View Full Version : First Pituophis!
Before I elaborate, here's a little back story. I've worked with several Bull, Pine, and Gopher snakes over the last few years, and I've fallen in love with them. I like the size they get to and their personalities. I had been holding off on getting another snake because of the apartment I was in(not much room for another pet), and I didn't want to spend the money on the snake itself and all of the supplies. Well my buddy just got me a good deal on a San Diego Gopher Snake(which I had mentioned to him that I wanted), and he's going to give me all of the equipment I need. The guy has two young males, so I'll go over Friday and pick which one I want. Needless to say I'm super excited. I'll definitely be posting pictures as soon as I pick it up.
Minkness
08-25-15, 08:18 PM
Woot woot! Can't wait to see him! Congrats on the great deal too!
EL Ziggy
08-25-15, 08:45 PM
That is great news Bandit. You are so right about the benefits of keeping pits. I love both of mine. Looking forward to those pics!
Yeah I'm very excited. My friend sort of pressured me into it because I was skeptical at first, but I'm glad he did. Now I can't wait for Friday to get my hands on him.
toddnbecka
08-25-15, 11:43 PM
Awesome, can't wait to see the new adddition.
Well I picked him up today and he's awesome! Out of the two males he had, I chose the darker one because not only was he really laid back, but the other one had an open wound on his nose from rubbing against the tank(aside from being extremely defensive). I have him set up right now so I'll upload pictures tomorrow!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20150829_153913_zpsikbvkecw.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20150829_153913_zpsikbvkecw.jpg.html)
EL Ziggy
08-29-15, 05:37 PM
Very nice looking gopher Bandit. I think you'll enjoy the pit experience. :)
He's in shed right now (and in that pic). Once he sheds I'll upload another picture to show how he really looks.
Humble308
08-31-15, 10:59 AM
I'm becoming very interested in a Pit as a possible second snake. Bandit I'm primarily interested in the Bulls, can you tell me a little more about your experience with them? Why did you fall for them? I've found alot of care sheets on bulls and gophers, just not alot of information or personal experiences. I read they eventually eat rats, would I need to start them on pinkies?
Great looking pit!
prairiepanda
08-31-15, 04:01 PM
He looks great! Those SD gophers have really cool markings. I love the amount of variation between individuals, too. Every one is unique.
He looks great! Those SD gophers have really cool markings. I love the amount of variation between individuals, too. Every one is unique.Yeah I agree! There was a beautiful female in the clutch but she was selling for a bit more than I wanted to pay. But I really can't wait to see what he looks like once he sheds. Should be any day now.
I'm becoming very interested in a Pit as a possible second snake. Bandit I'm primarily interested in the Bulls, can you tell me a little more about your experience with them? Why did you fall for them? I've found alot of care sheets on bulls and gophers, just not alot of information or personal experiences. I read they eventually eat rats, would I need to start them on pinkies?
Great looking pit!Thanks! And there are a couple things that made me really like them. One thing I like is their size. I know that's really subjective, but I really like the length/girth they get to, as well as their strength.
Most of all, I love their personalities. Younger ones can have an attitude, but they calm down pretty quickly. The best way I can think to describe their personalities when they're older is that they're laid back, but they won't put up with too much bs haha. Very cool snakes though.
Humble308
08-31-15, 07:21 PM
Thanks! I agree you with on the size, it's colubrid of impressive stature which is what attracted me to the species. They sound like awesome snakes. I look forward to seeing your guy grow out.
EL Ziggy
09-01-15, 11:28 AM
You guys are right about pits and their impressive size and calm temperament. My 2 y/o is already 6ft and 2200g. She's a real sweetie too except at feeding time, then she's a beast! Your boy is going to grow fast Bandit.
You guys are right about pits and their impressive size and calm temperament. My 2 y/o is already 6ft and 2200g. She's a real sweetie too except at feeding time, then she's a beast! Your boy is going to grow fast Bandit.Yeah I'm looking forward to see him grow. He should be shedding any day now and then I'll feed him. The breeder was feeding him live, but I'm going to see if he'll take F/T, which I'm sure he will. I know both of his parents were pretty big, so I'm sure he'll get to be a healthy size.
Well over the weekend, he ate for me for the first time. He took F/T which is great. He also shed, so I got to see his true color for the first time. I'll upload some pictures of him post-shed soon!
jjhill001
09-12-15, 09:09 PM
Well over the weekend, he ate for me for the first time. He took F/T which is great. He also shed, so I got to see his true color for the first time. I'll upload some pictures of him post-shed soon!
You'll find that Pituophis aren't exactly the pickiest of eaters. They have a really long list of natural prey that can rival some of the real food dumpster snakes out their (Eastern Kingsnakes being the big one).
Albert Clark
09-12-15, 09:14 PM
Fantastic pick up and congrats! Kudos to your buddy also for his generosity. That's a real buddy!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20150917_192545_zpscjeizqu1.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20150917_192545_zpscjeizqu1.jpg.html)
Sylphie
09-18-15, 09:23 AM
Cute little one!
Just a little update on him. He's growing like a weed and in shed again. I've noticed he's been putting on a little more girth and I'm going to measure him after his shed to see how much length he has gained since getting him. Poor guy is probably blind from those eye caps for the time being.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/12070690_1642362422669559_1737753011_n_zpsfvzg08v0 .jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/12070690_1642362422669559_1737753011_n_zpsfvzg08v0 .jpg.html)
EL Ziggy
10-03-15, 08:11 PM
They do grow fast Bandit. Your guy looks good even in shed.
Yeah I will try to get some good pictures of him after his shed. He's not flighty by any means, but getting him to sit still for a picture is close to impossible. He always wants to climb up onto my other hand or the phone.
prairiepanda
10-04-15, 01:23 PM
That's quite typical for Pituophis. Very active animals. That's part of what makes them so awesome :) Hopefully he'll let you take some good pictures, though! He's a great looking snake.
He's quickly becoming my favorite out of the three. So much more laid back and curious than my other two and definitely more fun to handle.
Another update. I attempted to measure him today...he didn't want to cooperate. However, I did get a decent measurement and he's roughly 18.5" now, possibly a little bigger. He was 16.5" when I measured him a month ago.
He's also eating like a champ. He has always eaten readily, but his feeding response is definitely getting a lot stronger.
Here's the best picture I could get of him. Not that great, and for some reason he looks really dark in this picture but I think that's just due to lighting. Plus you can see that he was on the move, hence the blurriness.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151015_171431_zpsd2kozbn1.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151015_171431_zpsd2kozbn1.jpg.html)
EL Ziggy
10-16-15, 08:19 AM
He's looking good Bandit. What's his feeding schedule like?
As of right now, he's getting one f/t fuzzy every week.
I saw an opportunity so I took it. This is probably the best picture I'll get of the little guy seeing as he moves so much.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151019_191719_zpsjqnrn6ue.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151019_191719_zpsjqnrn6ue.jpg.html)
EL Ziggy
10-19-15, 07:27 PM
He's looking great Bandit. Pits are easy to love. They're beautiful, strong, active, fun to handle and monsters at feeding time. I think they're very underrated in our hobby.
He's looking great Bandit. Pits are easy to love. They're beautiful, strong, active, fun to handle and monsters at feeding time. I think they're very underrated in our hobby.I agree. It seems they often get overlooked for other, more commonly kept species. Once I left my old job and wasn't getting to work with the two there(Bull and an LA Pine) on a daily basis, I knew I wanted to get one. I definitely see myself getting more in the future.
Humble308
10-20-15, 07:53 AM
Very cool Bandit, I can't wait to see how your guy grows. I really want a bull snake at some point and sort of wish I'd went that direction over a hog nose. All the best!
Got a couple more pictures today as I was cleaning cages, as well as an accurate measurement. During my last attempt to measure he was roughly 18.5", maybe a little bigger. That was about a week ago. Well I measured him today and he was 19.5". Anyway, excuse the blurriness...the little guy doesn't stop moving.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151023_183723_zpsezqweh0s.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151023_183723_zpsezqweh0s.jpg.html)
And here he is, completely unaware that there is a snake right beneath him that would eat him if given the chance.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151023_183756_zpsjwpxdol0.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151023_183756_zpsjwpxdol0.jpg.html)
EL Ziggy
10-23-15, 09:47 PM
LOL, you are right. He'd make a tasty treat for your milk snake :).
toddnbecka
10-24-15, 12:05 AM
Here's a neat little snake measuring tool: Serpwidgets - Snake Measurer (http://serpwidgets.com/main/measure)
Here's a neat little snake measuring tool: Serpwidgets - Snake Measurer (http://serpwidgets.com/main/measure)Thanks! I'll definitely try that out.
reptiledude987
10-28-15, 09:43 AM
Here's a neat little snake measuring tool: Serpwidgets - Snake Measurer (http://serpwidgets.com/main/measure)
Very cool tool Im going to have to try this out.
I tried it out and it seems pretty accurate. It gave me a measurement of 20" which seems about right. My last attempt to actually measure him came out to 19.5" but he was resisting so 20" seems a bit more realistic.
reptiledude987
10-28-15, 10:01 AM
I tried it out and it seems pretty accurate. It gave me a measurement of 20" which seems about right. My last attempt to actually measure him came out to 19.5" but he was resisting so 20" seems a bit more realistic.
Hey I think being within half an inch is a very acceptable margin of err as far as Im concerned.
Yeah exactly, and to be honest I think the half inch was more likely an error on my part since he was struggling and trying get away as I was doing it.
toddnbecka
10-28-15, 09:25 PM
An inch either way isn't a big deal, but to me the online tool is just easier than trying to physically measure a snake with a tape or length of string. Easy enough if the snake holds still, but a hassle if the critter isn't inclined to chill out.
An inch either way isn't a big deal, but to me the online tool is just easier than trying to physically measure a snake with a tape or length of string. Easy enough if the snake holds still, but a hassle if the critter isn't inclined to chill out.Yeah and none of my three are willing to sit still once out of the enclosures. It is very convenient and I will definitely be using it from now on.
Well he ate again yesterday and I was able to snag a couple more picture. He took two fuzzies like a boss.
And yes, that is a koozie. He loves the thing, I don't know what he's going to do when he outgrows it.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151028_200756_zps8ulrxgqg.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151028_200756_zps8ulrxgqg.jpg.html)
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/connor323/20151028_202435_zpsyhwzbrcb.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/connor323/media/20151028_202435_zpsyhwzbrcb.jpg.html)
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