Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone! Recently i have been very interested in Pits. Enough to want to possibly add one or two of them to my herp collection. I've been keeping kingsnakes, milksnakes, and a few other colubrids for the last 10 years. I've done quite a bit of research on caring for Pits, but i have no experience with them and haven't really talked to anyone who does. At this point I'm most interested in the Sonoran gopher and the Cape Baja gopher. Are there any noticable size differences between different pits? For those who keep these snakes, what differences standout between bull/gopher snakes and other common colubrids in the hobby like kings, milks, rats etc.? any advice for a beginner would be awesome. Thanks!

Pits are great snakes for the right person. I love them, I don't currently have any, but I have had bulls in the past, and we will have a baby northern pine wednesday and another bull pretty soon.
Pits have attitude, there's no denying it. They like to puff up and hiss. Some of them love to bluff you and strike at you without biting. A few will actually bite. I've handled a few that were very cage aggressive but were fine once they were out of the enclosure. But cage aggression is something you can have with other snakes too.
Pits get large and heavy (for a colubrid) and they grow fast. They are extremely strong for their size, a trait you can say for most snakes, but with bull snakes its crazy how strong they can be.
They are eating machines. Their appetites are ravenous. Some will go off feed for a few months in the fall, some won't. Keep in mind that since they are bigger than most colubrids and since they eat so much, that they CAN be messy and will need a lot of clean up.
I can't say much specifically about gophers, sorry about that. Only can share what I've experienced with bulls.
I have recently been told by a few breeders as well as pit owners that bulls generally get heavier and thicker bodied than pines, but pines generally get longer than bulls. I didn't ask about gophers because I wasn't looking for one.
I think its safe to say if you wind up liking pits that you will LOVE them.

Just to share and feed your need for a Pit...
here's our boy that we are getting wednesday. He was six months old this past thursday
New Jersey Pine Barrens Northern Pine

his mom

and his dad

Congratulations on what may be the start of another chapter in your herp life that may develop into what we call Pit Fever! HA!

Like yourself, I kept kings, milks, and corns, for a number of years, before getting into pits. When I researched them, and held some, it hit me like a football aimed straight at my head. I found myself enjoying these particular snakes like I have never enjoyed any other snakes before, and for quite a while, they have been my main herp focus.

As far as size difference, Even though there are gophers that get quite large, I have experienced gophers to be the smallest, while bulls and pines tend to be much larger.

The differences between all three are pretty significant aside from size, thus making them all very unique and different from each other. From coloring, blotches, physical makeup, geographical locations, etc, the differences are vast.

Check out the link to the Pituophis page, where much useful into can be obtained.

If you are interested in getting some Pits, I would recommend some of each of the 3: Bulls, pines, and gophers. I kid you not, you will have an absolute blast owning them all!!

When I first got into them, I heard of all of the hissing and bluffing, and I know that many have experienced that, but in my collection, I have not experienced that like others, but only with one or two really hissy bulls, the rest, dog tame. I personally think that they should be kept cooler than kings and milks, and have witnessed more restless behavior from them when the room gets warmer. I keep mine anywhere from 75-78 for preferred temps, and like I said, have experienced them to be rather calm, and they seem to enjoy handling. Some of my biggest adults will curl up in my arms, or stretch themselves out onto me, and just completely chill out. It is really neat!!

So, for me, they have been the best captives, and pet snakes I have ever experienced.

Here are some of mine:

Applegate San Diego Gopher:

Great Basin Gopher:

Albino Sonoran Gopher:

Mexican Pinesnake-Deppei Jani:

Durango Mountain Pinesnake-Deppei Deppei:

Northern Pinesnake:

Southern Pinesnake:

Yellow Bullsnake:

Poss het WS normal Bullsnake that has some red color:

Stillwater, OK Hypo bullsnake:

Like I said, the differences are so vast, and I can't tell you how joyful it has been to own Pits. I really think you would enjoy having some in your collection!!!

The Pituophis Page

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You have some incredible animals there.
I would love to have several pits, its looking like two is going to be my limit though :[
We just don't have the room. Not for the way I want to do it anyway. Unless I seriously alter my build plans and build smaller.
Could you post a picture of some of your pit enclosures please. What do you keep them in?

Thank you guys for the good advice and quick replies! i guess at this point the only thing that makes me a little skeptical, is that some pits can be a little bit defensive/aggressive. i don't think I've ever been intimidated by i snake in my life, but my girlfriend who i live with, isn't as confedant when it comes to handleing snake as i am. I don't want to have any snakes in the house that she is going to be terrified of. its safe to say that i will probably wait until the next local reptile show comes along, and hold some individual pits, and see which ones seem to be calm and well mannered.

I would suggest you start with a young specimen, so you can get it used to being handled. To top it off, when they are young, and they try to act all big and bad puffing up and hissing, they look SO funny :]
That way she hopefully won't be as apprehensive about a snake that MIGHT have an attitude.
And the big thing to remember is, that most captive bred pits are fine while being handled. The ones that have attitudes usually have an attitude while they are in the cage, and more often than not, its "all talk". The easy solution would be for you to get the snake out of the enclosure, let it calm down, then let her handle it.

My personal theory is that the aggressive behavior you have heard about possibly may be from those who kept pits too warm. IMO, they do much better at slightly cooler temps, and could possibly be why I have seen calmer attitudes with most of my entire collection.

I have seen some hissy babies at shows as well though, and those were mostly baby bulls. However, I still have witnessed more calmer specimens than not calm. But, remember, Pits also may be simply showing their fears more as well, hence the hissing. They seem to be aware of their surroundings more, and what you are seeing may possibly be them being aware of potential dangers ( in their mind ), hence what we as humans term as " attitude. "

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Genesis 1:1

Thanks!
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of my enclosures at this time, but I keep the biggest ones in CB70s or the one cage that is the same length as a CB 70 but taller.

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Genesis 1:1

Here's a picture of mine.

I use 12qt tubs (bottom 8) for juveniles and 28qt tubs (top one) for sub-adults. Each shelf fits either two 12qt tubs or one 28qt. The rack has heat tape in the back and the whole thing cost less than $50 to make. Racks are simple and use less room than aquariums.

Maybe I should consider that route. I was going to build large wooden display type enclosures, 2x2x6 for each of mine. If I went rack instead, I would have more room and money for more snakes and snake food :] I must admit though, I really love being able to sit here in my recliner and watch them. I know I could still see them in the tubs, but not as well, and wouldn't get to watch them "exploring"

Racks are great if you have a large collection, but to be honest (and this is only opinion, not a scientific fact!) if you only have a few snakes I think Pituophis especially are better kept in larger enclosures. They are such active snakes that they really seem to benefit from the extra room.
I only keep a few snakes these days so I can allow them this luxury which many others cannot. It's up to you at the end of the day though!

that's the way I'm looking at it too. If I keep my collection small, I can offer them much more room. I know they CAN be kept in a small enclosure, but a rack just seems awfully small for an animal as large and as active as a bull snake.

Hey guys, I got my albino bull snake a week ago and she seems to be doing fine. She's eaten twice with no issues and seems to be acclimating well to her new home. I have a question about temps. I've read on this thread and others that it's best to keep pits at slightly cooler temps than my other colubrids. Right now I have the uth on the warm side set at 87. My kings are set at 90. The cool side is in the upper 60's-low 70's. (It's really cold here. I have noticed she tends to stay in her cooler hide more that her warm hide, even after a pretty big meal last night she went to a cooler spot. Normally my kings go to the warmest hide after eating. What temps should I keep my pit at? TIA for any helpful advice.

another one to help make you want a pit
On my way to the bank to make a deposit so I can paypal this little girl from nvreptiles

her mom

her dad

You could not have made a better choice!
I have a 2011 Yellow Bull from Envy/Jason Nelson, and she is by far, one of my favorite bulls I have ever owned!

Few pics of her when she was young:

Pic from last year:

She is a sub adult, and is just awesome!! You won't regret it your purchase!
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Genesis 1:1

wow, she's beautiful, do you have any pictures of you holding her for size comparison.

Thanks!

She is just over 4 feet, but should be just like her parents, who are quite large.
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Genesis 1:1

I wonder if our snakes are related

This yellow is SO pretty!!!

Thanks!
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Genesis 1:1

she's paid for !!! now its just a matter of waiting for the weather to be warm enough to ship :]

Hi,

I am no expert, since I have only had 2 Pits (both gopher snakes).

The first was my third snake, probably a Pacific Gopher snake, that I had (when I lived in California) during my teens (late 1960s or early 1970s). I did not keep Buzz very long, because s/he was one of the Pits with an attitude. (The second snake to bite me. {Mouse bites hurt much worse!})

The second is my current snake, a very nice and mellow Great Basin Gopher snake, that I caught on 18 May 2002 in town about 1 mile from my house, as the crow flies but slightly longer as the car drives.

I was at a yardsale when the snake crawled over the foot of the girl handling the money, giving her hysterics. I approached the snake, ascertained that s/he was a Gopher snake (and not a Rattlesnake), picked him/her up, and took the snake home, before they could kill him/her.

When first caught Go-Go was a bit hissy, but eventually settled down. Go-Go has grown from about 3-1/2 feet to about 4 feet long. I keep him/her in a 55 gallon acrylic tank. The only difficulty that I have, is that this snake is a very finicky eater; ate 2 mice a week ago.