Spilotes pullatus – The Tiger Rat Snake in Captivity

Adult Spilotes pullatus are impressive snakes often with striking light and dark “tiger stripes” on the face, and in some individuals, down the length of their bodies. They can get big – most sources give their adult size at around 10 feet (3 meters). 

Their demeanor too is impressive. Though not normally aggresive, they will inflate their throat and stand their ground when threatened. Given a chance, they will flee, moving through the brush and into the trees with amazing speed. In parts of Mexico they are called “Volador”, “The flyer” reflecting the grace with which ithey glide through the trees.

The tiger rat snake was until recently the only species within the genus Spilotes. It is no longer monotypic since the Amazon puffing snake (Spilotes sulphureus ) was moved into the genus Spilotes. Attempts have been made to divide the species Spilotes pulatus into subspecies based on color and/or pattern. However, the closer these phenotypic variations were investigated the less consistancy was found. Spilotes come in an array of black, orange, yellow and white patterns some of which seem more or less geographically distinct, many of which do not. 

Spilotes pullatus range over a large geographic area from the East coast of central Mexico through Central America and down both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of South America. Although they are generally found near water, they are widely adapted species that inhabit a range of habitats from wet lowland forests to semi-arid areas and even cool, higher elevations. They are an adaptable species that frequent the vicinity of farms at least in parts of their range. As captives then we can cautiously assume they are also adaptable and a relatively hardy species.

They seem to be opportunistic feeders, taking a wide variety of prey items. But there is little doubt that the preferred prey of S. pullatus is rodents. Other keepers regularly offer quail or chicks. I have 2 adults that will take live chicks, but do so reluctantly and only if they are very hungry. Fresh chicken eggs offered within a couple hours of laying, complete with bits of nesting material taken from under the hen, were ignored.  Analysis of stomach contents of wild snakes confirms their proclivity for rodents as well. In fact, in my experience they are something of rodent specialists and go after live mice with a great deal of enthusiasm. The young snakes will quickly grab fuzzy mice by the nose and literally suffocate them with their mouths. They typically wait till the mouse has nearly stopped moving before commencing swallowing. 

They will also constrict, occasionally very efficiently and vigorously. However, at least in captivity, they dont often constrict, but simply control their prey with their coils, occasionally killing it by pressing it up against some solid object.

But feeding Spilotes has to come with a few words of warning! Spilotes are easy to over feed, and this overfeeding will kill them. Overfeeding can mean feeding them too large of prey items, or too many prey items. I recently heard from a keeper who fed his group of four adult tiger rats being kept communally 16 adult mice. One of the snakes ate the majority of the mice – he estimated 6 or 7. The snake was found dead shortly afterwards, presumably from having ate too much. Now for most snakes the size of adult Spilotes 6 or 7 adult mice would be the stuff appetizers are made of.

While I haven’t had snakes die from over eating, but I have had young captive born eat too much and regurgitate the entire meal an hour to a day afterwards. Brazilian researchers have shown that feeding Spilotes pullatus too large of prey items, or too much food at one time will kill Spilotes. From what I can tell, this is a species that hunts for small prey, consumes it, then continues to hunt rather than curl up and sleep as many snakes do. When offered 3 or 4 rat pups, for example, an adult snake may eat only 1 or 2 and ignore the rest. There are exceptions however. I have an adult male that has to have his intake controlled as he’ll eat both his and his mates food before she gets a chance at it. 

Historical Records for Longevity and Reproduction

Years ago Frank & Kate Slavens published an annual breeding and longevity list for herps. That was way back when such an undertaking would even be conceivable! Here are the records they have for Spilotes pullatus.

Note the considerable longevity of this species – over 17 years in one case! and also the rather early captive reproduction. Herpetoculture in 1980 was in it’s infancy. Many species were still considered nearly impossible to breed in captivity, and every success was a newsworthy event.

Copyright: Frank & Kate Slavens  http://www.pondturtle.com

Longevity:

Tiger Ratsnake
LIT.a 13 Years, 7 Months. Female, acquired date unknown as an adult. Wild bred. Deceased. At SADC, in Bowler 1977.
CHII 6 Years, 7 Months. Gender unknown, acquired 06/04/75 as an adult. Wild bred. Died 02/01/82.
GLAT ID # S00578 17 Years, 5 Months. Male, acquired 07/16/80 as a juvenile. Captive bred. Still living.

Breeding

Tiger Ratsnake
1987 CHII 0.0.4 hatched during 1987.
1990 GLAT bred during 1990.

Mexican Tiger Snake
1980 GLAT bred during 1980.
1980 METF 0.0.11 hatched during 1980.

Key to above abbreviations

LIT.a
Kevin Bowler,
Longevity of Reptiles & Amphibians.
1977 SSAR.

CHII
Chicago Zoological Park
300 Golf Road
Brookfield, IL 60513

GLAT
Gladys Porter Zoo
500 Ringgold Street
Brownsville, TX 78520

METF
Metro Zoo
12400 S.W. 152nd St.
Miami, FL 3317

 

Reproduction

Brazilian researchers found that female Spilotes studied from the Atlantic forests of south east Brazil typically mate at the end of the dry season. This ensures the eggs will incubate in the humidity of the rainy season and the young will hatch when small prey items are relatively abundant. However, because of all the varied climates found over the huge geopgraphic range they occupy, one has to assume a variety of reproductive stragetgies will be found. (1)

In fact, a number of species of tropical snakes seem to have little seasonality to their reproductive cycles. Chrionius and Homalopsis, for example, apparently exhibit no seasonality. (2) (3) I have had my Guyana Shield Spilotes pullatus eggs laid in September, November, March, April and May. A survey of Spilotes keepers showed eggs laid in:

January (2), Feb (2), March (3), April (2), May (1), June (2), July (1),  Aug (1), Sept (1)

Not a lot of data but an indication egg laying is often clustered around the first half of the year. So maybe we could expect most breeding to occur in the 2nd half of the year.

I havent done much to try to manipulate their environment to encourage breeding, yet courtship and mating has occurred pretty regularly. I had one dominiant male immediately pursue and mate with a female introduced into his enclosure in February of this year. However the female did not become gravid at the time, possibly because she had no mature ova. She had deposited eggs the previous November. But on April 7 the pair began the rather involved courtship that Spilotes enage in, culminating in what appeared to be a successful copulation.

I house my adult Spilotes in pairs because I believe they have little seasonality to their reproductive cycle, and I dont want to miss an opportunity for a successful mating. But this may not be true for S. pullatus from areas with more pronounced seasons. The imports I keep are from Guyana or nearby areas. This is a region that experiences little seasonal shifts in climate or day lenght. Experiments that seem to indicate successful environmantal manipulation may be coincidence. The truth is, we just dont have the data we need to say for certain.

Housed in an adequate sized enclosure, tiger rat snakes will court in interesting ways. After months of ignoring one another, the male will suddenly take a great deal of interest in the female, following her around and geerally trying to stay close to her. It appears that the female can actively discourage the male from trying to mount her by staring. As he advances she may turn and look directly at him, which will usually stop him from continuing. They will hold that stare down for sometimes many minutes. The female may retreat to a corner where she can protect her backside, so to speak, while the male waits closeby, both staring directly at each other. If she leaves her protective area the male may move in, in which case an impressive chase may ensue, reaching reckless speeds around the enclosure! In fact, the first time I saw this I was simply amazed at how fast they were moving.

But in addition to the “hot pursuit” courting where the male is the aggressor, there is a much more subtle courting that is initiated by the female. I have a hunch that the hot pursuit courting is more of a dominance show by the male, even though it may well result in copulation. In my experience the female may not have developed ova at the time of these pursuits and so eggs wont develop within the couple months afterward. If copulation occurred it can be assumed sperm was stored, awaiting mature ova. But I would guess that the female initiates courtship and copulation when she knows she has maturing ova ready to be fertilized.

The female initiated courtship is only going to be observed by keepers who know their snakes well and only in big enclosures with good climbing opportunities. The female will approach the male and put her chin down on his back. She may climb directly overhead and slowly move away once the male has taken notice. A female I was observing was apparently putting down a pheromone scent which the male would stop at and smell carefully when he reached it. As he moved towards the female she would move away casually, but continue to circle around and over the male. The ensuing copulation lasted a couple hours and the pair remained curled up together on the branches afterwards.

And interestingly, Spilotes can move backwards almost as fast as they can move forwards, a talent I’ve not seen in any other species.

Finally, in my opinion, stress is a much more important factor in reproductive success than environmental cycling. Spilotes are alert and intelligent snakes that can stress if not provided proper enclosures. I’ll talk more about this below.

Eggs and incubation

Spilotes lay an average of 6-10 eggs 2 or more months after copulation. A female I had started mating with her mate April 24 and laid eggs June 22. It appeared the eggs were the result of that breeding, but we can’t be sure. A captive born pair I was raising together bred for the first and last time on March 12, shortly after the female had shed. Her pre-lay shed occurred exactly 2 months after and she laid 4 good eggs 73 days after. Other females have bred and not produced eggs – at least not for 6 or more months later. As I mentioned elsewhere, males seem to engage in the “hot pursuit” courtship to assert dominance. I’ve noticed that when another male was present the dominant male has chased and bit him when spurned by the female.

As eggs develop the skin stretches and skin between the scales becomes visible – assuming she is not obese, this is an indication of developing eggs. I have had females appear to develop eggs then not lay. Where they just maturing ova with no sperm to fertilize? Possibly. But it is around this time that a hide box filled with dampened sphagnum moss should be placed in the cage. Watch for the pre lay shed.

Pre-lay sheds generally occur 12-16 days before laying, but 10 to 21 days have been recorded.

Incubated at 77-82F eggs are reported to hatch from 54 to 93 days after laying. The average seems to be 70-80 days. I had a clutch incubated between 74F and 82F start to hatch 93 days after laying. While most complete their hatching within 48 hours, its not uncommon for the clutch to take longer to completely hatch out. I had a clutch that took 8 days between the first pip and the last emergence. Another clutch started slitting their eggs 81 days after laying, but the first hatchling didn’t emerge until 24 hours later. Variation in the incubator temperatures and within the species can result in a lot of variation in exact incubation times.

My females tend to stop feeding a week or so before their pre-lay shed. This is probably a good thing given their already distended body. I noticed a female I have that is currently very heavy with eggs not only stopped eating, but almost stopped moving. She no longer explores her enclosure but stays quiet on her open elevated hide. (Pic of her in the open box is below)

Raising young and ontogenetic color change

Hatchling Spilotes need climbing opportunities, security, misting and often live pink mice to get started. Minimally, a 20 gallon tank with branches, foliage and a couple elevated hides would do for the first 8-12 months. I would provide enough vegetation (real or plastic) to allow the snake to feel completely hidden. And I would mist them for 3-5 minutes every day. Some people seem to think that “misting” means getting the snake wet. It doesn’t. Since the snake is drinking the droplets of water that run down the side of it’s head, it can take many minutes of misting to get the snakes what it needs. And obviously the snake may not drink at all if it is scared, so you have to be sure it is relaxed enough to even think about drinking. And, although I can’t believe I have to even mention this – misting means misting! Not spraying water at the snake! I’ve actually seen video of keepers just spraying the snake down as if it was the local car wash.

The temperature and humidity in their home territory is a good guide for the conditions you should aim for. In Guyana in summer, for example, high temps are typically 85F and lows 75F. Daily rain means it is humid. Basking lights that warm to 90F and a UV light to ensure the snake’s health are important and shouldn’t be done without.

Because they are very visual hunters, hatchlings often need live pink to fuzzy mice to get started feeding. They are good feeders though and will switch over with little difficulty. In the meantime, watching the young hunt is fascinating. As mentioned elsewhere they often use their mouths to suffocate their prey, holding the rodents head well down into their throuts until it stops moving. They are also accomplished constrictors and can easily dispatch a number of prey items at once! Often, however, they constrict less thoroughly, simply pressing the prey against the ground or other solid object.

As with adults, the young should be fed smaller prey items a couple times per week rather than larger items less frequently. This is important. Doing otherwise can cause needless complications and even kill your snake!

Color change is an interesting and still poorly understood aspect of Spilotes development. It used to be thought that babies simply darken with age. But we know now thats not correct. What we see in a very general way is an increasing contrast – the lighter grays of the hatchlings slowly becoming white (light), while the darker grays eventually turning black. But in some, dark scales change to light as the snake grows and visa-versa!

 

These snakes have come a long way ….

There was a time not too long ago that tiger rat snakes were among the many species of snakes commonly referred to as “junk snakes”, meaning they had no retail value. I bought a number of them for around $12US, for example, in the early 80s. Wholesalers marketed them as “cobra food” and were happy to get $25 for them at the time. By the early 2000s they were bringing $50-$100, the more expensive being unusual variants originating primarily from Honduras. I had perfectly speckled specimens, for example, and one that was orange and black, unlike any I’ve seen since. My first and favorite specimen was a Colombian snake with a totally white (or cream colored) head and neck. The white gradually transitioned to a solid black tail. 

Today the are imports primarily coming from Guyana and maybe Suriname. Although, given the econmic crises of Venezuala and it’s proximity to Guyana, it’s not unlikely there is wildlife being smuggled into Guyana for export. Descendents of individuals from Honduras (now closed to exports) are also available occassionally. A Mexican morph is also being bred and is in high demand. This is a species that has seen very little attention from captive breeders and is just now starting to be bred in captivity. 

Housing

Newly hatched Spilotes are about 20 inches long. A suitable enclosure for the first year or so of their lives are the aquariums sold in the US as “40 gallon breeder” tanks. They are in inches: 36 long x 18 deep x 16 tall. (91cm x 45cm x 40cm). Any similarly sized enclosure will work, although a taller size is actually preferable if it is available. Because Spilotes are highly arboreal, a tall cage is important. Ideally the snake will be able to perch as high or higher than the keepers line of sight. It is less desirable, but helpful to place cages that lack this height on shelves at least 4 feet high. Spilote’s natural refuge is the trees, and so providing them with the option of being elevated off the ground helps them stay much more relaxed. Tall cages tend to have verticle temperature, light, UV and humisity gradients. This is something we can manipulate to the snake’s benefit if we do so varefully.  

An adult Spilotes will reach a length of 7 feet easily and quiet likely 8 or more in time. Because they are active, arboreal, intelligent snakes, they need a large enclosure. A good size for an adult Spilotes would be 7 ft wide, 4 ft tall and 3 ft deep.  I would place the enclosure on a shelf or platform to get the interior perches at eye level or above. Smaller enclosures really arent suited for this species, so better to find a less active specises than cramp these active snakes. My enclosures are considerably bigger than this and I often wish they were larger still. 

Equally important to height is depth. A too shallow enclosure requires that the snake stay pushed up against the front of the space and at risk from any threat happening by. A deeper enclosure with adequate cover will give the snake the confidence it needs to explore the space. This is an important point. I have heard from a number of people that Spilotes puff up and even strike the glass fronts of their enclosures. This is the behaviour of a terrified snake that is simply not being housed properly!  I properly sized cage with adequate cover will calm the snake. The result is more natural behaviors and a more interesting captive. 

An elevated hide appears to be equally important to the well being of this species. Again, we are imitating the species natural refuge in the trees. In the enclosures pictured, both 4 month old Spilotes placed in them retreated to the elevated hides as soon as they spotted them. The hides provide the natural “perch” these snakes utilize readily in captivity. They will sit for hours with just their heads sticking out of the hide opening, cryptically basking under the heat and UV lights while scanning the “forest floor” below for prey. Their eye sight is very acute as they are able to detect even the smallest movements far below – or across the room. Something that can be frustrating if you are trying to observe them unnoticed.

The hide boxes I often use are long and thin. I often use more than one and place them so that they span the breadth of the temperature gradient in the cage. This allows the snake to choose the exact temperature it needs. They are filled with slightly damp long strand shagnum that is re-wet once a week or so when the enclsore is being misted. I also keep the openings to hides big and wide. In part because I want to be able to see in – either by eye or with the camera on my phone. But also because I have seen snakes injured when 2 try to squeeze through the same small opening, or even when one snake doubles back on itself within the opening. I also want to encourage the snakes to stay active and exploring. I’ve found that closed up hides can cause the snake to remain hidden too much of the time and therefore never get used to the activity around it. With a semi-open hide they learn that a little movement in their world is not necessarily a threat to them.

For a substrate I recommend a deep soil mix that will serve multiple purposes. First, it will support the root systems of the live plants I feel are important for Spilotes. Second, it will provide a stable source of humidity, and third it will provide habitat for some species in your clean up crew. Earthworms, for example, will aerate the soil, keep it from packing and help recycle nutrients within your system. I tend to bank the soil layer deeply on one end and along the back of the cage to provide sufficient depth for plant roots.

I use a mixture of potting soil and peat for a base layer substrate. The peat lightens the soil making it less likely to compact. It also acidifies the mix which makes rot less likely. Although adding a “clean up crew” isn’t required, it makes the keepers job much simpler. In fact with an enclosure the size of a 40 gallon aquarium you could easily get by with only occasionally spot cleaning the biggest clumps of feces, leaving the rest of the work to the CUC. 

On top of the soil mix I spread a thin layer of cypress mulch. The mulch helps conserve the soil moisture and makes it less likely to dry out and pack. The cypress also provides a huge amount of surface area for the various recycling organisms to live and work. Finally, it provides for a surface drainage layer that dries quickly after misting, keeping the snake from having to crawl over a wet soil substrate. It also facilitates spot cleaning.

In my opinion, live plants are an important aspect of Silotes care. Plants will provide humidity, provide vital enrichment these intelligent snakes respond well to, and provide a surface from which to drink. Spilotes seem to respond strongly to misting and drinking droplets from the leaves seems to be an activity they undertake with relish! Plants provide important ground cover too, which is something we dont always think of when desgneng an appropriate Spilotes enclosure. But when hungry, the young snakes will tire of waiting patiently in their perch and descend to seek out prey. Plants growing across the ground help conceal them as they search the through the leaf litter. This is another natural behavior that is fascinating to watch and allows the keeper to feel they are doing right by this species in captivity.

When first released into their tall communal enclosure I watched as the majority of the newly hatched young ascend the ficus tree I planted and quickly settle down to rest under the flat leaves of a philodendron growing in a planter installed near the top of the enclosure. They spent a couple days doing nothing but apparently recovering from the hatching process. After that, however, they began a very thorough exploration of every corner of the enclosure. Soon they were settled in to their elevated hides and began their daily routine of basking, drinking and searching for food. Although Spilotes pulllatus looks like a species we would expect to be very active, they are actually rather sedentary in captivity where their needs are usually met.

In some enclosures live plants may be all that is needed to provide the pathway from the elevated perches to the forest floor. In other cases climbing branches will be needed. Horizontal branches will be used as basking platforms and are very important to this species.

Water is crucial to tiger rat snakes. Although their natural habitat ranges from wet tropics to semi-arid uplands, they are never found far from water. I mentioned earlier that Spilotes seem to relish drinking water droplets from the leaves of plants. I would go further and suggest that without these misting it may be difficult for at least some Spilotes – especially young and recently imported adults – to get the water they need. I have used an aquarium aerator to bubble the water in their enclosure’s water bowl. The bubbles bring the snake’s attention to the water and make it more likely they will descend to drink. It also increases the humidity in the cage. Another option would be to place a water filled jar with a tiny drip hole above the water bowl and let the occasional drops plopping into the water serve a similar function.

The temperature gradient I feel is best suited to this species is a broad one. I feel that a basking area in the upper eighties (30C) is important, but I don’t believe you want to keep Spilotes in a “hot” environment. They should always have the option for descending to the cooler regions of the enclosure. I have found that a couple of my cb snakes will seek out the wettest and coolest areas of the cage (under the water bowl in this case) prior to shedding. The temps there are around 68F (20C). 

With a large domed basking light at one end of the enclosures I’ve found that the snakes often locate themselves well away from it while in their hides. Ambient temperatures in the enclsoures stays near 75-78F (24-25C). More often than not the snakes avoid the 88-90F (31-32C) heat near the heat lamps and almost never spend more than a few seconds directly under the lamps in the 95F (35F) temperatures. Gravid females are a different story however. One of mine stays almost continually under a ceramic heat emmitter at about 93F (34C)

Spilotes are completely diurnal creatures. They respond to lots of bright light early in the morning, emerging to bask or just stare down at the forest floor searching for signs of food. They are most active through the morning and early afternoon, retiring for the day surprisingly early – rarely later than 4:00 or so in the afternoon. I set their lights with a timer that turns them on sequentially in the morning and off sequentially at night. The UV light is on for five hours a day, from 10AM to 3PM. On the yearling’s 40 gallon enclosures I use a very bright 4 foot LED shop light, a basking / heat light in a ceramic based reflector dome, and an 18 inch UV light. For the larger (48x48x24 inch) communal enclosure I replaced the 18 inch UV light with a four foot high output t8, added a high output 40W LED plant light and a CHE that remains on day and night. These, in addition to the 4 ft LED shop light produce a big gradient of light from top to the bottom of the enclosure, much as you would find in a sun lit forest.

The rule of thumb when feeding Spilotes is simple: Feed them small prey items, not too often.  By small I suggest a diameter not much larger than the snakes head. Smaller food items seem less intimidating and more readily accepted. For hatchlings that means pink mice. Even adult (6-8 ft) Spilotes are never fed anything larger than rat pups or adult mice. If they can’t wolf it down it 30 seconds or less, it’s too big. Spilotes have been known to die from over feeding as well as feeding too large prey items. More than one person has discovered the hard way that you can’t powerfeed this species. The instinct to feed new babies more often to get their strength up is understandable, but once established, let them get a little hungry between feedings. Let them come out and eplore their world for a couple days before they are offered more food. 

Starting newly hatched Spilotes is not usually difficult. However they are sight hunters that sometimes will hold out for live prey. This is rarely a problem if planned for. Make sure you have a relible source for live pinks and (eventually) live fuzzies before securing the animal. It shouldn’t take more than a few months to convert the young to thawed pinks and fuzzies at most, and some will feed on thawed soon after their first shed. I feed the young in “feeding bowls” – i.e. empty cat food cans lined with paper towels – for a number of reasons. Watching this species over time it has become apparent that their modus operandi is to scan the forest floor from an elevated perch, searching for prey. The bowls, with their white paper towel lining, display the prey clearly, even with just the sligtest movements. And, as I’ve learned, the snakes rather quickly come to associate the bowls with food. Even when no prey is present the hungry young will descend from their perch to sniff around the bowls. I was able to get a number of young to accept thawed pinks by placing them in the bowls, first with live pinks, but eventually alone.

It is common practice to agitate reluctant feeders (usually fresh impots) with a prey items held with tongs. The idea being they will eventually strike in anger than (hopefully) a feeding response will kick in. I’m not convinced this technique is often, if ever, necessary. In fact, I believe it can cause the snake to associate food with getting smacked in the head! And I’m afraid the result would be a snake less likely to adapt and eventually feed on it’s own. 

I have had success by simply wiggling the prey item at the opening of the snake’s hide box for a few seconds, then simply laying it draped over the opening with the rodents head inside. Rather than agitate it, I go out of my way to make sure the snake isn’t  disturbed by my opening the cage and getting the prey to the hide opening. If the prey hasn’t been taken within the hour I’ll try gently wiggling it again. If it’s still there an hour later, I would mist the mouse and make sure the spray was entering the hide. I have found that by laying thawed prey at hide box entrances and then misting I can get a higher feeding response than with no misting.

As mentioned above, Spilotes appear to be heavily dependednt on rodents in the wild. They are certainly opportunistic to an extent, taking birds, bird eggs, lizards and frogs. But rodents make up the bulk of their wild diet as far as we know. I have seen a fairly lackluster response to live chicks in captivity. One of my adult females will take them, while the 3 other adults ignore them. Even my biggest male who never refuses a rat pup will turn his nose up to live chicks. On the other hand, live mice illicite an enthusuiastic feeding response! Watching a big Spilotes purse live mice around a spacious enclosure is a quiet a sight! I should mention I came to the decision to live feed after a lot of years of steering peope away from live food. I have seen first hand the lethal damage a little live mpouse can do to even an adult snake. But with a very reluctant adult Spilotes, I was desperate to get her fed. She responded quickly and has been a good feeder on live mice since. 

Some Spilotes have an interesting technique for feeding on live rodents. Even the young will approach carefully, locate the rodent’s snout, then grab and pull back – often backing up the tree it descended from. But once they have the head secure in their mouths they freeze – apparentlys suffocating the prey. After 30 seconds or so the prey stops, or nearly stops moving, and the swallowing commences.

They will not constrict prey in the usual sense of the word, but if it is a slightly larger prey item they will hold it firmly in their coils. I have seen them consume one fuzzy mouse while simultaneously killing 2 more by pressing them aggainst the walls of the enclosure. 

Generally however the thawed prey can be laid out on a basking branch or at the hide opening and the snake will feed in a much less dramatic fashion. 

Handling

I dont believe any snake enjoys being handled. I think some snakes get used to it or tolerate it. But Spilotes dont seem to easily reach that point. When picked up, they want down. Which is fine by me. I’ve never understood the desire to hold snakes anymore than I would understand the desire to hold a goldfish. It’s too obviously all about the person doing the holding and not about the animal.

As far as temperament goes, Spilotes sometimes get an undeserved reputation as an aggressive or defensive snake. In fact, both captive born babies and wild caught adults will inflate their throat and necks and striking when they feel cornered and threatened. But their strikes are often more of a warning than an attempt to cause damagae. They even “head butt” at times with their mouths remainng closed, or lunge forward in a feigned strike without ever actually coming close to their target. And if they do bite, (which wild caught adults often do initially, and captive born babies are much less likely to), the bite is often just a glancing blow, a quick tag to scare, rather than damage. And often, immediately after the strike they turn and flee if any escape route is available. Their sharp teeth will produce a scratch significantly less severe than the typical kitten.

1. Marques, Otavio A. V., et al. “ECOLOGY OF THE COLUBRID SNAKE SPILOTES PULLATUS FROM THE ATLANTIC FOREST OF SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL.” Herpetologica, vol. 70, no. 4, 2014, pp. 407–416., http://www.jstor.org/stable/24635241.

2. Diet, Reproduction, and Sexual Dimorphism in the Vine Snake, Chironius fuscus (Serpentes: Colubridae), from Brazilian Amazonia
Loana Pastana Nascimento, Débora Mendes Siqueira, Maria Cristina dos Santos-Cost
© 2013 Brazilian Society of Herpetology
Received: June 11, 2013; Accepted: October 02, 2013
3. Ackerman, Lowell. The Biology, Husbandry and Health Care of Reptiles, Volume I p. 72