Post by Agiob on Apr 13, 2004 18:25:26 GMT -5
Bullsnake (Pituophus melanoleucus sayi)
Bullsnakes have a very large range from Western Indiana and Wisconsin to southern Alberta, and south to Texas and Northeast Mexico. The prairie and grasslands from Chicago, Illinois, Northwest to western Montana, Southwest Saskatchewan and south-eastern Alberta; Southeast across Wyoming, eastern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico.
They grow from 37 to 72 inches though some have been recorded close up to 10 foot. The norm is arround 6 ½ feet.
Bullsnakes favour plains and prairies, open grasslands, sand prairies. They often live in Clumps of vegetation or in mammal burrows.
Housing: These are very active snakes so require a suitable vivarium. I would not keep an adult in anything smaller than a 36" x 24" x 24" the extra height for a few stout branches. These are highly inquisitive snakes and enjoy exploring their vivarium. When I clean the vivariums out I regularly change things round and put new items in; they really seem to enjoy this. A large water bowl big enough for them to get into is advisable, especially in summer so they can cool down if they need to.
Lighting : Lighting is not generally needed as long as they are not kept in the dark. All my snakes are kept in a room with a large window so the room is bright. My Bullsnakes generally keep to the opposite side of the vivarium when the vivarium light is on so I usually leave it switched off and they now use the whole vivarium.
Heating: Mine seem to like mid 70’s F and anything above 78 F and they hide or go into their Water bowls to cool off.
Breeding is not difficult as long as individuals of not less than three years old are used. They do better for me if they are cooled or Brumated throughout the winter months. I cool mine down from early November through to late March at a temperature of 50-60°F, when they are slowly warmed back up and fed for three weeks or so. As soon as the females have had their first shed of the year they are put in with the males. Copulation often takes place within ten to twenty minutes of putting them together. They are left together for two weeks then they are separated. After 48 days from the first copulation a laying box is placed in with the female. This is a plastic box large enough to take the female. It is half filled with damp peat or vermiculite. The female will use this to lay her eggs, from 5 to 24 eggs. The eggs are taken out of the laying box and carefully placed into cleaned ice cream or margarine boxes half filled with damp vermiculite. It is important to keep the eggs the same way up as they are laid. If they are laid in a mass or clump and they cannot be separated easily I just place the whole mass into a box of damp vermiculite and half bury them. The boxes have small holes arround the ends for air transference.
The eggs are incubated at 80°F., and kept moist.
The young are large 12 – 17 inches when hatched so easily take pinkies or fuzzies after their first shed.
Feeding: Feeding is not difficult as they eagerly eat Rodents, Rabbits (of appropriate size), birds and also bird’s eggs. The young are large and so readily take pinkies or fuzzies.
General information: Bullsnakes can live for up to 20 years and generally 12 to 20 years.
They are well known for their vocals hence their name, which comes from the bull like noise that they can make. Bullsnakes also have a bad press for being aggressive. I have found three reasons for this. (1) The snake is a wild caught specimen so will be naturally defensive. With patience they can be calmed down with a lot of handling.
(2) Being kept in too small a vivarium so they cannot get proper exercise and get bored.
(3) I have found that juveniles 3-4 year olds CAN go through a phase, where they become vocal and often S up as if to attack. Generally this is 98% bluff but highly effective, they may strike though I have found that they rarely bite. Once out of their vivariums hey calm down very fast, so I think this is a territory thing.
Another thing is do not feed them in their vivariums or they soon learn that when the door is opened food enters, so they strike and grab the first thing that goes in. This is also true for other snakes.
