Sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor)

[BarelyBreathing]

This is not my snake, but I got to hang out with her today. Beautiful, docile animal. Check out her pictures. In the sunlight, she is truly amazing.
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0023.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0022-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0021-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0020-2.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0019-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0018.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0017-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0016-1.jpg

[BarelyBreathing]

Okay, so I may have gone a bit overboard on pictures.
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0015.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0014.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0013-2.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0012.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0011-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0010-1.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0009-3.jpg

[Kaetlinv]

Makes her look like a beautiful coil of living oil.....that sounds odd but it makes sense to me. >xD

[Hurrok]

Wow, I saw one at a Reptile Expo but it was in shed and didn't know anything about them. I searched it up later and realized that they had iridescence, and a lot of it.

Beautiful snake, truly a gem!

[StudentoReptile]

They're hard to keep, too. I got a pair on an impulse purchase once (mistake). One lasted a month, and the other lasted 3.

[shaunyboy]

the irridescence on those guys are second to none imo

i really like sunbeams,but wouldn't keep them,they're too shy for my liking:)

cheers shaun

[Charis]

Beautiful snake! Too bad they are so delicate.

[BarelyBreathing]

They are VERY difficult to keep. They also only eat amphibians.

[Wildside]

They are VERY difficult to keep. They also only eat amphibians.

Not true. I sold one in my shop once. It sold very fast so I can't say much about the care but it did eat a mouse for me before I put it up for sale.

[Jlassiter]

Loxocemus bicolor make better captives.
I have 1.2 subadults that I will be trying to breed next year.
Sunbeams are gorgeous but I've heard many things about them that would deter me from keeping them.

[StudentoReptile]

I think she was just impiying that as almost exclusive amphibian eaters in the wild, they are difficult to acclimate to a rodent diet in captivity. Very similar to eastern hognose snakes.

If you can get one to eat mice, that is most of the battle. The other aspect is habitat: they like it HUMID and swampy. Someone who successfully keeps a pair told me: hot, humid, and hidden. He gives his about 6" of eco-earth bedding, probably 90%+ humidity in a dark, enclosed habitat with little interaction.

Shame for such beautiful snakes, they are so secretive.

[snake man12]

That iridescence rival brb's.

[BarelyBreathing]

I think she was just impiying that as almost exclusive amphibian eaters in the wild, they are difficult to acclimate to a rodent diet in captivity. Very similar to eastern hognose snakes.

If you can get one to eat mice, that is most of the battle. The other aspect is habitat: they like it HUMID and swampy. Someone who successfully keeps a pair told me: hot, humid, and hidden. He gives his about 6" of eco-earth bedding, probably 90%+ humidity in a dark, enclosed habitat with little interaction.

Shame for such beautiful snakes, they are so secretive.

Yep, that's pretty much how they have them set up.

[StudentoReptile]

Its like having an eastern hognose snake, a miniature blood python and a sand boa: a humidity-loving, frog-eater that stays buried 99% of the time.

[millertime89]

very cool, I would love to see them in person sometime. Anyone I met?

[Jlassiter]

Here's the Alternative...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/jlassiter/IMG_6967.jpg

[Wildside]

Here's the Alternative...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/jlassiter/IMG_6967.jpg

What is the husbandry on those like? Maybe that's what I got. They almost look like the exact same snake

[Jlassiter]

They eat readily on mice.
They do well in a few inches of Soil / Cocohusk mixture.....
I use a temperature and humidity gradient but they like it humid so I mist the cage frequently....
They get rather big......almost 6 feet and are python like but not pythons.

I've had these for 3 years now and have had no problems except getting them to breed.
I just think they have been too young/small in the past to breed successfully.....

[Hurrok]

Here's the Alternative...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/jlassiter/IMG_6967.jpg

I may have missed it but what are these if they are not a Sunbeam snake?

[Jlassiter]

Loxocemus bicolor
Mexican Burrowing Pythons (but they aren't pythons)

[shaunyboy]

They are VERY difficult to keep. They also only eat amphibians.

theres a guy called Edd who lives 45 minutes drive from me,that successfuly bred his sunbeams last year

quite a feat apparently

Edd does know his snakey stuff though

loxocemus is his user name on UK forums

cheers shaun

[BarelyBreathing]

very cool, I would love to see them in person sometime. Anyone I met?

Yep. :)

Here's the Alternative...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/jlassiter/IMG_6967.jpg

Also beautiful. Are these the same as mud snakes?


theres a guy called Edd who lives 45 minutes drive from me,that successfuly bred his sunbeams last year

quite a feat apparently

Edd does know his snakey stuff though

loxocemus is his user name on UK forums

cheers shaun


It's possible. People have successfully kept them. It's just very, very rare.

[StudentoReptile]

Yep. :)

Also beautiful. Are these the same as mud snakes?


If you're thinking Farancia sp, then no.

I would think that they are more closely related to rosy and rubber boas. Obviously, not in the same genus or anything (not to mention that they're oviparous), but something about their appearance hints (to me anyway) that there may be a common ancestor there...

[BarelyBreathing]

If you're thinking Farancia sp, then no.

I would think that they are more closely related to rosy and rubber boas. Obviously, not in the same genus or anything (not to mention that they're oviparous), but something about their appearance hints (to me anyway) that there may be a common ancestor there...

Thanks. I don't know what genus mud snakes are in.

[BarelyBreathing]

Sorry, double post

[StudentoReptile]

Thanks. I don't know what genus mud snakes are in.

Google images for "Farancia" and find out if that's what you were thinking. ;)

There's the eastern & western mudsnake, Farancia abacura sp. and then there's the rainbow mudsnake, Farancia erytrogramma.

[BarelyBreathing]

Google images for "Farancia" and find out if that's what you were thinking. ;)

There's the eastern & western mudsnake, Farancia abacura sp. and then there's the rainbow mudsnake, Farancia erytrogramma.

No, that's not what I was thinking. Perhaps I'm just confused.

[Pareeeee]

I. Want. Both. Snakes! Too bad that's not going to happen.

[StudentoReptile]

No, that's not what I was thinking. Perhaps I'm just confused.

Yeah, I can't think of what you may be thinking of. :O_o:

That's the curse of common names!

[alessia55]

Amazing. Love that iridescence... so awesome :yes:

[Jlassiter]

Common names: Mexican python, Mexican burrowing python, Mexican burrowing snake.

The Loxocemidae are a monotypic family of snakes created for the monotypic genus Loxocemus that contains the species L. bicolor found in Mexico and Central America. Loxocemidae is the smallest snake family, having just one species and one genera. No subspecies are currently recognized.

They are python like but there are no pythons on the North American or South American continents.

[Snakeman8]

i ran into one of these at my local pet store, i wanted it but couldnt get it, i love sunbeam snakes.
these snakes are proven colubrids.

[KORBIN5895]

They're hard to keep, too. I got a pair on an impulse purchase once (mistake). One lasted a month, and the other lasted 3.

They are VERY difficult to keep. They also only eat amphibians.

My local pet store has one that they have had for five or six months. It is eating rat pups.

theres a guy called Edd who lives 45 minutes drive from me,that successfuly bred his sunbeams last year

quite a feat apparently

Edd does know his snakey stuff though

loxocemus is his user name on UK forums

cheers shaun

The one at our local pet store is supposed to be cbb. I doubt it as they had four come in and all of them were the same size and marked as adults.

I think that maybe the next species I get.

[StudentoReptile]

CBB may be the contributing factor there, and/or your petstore may just be lucky. Some specimens just seem to acclimate a little better than others.

[KORBIN5895]

I doubt its cbb. The manger claims they are all cbb. He gave me his price list and several things he has brought in were "farmed" which is a term he didn't understand when I mentioned it. Three died in the first two months, supposedly from nix treatments.

[BarelyBreathing]

i ran into one of these at my local pet store, i wanted it but couldnt get it, i love sunbeam snakes.
these snakes are proven colubrids.

There are two species called "sunbeam" snakes. The ones I posted here are not colubrids.