations of wild snakes eating daily, for up to a little over a week straight before observations could not be continued. (this is technically hearsay based on observations, but there were pictures included in that report). I'd just continue to feed them on whatever schedule you have them on, if they aren't taking rodents yet, still feed them what they will take, they aren't refusing rodents simply because they aren't hungry for them...

I don't mean "starve them out" literally that's why I put the quotation marks there. I meant give them two weeks to get good and hungry. Masticophis as you know are opportunistic feeders in the wild, they definitely prefer reptiles as it seems but I'm sure they would eat birds or mice if they had too.

If after I run out of lizards and they won't take to anything else they go into brumation for 3 months. If its to early for me to collect lizards I'll just buy a ton of Anoles and start again next season. I know most of these guys get onto rodents at a certain point and I'm prepared to wait that out.

IMO the Coachwhip could very well be refusing rodents because he is not hungry for them. The whipsnakes I'm sure are keyed in on lizards so I'm trying the same thing before they go into Brumation. I have all sorts of frozen reptiles in the fridge to scent with so why not give it a try before winter?

That sounds like a pretty interesting report I would like to see any chance of getting a link/copy of that? It doesn't surprise me they eat every day, most of my snakes at home would eat everyday if I let them, unfortunately they don't have the room to burn all that off even with my big cages.

Don't you have a Coachwhip? Hows that thing doing?

Nate

Sorry no "'s

It's all good Nate. I didn't realize this was you by the way (Nate from the northwest, no?) Yeah I do still have that piceus. it's doing well. It escaped on me (don't give them an inch, they'll take a mile) and was gone for 8 days but showed up in the hall way. The report of wild coachwhips eating that much is from someone who I don't personally know, and wouldn't attach his report to my replies, or really hold value to it since I wasn't there, and his "reports" got a lot of grief on another forum that makes me think it not worth mentioning in the first place, so I probably shouldn't have used that as any type of evidence of their habits.

It's cool Andy,
Probably good advice you gave anyhow, sometimes I forget to elaborate.

LOL I know the "report" you speak of, I'm pretty sure those Masticophis liked mice.

Nate

Can you give an update on your coachwhips?
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Carl

Well, the grass is always greener, etc. Plus I can go out any given week and find 1-2 coachwhips (sometimes lots more). So I'm more likely to enjoy them in the field than a cage.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
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