Bull snake care info needed.

None505 · 06-18-14, 04:46 PM

My mom just called me and asked if I wanted a Bullsnake that someone was selling at the gas station for $25 so I said yes and I hope I am doing the right thing. From what I understand a Bullsnake is pretty much the same thing as a Gophersnake but with a different pattern or am I wrong? Can anyone link me to a good care sheet or tell me about their care?

FWK · 06-18-14, 06:23 PM

Bull Snakes are a subspecies of Gopher Snakes and care is basically the same. They are a lot more active than your typical Boa or Python and need some space to roam a bit. I keep mine around 75 on the cool end and 86 on the warm side. Some suggest a night drop but I keep it stable. Humidity should be low, around 35% and up to 50% when in shed. I've heard that they can get stuck on mice and be very difficult to switch to rats but mine will take anything anytime. He's a total pig. Some say they are very easy to overfeed and I can see why. I offer a rodent about as thick as he is at his midsection once a week. He's juvie still, I'll slow him down a bit as he reaches maturity. If you've never handled a Bull before they can put on a great defensive show, hissing very loud while raising their head off the ground and curving their neck in an "S" shape. They will rattle their tail and strike repeatedly. The strike is usually a bluff, they will just headbutt you most of the time. I have had wild Bulls tag me pretty good though. Down let this put you off, just reach in and pick it up. Hesitating will encourage the behavior and the snake will get more and more worked up. Although just watching the show can be very entertaining lol. I've seen them get so into their little display they fall over or off of obstacles. I've even seen them writhe around until their vibrating tail touches their side and the snake then whips around and attacks it's own tail. They are total dorks. And they are awesome.

**EL Ziggy** · 06-18-14, 08:40 PM

I have to concur with FWK. Bulls are awesome snakes to keep. I would highly recommend them. I have a 9 month old female and I'm working on getting a male hatchling in a month or two. My albino female is active, easy to handle and eats like a monster. She's only hissed at me once or thrice and will occasionally rattle her tail if I disturb her but once she's out of her tank, she's a total sweetheart. The husbandry is a breeze too. I also keep my temps at 75ish on the cool side and 86ish on the warm side. Ambient humidity is fine but I do offer a moist hide during shed. I feed her 10-15% of her body weight every 6-7 days on average. I'm sure she'd like to be fed every 3-4 days

. I was offering mice and rats in the beginning but I've recently transitioned to rats only. This allows me to feed 1-2 rats as opposed to quite a few more mice. Post pics of your new addition when you can.

retic1987 · 06-18-14, 09:07 PM

Yep that about covers it.I really like bull snakes very cool snakes

None505 · 06-19-14, 12:50 AM

Thank you so much. They sound like really fun snakes. I have it in a 10g for now but I am hoping to pick up a tub on Saturday. Here are the pictures of it. Sorry they are not that good but I was attempting to get them fast before I put it into it's new home. I will get some better ones after it settles in some. Can anyone tell if it is really a Bull snake from these pictures?

FWK · 06-19-14, 07:16 AM

Yeah it's a Pituophis, looks like either a Pacific Gopher or a Great Basin Gopher. I don't know the locality morphs well enough to tell you exactly what subspecies it is. And it may well be a mix if it's a captive bred animal. You can call it a Bull Snake

sharthun · 06-19-14, 08:25 AM

Awesome looking Pit! Congrats! Keep us posted!

**EL Ziggy** · 06-19-14, 09:37 AM

Nice looking pit. Keep us posted.

None505 · 06-19-14, 03:34 PM

Thanks everyone, I wounder if it is a wild caught snake since the Great Basin Gopher is found around here.

None505 · 06-19-14, 11:46 PM

I asked on a local reptile group on facebook and someone said that it is a pure great basin gopher snake and most likely caught around here somewhere in the high desert. Does anyone have a natural looking set-up for their gopher snake or other desert snakes? I want to set it's cage up to look natural and would love to see how other people have theirs set-up. Would it be ok to take dirt/sand from near my yard for it's substrate? Would I have to cook it or anything to kill the bugs?

Vysathi · 06-20-14, 09:46 AM

I would do something to sanitize it (baking it at a high temp would probably be the best way- no harm to the snake. I once heard someone talking about doing a bleach bath, straining, and placing dirt in their viv.... don't do that.) somehow if you are going to use local dirt/sand/detritus for substrate.

None505 · 06-20-14, 03:46 PM

Thanks, I guess I will bake it. Would using sand make it hard to keep the humidity right (30-50%)? Also how do I go about keeping the humidity right? I have never had a animal that required me to mess with the humidity.

Cmwells90 · 06-20-14, 03:59 PM

I don't think it's hold humidity very well, but if you have good ventalation and it's not too open a water dish should be find, if not I would say to use a mix of sand and another substrate like coco husk, which is very good at holding humidity. Not speaking from expirence because I had no sand using snakes. But I know that sand isn't good at holding water, unless it becomes muddy, which could also be bad.

None505 · 06-20-14, 06:11 PM

Thanks, the sand/dirt from my yard holds water some what ok. I will have to play around with it in a spare cage to see how it does.

None505 · 06-20-14, 08:46 PM

The snake has been coming out in the afternoons and acting hungry so I took it out today and it is 324g and 3'6". What size pray idem will I need? It looks like a large adult mouse would be about the same size around as this snake so should it be on weaned rats?