Matt is right, coachwhips are no boas. Any of the ambush hunters like boas will have a very different view of life from a hunter/chaser like a coachwhip. Tight spaces are claustrophobic for them, and they like obstacles that they can get behind but still see past, like piles of branches. Hot basking spots are a must but so is vigorous ventilation to pull the heated air out of the cage and avoid overheating the whole cage.

I have home made cages five or six feet long, with full-spectrum lighting including UV fluorescent bulbs at the warm end where the snakes spend time under the heat bulbs. A fan at the basking end pulls hot air out as cooler air flows in to replace it from a vent in the far end of the cage.

Some of my coachwhips eat live, some eat dead food placed on the floor of their cage, a few eat dead food wiggled on forceps. Some times of the year, my coachwhips eat almost nothing, which drives me crazy. During the warmest months they eat several times a week. The largest ones occasionally take small defrosted rats off forceps but for the most part, racers and coachwhips prefer meals about the size of their own head.

One of my baby coachwhips still eats anoles but the rest eat live or dead baby mice. The most regular feeder is almost three times the size of her brother from the same clutch. She always eats food delivered to the edge of her hiding bark. The rest eat out in the open.

Coachwhips and racers raised in captivity have no fear of me and either just watch when I put my hands into their cages for cleaning, or move toward me to chase me out of their territory.

I love racers and coachwhips for their spirit but they are a lot of work.

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