More Spilotes Pics...

[Simon R. Sansom]

Just messing around on feeding day.

Here's the male. He knows that there are mice in the room... These guys are aware of EVERYTHING!


The strange "mid-body" constriction method.


Re-aligning the old jaw-bones...


Thanks for looking!

Simon

[LdyDrgn]

WOW, he is beautiful! 3 more weeks and we get ours.. Yaaaaaay!

[Katt]

Wow Simon. The jealousy is seething. GREAT colour on those tigers. How are they temperament wise?

[Matt]

very very noce simon, plan on breeding any this year?

[Simon R. Sansom]

Thanks folks!

Katt; Well, they're no Corn Snake, I'll put it that way, LOL! Like most snakes though, I don't consider them "aggressive" so much as "defensive". They don't really like to be bothered, but they CAN be handled quite easily (I have yet to be bitten by either of mine). I sometimes use a stick to pick up the female when she's especially nervous, but once she's "in hand" she's fine as long you don't make any sudden moves. They have only puffed up their throats at me a couple of times each, but it's a very effective display especially when coupled with the slow tongue flicks where the tips of the tongue are extended horizontally, like the handlebars of a bicycle! They also perform a very slight up-and-down nod of the head... WARNING! WARNING! ATTACK IMMINENT if you don't back off!...Very impressive (but they still have refrained from biting me). Actually for a fairly high-strung animal, they are surprisingly tolerant of a big, clumsy mammal's attempts to handle them.
Another thing that I should mention is the speed with which these animals can swallow their prey. It's absolutely incredible to watch.
I find that they are really not as crazy as people tend to think they are. On the other hand, I tend to like aggressive snakes anyway.

Matt: No breeding likely for a couple of years. My female is a very sporadic and moody feeder. She's quite a bit smaller than the male and I want to really get some size on her before I try. She's about three and a half feet, the male's over four and a half. I'd actually like to pick up another female as a back-up, just in case.

Cheers!

Simon

[Solid Snake]

cool, i never seen a yellow/black corn snake before!!! what phase is that?

[LdyDrgn]

That is NOT a corn snake. They are spilotes pulatus pulatus, aka, the Tiger rat, Mexican rat, Thunder and Lightning snake, Chicken snake..... they have all sorts of names, but NOT corn.

[Tim and Julie B]

Torture!! Absolute Torture!! But I still can't help looking though. I will get some one day! - Tim

[Gillards]

WOW Simon he rocks!!!!!! Really nice colours.
Paul