My Brown House Snakes [Archive] - sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum

Frisky

02-11-16, 05:54 AM

Let me start off with some bad and good news. In December the Lease agreement on a property I was renting came to an end. With it looking more and more like I would have to move into a Complex of some sort, I had to get rid of all my Snakes. Yes, all 57 of them.

A good friend of mine stopped me from doing this, and offered to house my snakes for me in a spare room he had, for as long as it took. So at the beginning of November 2015, all my snakes were moved to his house.

I then moved on the 1st January 2016 into a Duplex Complex. Around the middle of January I had a Meeting with the Chairman of the Body Corporate of the Complex, where he agreed to me moving my snakes back home to me, provided that I kept them secure within my unit.

At the end of January, I started moving my snakes back home.

The Snakeroom Taking Shape

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0055_zpsijsmenqn.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0055_zpsijsmenqn.jpg.html)

I would like in the ensuing posts to show my Brown House Snake Collection. This is a bit of a long winded post, but please bare with me.

Frisky

02-11-16, 05:58 AM

Now for some pics of my Brown House Snakes.

Amel Female 1

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0051_zpspooy2ckm.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0051_zpspooy2ckm.jpg.html)

Amel Female 2

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0042_zpscp53xhse.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0042_zpscp53xhse.jpg.html)

Wild Type Female 1

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0049_zpslt5nqdgl.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0049_zpslt5nqdgl.jpg.html)

Wild Type Female 2

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0045_zpsjn4sxqhl.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0045_zpsjn4sxqhl.jpg.html)

Frisky

02-11-16, 06:03 AM

Some More Brown House Snake Pics

Wild Type Female 3

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0037_zpshxbndvwk.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0037_zpshxbndvwk.jpg.html)

Wild Type Female 4

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0031_zpsttpfxeim.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0031_zpsttpfxeim.jpg.html)

Wild Type Male 1

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0025_zpszuixje6l.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0025_zpszuixje6l.jpg.html)

Wild Type Male 2

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0041_zpsopjjdxwg.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0041_zpsopjjdxwg.jpg.html)

Frisky

02-11-16, 06:07 AM

And Last but not Least. My very Gravid Amel Female. She shed yesterday, so I am expecting her to lay her eggs around the 20th February.
She has been paired with a Green Male Brown House with unknown hets, so I am expecting all Wild Type het Amel Brown House Babies, but of course hoping for that 1 in a thousand surprise.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/IMG_0036_zpsqluhjihp.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/IMG_0036_zpsqluhjihp.jpg.html)

sam

02-11-16, 06:30 AM

Quite a collection of herps you got there Frisky. Also nice driveway! might wanna work on focusing your camera on the snakes ;). the Wild Type Fem 1 reminds me of Spotted and Stimson's pythons we have here in Oz!

EL Ziggy

02-11-16, 08:44 AM

Very nice critters Frisky and great story about getting them back with you.

Nightflight99

02-11-16, 09:48 AM

I'm a big fan of locality house snakes. Do you have locality data for any of your specimens?

Arachnaeoccult

02-11-16, 05:32 PM

Those are nice healthy snakes! Theres no such thing as a plain or ugly snake.

macandchz

02-11-16, 06:46 PM

so glad to hear you and your snakes are re-united again. i never heard of a brown- house snake or is that just your name for them?

Tiny Boidae

02-11-16, 07:05 PM

SCARCE - Brown House Snake (http://academic.sun.ac.za/capeherp/cederberg/snakesbrownhouse.htm)

That's the name most people refer to them. Not too popular in the pet trade, which is probably why you've never heard of them. Cool little fellas, and I'd get me one if there weren't so many other snakes I want XP

Gorgeous fellas though Frisky! Glad things worked out for you. Keep us posted about that gravid female for sure

Frisky

02-12-16, 12:35 AM

Thank you all for the positive comments.
@ SAM - I am the one holding the snakes, my daughter took the pics with my mobile phone. The driveway is a nightmare to negotiate, but I am talking with the Body Corporate of the Complex to repair it.

@ macandchz - This species is actually kept quite a bit by keepers in the USA. They refer to the Species as the African House Snake, it's correct Common name is actually Brown House Snake. The Latin name was recently changed to Boaedon Capensis, I may have the Spelling incorrect.
If you GOOGLE Brown House Snake, you will get the details you need.

@ Nightfligfht99 - I will dig up some Locality data for you.

@ Tiny Boidae - I will keep you all updated on the Gravid Lady.

DollysMom

02-21-16, 07:38 PM

Your pictures are lovely. I haven't been to the forum for a while, but immediately noticed your thread because I'm proud to say I have the pleasure of sharing my home and heart with one young, male B. Capensis. He's a normal het T- albino. I'm so glad you have been able to reunite with your snakes! Any eggs yet?

Frisky

02-22-16, 02:11 AM

Greetings, Brown House Snakes are awesome snakes to keep, extremely docile, and will rather make fairly violent jerking motions when threatened than bite. They are quite literally Bullet Proof, do not get sick often, and eat like pigs, all of mine eat even when in the blue. My gravid Albino even ate a week ago, approximately 10 days before she should lay her eggs.

To answer a question, as of yesterday afternoon, she has not laid yet, but I realistically expect her to lay before this coming Thursday.

I will update and post pics when the event happens.

DollysMom

02-22-16, 08:29 AM

My little housie, Clyde, eats in blue as well though he's still on pinks.

I'm looking forward to the egg pictures. I'm looking forward to the hatchling pictures even more! Thanks for the update.

Humble308

02-22-16, 09:37 AM

Greetings, Brown House Snakes are awesome snakes to keep, extremely docile, and will rather make fairly violent jerking motions when threatened than bite.

I'm glad to hear this. My housie Roscoe does this pretty frequently. At first I thought it was a nuero problem or perhaps I'd broken something when handling him. Good to know that it's normal!

When they are adults what size prey do they usually max out on?

Beautiful snakes, and such a great story of how you got them back. All the best.

Frisky

02-23-16, 12:29 AM

As adults they will grow to on average about 1m (3feet) in length, although I have had a female at 1,2m in length. At this size they will readily take a small rat. I have been on a callout and caught a 1m female with an adult (Large) rat inside her.

Herpo

02-23-16, 03:06 AM

They're very nice snakes!

DollysMom

03-01-16, 09:02 PM

Any eggs yet? Hope all is well!

mysticmoon

03-01-16, 09:28 PM

These snakes are gorgeous. Never even heard of them until seeing your post. What are their temperaments like?

Frisky

03-02-16, 12:55 AM

As babies these snakes are nervous and will after thrash violently, this is however a defence mechanism. very few of them bite, but as babies some can be a bit nippy. In more than 12 years of keeping this species, I have only had 3 that bite.

Out of about 10 wild caught specimens, I have only had 1 bite me.

The gravid female has not dropped any eggs yet, 3 weeks after what I thought was a pre-lay shed. She still however does look gravid, and does not seem to be egg bound. If she goes into the Blue Stage in the next week or so, then the shed I thought was a pre-lay shed, was actually a mid-term shed.

Updated Pic from this Monday past.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/20160229_081250_zps7h0qzo8u.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/20160229_081250_zps7h0qzo8u.jpg.html)

Herpo

03-02-16, 02:51 AM

Hope you get lots of stunning hatchies! Beautiful snakes by the way!

DollysMom

03-02-16, 02:15 PM

Wow, she sure is a beauty. I'm on egg watch with you in spirit! Many thanks for the update. Nature sure does take its own sweet time sometimes!

Frisky

03-04-16, 06:37 AM

200% correct, nature has her own set of rules.

I checked on Mom last night, and she is back in the blue.
This is definitely the pre-lay shed, so I reckon eggs by about the 25th of March.

I will keep the post updated.

DollysMom

03-04-16, 09:48 AM

Thanks. Ill keep checking in. That's about my birthday so pics of the eggs would be a long distance birthday happiness :)

Frisky

03-14-16, 01:44 AM

An update.

She shed yesterday 13 March, so I expect eggs between 23 and 27 March.
Birthday Girl, I am holding thumbs for 25 March.

Herpo

03-14-16, 03:00 AM

I can't wait to see it hatchies!

Frisky

03-24-16, 02:36 AM

Humble308

03-24-16, 04:20 PM

I finally found as photo of the wild caught Brown House Snake with a Jumbo sized Rat inside her. Humble308, this pic is for you.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii33/rolandslf/20140915_113429_zps0c880c29.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/rolandslf/media/20140915_113429_zps0c880c29.jpg.html)

She took 2 weeks before any signs of the meal stopped showing as a bulge inside her.

Holy smokes! A real time stament to the house snakes constricting strength! Or perhaps it was found dead already. It's a wonder she didn't split in half from such a big meal.

DollysMom

03-25-16, 08:51 AM

Oh my goodness! I'm not gonna try that at home. My little housie, Clyde is a whopping 25 grams and still eats mice pinkies.

Great pic Frisky. That's one amazing house snake.

Frisky

03-28-16, 11:49 PM

Pound For Pound, they can out - constrict most Constrictors. In this case, she had been seen to track a live rat into a garage, and the people had heard the rat squeal. That is when they called me.

They are indeed, very powerful constrictors.

What amazed me is that even with being caught and transported home to an enclosure, she never regurged the meal.

Frisky

03-28-16, 11:51 PM

DollysMom

03-30-16, 06:56 AM

Another amazing thing is the size of the prey item, in relation to the size of her head. we say that the prey item should not be more than the size of the thickest part of their bodies. This proves us to be wrong.

So much to learn about these awesome creatures.

Lol, though I won't try that at home. I'm just working my little one up to small fuzzy mice. I did give him his largest pinky yet and it went down with ease.

Hope I'm not hijacking your thread by posting this pic, but it is appropriate to house snake eating.

http://i.imgur.com/5eLzf12l.jpg