Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer)

Pacific Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer catenifer
Name	Pacific Gopher Snake
Name Lat.	Pituophis catenifer catenifer
Family	Colubrids
Family lat.	Colubridae
Order	Scaled Reptiles
Order lat.	Squamata
Origin	North America
Habitat	Forests, shrubland
Diet	Small mammals
Humidity	50-70 %
Behavior	Semi-aggressive
Keeping	Individual, pair, group
Care Level	Moderate
Reproduction	Oviparous
Housing	Semi-humid terrarium
Life Span	15-20 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	150-180 cm
Temperature	24-28 °C
Temperature Local	30-33 °C
Housing Size	180 x 90 x 140 cm
US Units
Size	59"-71"
Temperature	75-82 °F
Temperature Local	86-91 °F
Housing Size	70" x 35" x 55"

Distribution and habitat

The range of the ground-dwelling, primarily diurnal, chain bullsnakes is the western United States, from Washington to California. They live in a variety of habitats, including forests, swamps, and grasslands, shrublands, and farmlands, where they often inhabit rodent burrows.

Maintenance

Minimum dimensions for the terrarium, according to the size and number of animals:

1-2 animals

1KL x 0,5KL x 0,75KL (L x W x H)

Body length (KL) is measured on the largest animal. For each additional animal the floor space should be increased by 20%. A terrarium of e.g. L 180 x W 90 x H 140 cm is recommended, which should be placed in a quiet and vibration-free place.

They need a terrarium structured with roots, climbing branches, cork tubes and bamboo sticks (hiding places and privacy screen) with a loose graveable substrate, e.g. of sand-humus mixture or desert sand with large stones, as well as an easy to clean water basin as drinking vessel and a stone heated by spotlights as sunning place. Part of the substrate should always be kept slightly moist (no waterlogging). Once a day, preferably in the evening, the inside of the terrarium should be finely sprayed with water (humidity).

Temp. day: 24-28 °C

Temp. night: 18-24 °C

Temp. local: up to 33 °C

Humidity: 50-70

Thermostatically controlled floor heating is recommended. Lighting duration must be 12-14 hrs depending on the season. Daylight fluorescent tubes supplemented with UV lamps are ideal.

Diet

The food supply consists of live rodents (mice, rats, etc.) as well as eggs and nestlings, depending on their size. After successful acclimatization often succeeds the switch to dead food animals (commercial frozen food). Juveniles should be offered food every 3-5 days, adults every 7-14 days, with occasional periods of fasting (e.g., skipping a feeding). If the snake is disturbed after feeding, this may result in vomiting of the prey. It is better to offer several small feeders, rather than one large one. If it does not eat for a long period of time, both the timing and the food should be varied. It is important to fortify the food animals with vitamins and minerals. Since the snake could be injured by live rodents, it should not be left unattended with them.

Reproduction and breeding

Probing by the veterinarian is the only reliable method of sex determination.

The female lays her eggs (10-20 pieces) in the moist, about 5 cm deep substrate and does not perform brood care. The incubation period is 60-75 days at a temperature of 22-24 °C. The young are 22-27 cm in size and can be fed with nest young mice.

Life expectancy can be 15-20 years.

Important

They are bred in many color varieties and are well compatible with each other.

Good climbers and swimmers, they have an enlarged and truncated snout shield suitable for digging. When threatened, they make hissing sounds similar to a rattlesnake and rattle the tip of their tail.

For the dormancy period, the lighting duration is reduced by 4-6 hours for 2-5 months and the temperature is lowered to 5-15 °C, depending on the origin.

Always have snake hooks and protective gloves ready when handling.The terrarium must have good ventilation without drafts and meet the species specific needs. Measuring devices such as thermometers, hygrometers, etc. are necessary. The lighting has to correspond to the species-specific day-night rhythm and has to be placed in such a way that the animals cannot injure themselves. The terrarium should be locked in such a way that neither unauthorized persons can open it nor the animals can escape. Contamination must be removed regularly

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Christian Sänger; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: BMELV (1997): Tierschutzgutachten -  Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien; ENGELMANN (2006): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Reptilien und Amphibien, Harri Deutsch Verlag

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF