>>westerns make decent captives. i have never owned an eastern, but have heard they can be difficult.


I don't think Easterns are difficult necessarily, but they are protected, which might make them difficult to get. They're listed in Michigan, where I live, and in Ontario. Also in Ohio, the only other State with Easterns, that I know of, there's some protection. I understand they can only be kept, if they are pit tagged, and maybe have to have a permit, or something along those lines. Anyway, Westerns seem to be the way to go for a lot of folks.

We have them in the Upper Peninsula of MI, but they look a little different from the one you showed. Is yours from the Chicago area? I do think Westerns are underrated and would probably do pretty well in captivity, if they can be acclimated. What I like to do is start with juveniles, whenever I try a project with a w/c snake. I think cb are fairly well available, however, so one wouldn't have to find their own, if they could find a breeder.

Anyway, I just like studying them in the wild. Good luck...

Cheers...TC


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