Introduction

Bullsnakes come from the praire region of the Great Plains of North America, from as far north as South Dakota to southern Mexico.

It is debatable as to whether the Bull snake makes a very good pet for beginners. The reason for this is that Bull snakes can be a bit ‘on edge’ as babies and juveniles. This can be unnerving to a first-time snake keeper. With that being said, the care requirements for a bull snake are very simple and easily managed by the inexperienced.

One of the great things about the Bull snake is that it doesn’t require very specialized conditions, with regard to temperature and humidity. In fact, a bull snake will do well in a cage that ranges from room temperature (low to mid 70s Fahrenheit) to about 10° above room temperature.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Description 3 Choosing a Bull Snake 4 Temperament 5 Preparing a home for a Bull Snake 5.1 Housing size 5.2 Substrates 5.3 Hiding places 5.4 Drinking 5.5 Decor 5.6 Lighting 5.7 Temperature 6 Humidity 7 Feeding 8 Health 9 Breeding 10 Snake Bites

Description

Bull snakes usually have a yellow or cream-coloured base with brown or reddish-brown blotches down their backs. These snakes can also be quite large and impressive when they reach adult size. Don’t be surprised if your bull snake grows to a length of six and half feet or more.

People often mistake Bull snakes for rattlesnakes in the wild, because they exist in the same range and bear similar colours. On top of that, a Bull snake in the wild will often rattle its tail when it feels threatened. Obviously, a Bull snake does not have a rattle at the end of its tail, but many snakes use the tale-rattling technique to warn off predators. When they do this over dry leaves or a similar ground covering, it produces a sound similar to a rattlesnake. This only adds to the confusion between Bull snakes and rattlesnakes.

Choosing a Bull Snake

To check out a Bull snake’s health, look to see if it appears alert. Does it flick its tongue out often? This is a good sign. It is how the snake develops an understanding of its environment. It should not be too skinny with its ribs visible under it’s skin. It also should not appear kinked. The vent should be dry and closed. It should not have mucus around its mouth or have any problems breathing. Sometimes pet store snakes have mites or ticks. Ticks are easy to see but mites are quite small. Look for them when choosing a Bull snake because you will have to get rid of them if they are present.

Temperament

Bull snakes and their related species can have a moody temperament, which, when combined with their size makes them a snake for an experienced snake owner. They have a habit of hissing loudly and vibrating their tails while opening their mouths. They vary, however, with some being more docile than others. A few never become tame.

Preparing a home for a Bull Snake

Housing size

As previously mentioned, the Bull snake can be quite large when it reaches adult size. Specimens reaching 7′ are not uncommon. So you need an appropriate-sized cage to house your snake. A baby or juvenile can be kept in a smaller terrarium. And adult Bull snake should be kept in a cage that is 4′ x 2′ in size, or larger. Clean the cage thoroughly at least once a month, and daily maintenance is needed to remove feces, shed skin and uneaten food items.

Substrates

A popular choice amongst experienced keepers is to have the main platform for your snakes enclosure comprised of decking material and slightly raised a few inches above the true floor that would be covered in a durable and waterproof material such as linoleum. The reason for this is that any urine can run through the gaps in the decking and onto the waterproof linoleum beneath. This makes for an easier maintenance routine as the linoleum can be removed and cleaned relatively easily, and your beautiful snake is kept as far away as possible from its own excretions for obvious health reasons.

A layer of substrate should be added on top of the decking to provide a comfortable home for your Bull snake. Firstly, Cedar is not an option. Cedar is toxic to these animals and should be avoided at all costs. Similarily, wood chips although safe enough, if used then the animal should be fed on a different surface to prevent them from swallowing shavings which can lead to dangerous intestinal blockages. Further to this, wood chips can hold mites, which can be potentialy fatal for any snake.

Newspaper cuttings are an option, however, the ink will quickly transfer on to your pet. Leaving a less than desired affect. Astroturf is an excellent option that can be cleaned and disinfected easily enough and also proves to be amongst the most attractive options. Rubber mats are by far the most practical solution, being durable, relatively cheap and waterproof, and they can be used year after year with no degradation in quality.

It is recommended that until you realise the health condition of your new snake, you begin with simple paper towels. This will enable you to easily monitor the condition of the snakes faeces and detect any mites or other intruders. After a few months you can then start to evolve your snakes enclosure with more interesting and attractive substrates, although these do require more maintenance so be sure to find a happy balance between the complexity of your snakes environment and how much time you can devote to regular cleaning.

Hiding places

In the wild, snakes spend most of their time hiding (except for when they are hunting or basking in the sun). They hide under rocks, logs, junk piles — anything that protects them from predators. Your Bull snake will feel more secure if you give it a couple of places to hide. I recommend placing a hide on both ends of the cage. You can buy commercial-grade snake ‘houses,’ or you can make your own.

As long as the hiding place is large enough for the snake to curl up inside, it is large enough. In fact, they like hides that are small and secure. Claustrophobia is never a problem for snakes. If you place a hide on each end of the enclosure the snake will be able to choose the temperature that feels better to it while it is hiding. Choosing the spot with the right temperature is an important part of how cold blooded animals regulate the heat in their bodies.

Drinking

Your Bull snake should have clean drinking water available at all times. I recommend cleaning the water bowl a couple of times a week. Scrub the bowl well with antibacterial soap. If you clean it often, you won’t need to use bleach. If the snake defecates in the bowl, remove and clean the bowl immediately.

Decor

A branch or two for climbing is another welcome addition to the Bull snake’s enclosure. But above all, make sure it is escape-proof. Snakes are all escape artists so they must have very secure doors and lids on their cages.

Lighting

I recommend using a fluorescent light on a timer to provide a natural cycle of daylight. Bull snakes have a natural light cycle in the wild, so they should have the same in captivity. They do not need the level of UV exposure that lizards do, but they do need a regular cycle of light and darkness. Make it easy for yourself — put it on a timer for eight hours of light each day, and then forget about it.

Temperature

Like all reptiles, bull snakes are ectothermic. They rely on their environment to regulate their body temperature. Provide a temperature range so that your snake can regulate its temperature more precisely to meet its requirements by moving around its environment. Bull snakes require a range of about 24-30°C (75-87°F). You can let the temperature drop a few degrees at night, as it would in their natural habitat.

You can heat your Bull snake’s enclosure in a couple of ways. You can use heating pads or tape beneath the cage, which is known as ‘belly heat’. Or you can use heating bulbs to project the heat down from above, like the sun.

Humidity

The humidity of your Bull Snake enclosure should be kept at 50% to 60%. Unless you live in an especially humid or dry area this level of humidity is easily achieved. To successfully maintain the desired humidity conditions for your Bull snake you are going to need a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a device used to measure relative humidity within the enclosure.

Feeding

Bull snakes are carnivores feeding on mice and rats. The size of the mouse or rat should not exceed one and one-half times the girth of the snake. Any larger than this and the snake is likely to regurgitate it. It is advised that the rodent be pre-killed so it won’t fight back when being eaten. Many snakes resist eating pre-killed food at first, but it is much safer for the snake. The best answer is to choose a snake that is already eating pre-killed food. Mice and rats can be purchased frozen. They should be thawed before feeding.

Here’s a good rule of thumb for feeding Bull snakes of any size. If you offer one appropriate-sized rodent every week to 10 days, your snake will do just fine. You can feed babies a little more often than that, about once every five days.

Leave a Bull snake alone for a couple of days after feeding so it can digest its food. Young Bull snakes can have a meal once or even twice a week, but an older snake only needs it once every week or two. If it seems like that is not very often to eat, remember that cold blooded animals expend no energy maintaining their body heat. Warm blooded animals must eat much more frequently because the food goes mostly to maintaining that 98.6 degree (or more) temperature.

Health

Snakes, like all other animals, do get sick. Listlessness, failure to eat over several weeks or regurgitating meals can be signs of bacterial or endoparasite infection. Take these animals to a reptile vet, with a fecal or vomitus sample enclosed in a ziplock bag. Ectoparasites, such as ticks and mites, must also be dealt with. With proper instruction, this is something you can do yourself if the infestation is mild. Allowed to escalate, ectoparasites can kill their host. If the snake does not shed in one or two large pieces, the snake is dehydrated. Soak in a warm bathtub or sink; they do not care for baths, so you will have to stay and hold them in. If the skin around the neck forms wrinkles and puckers, the snake is severely dehydrated and you must see a vet. The vet will either administer subcutaneous fluids or show you how to force fluids. Animals cannot digest food when dehydrated, so emaciation may set in if the condition is allowed to continue untreated. Then, respiratory, parasites and other problems will occur. Observe your snake every day to be sure to catch any problems early. Treat the problem as soon as it is noticed to prevent other health problems and vet bills.

Breeding

Your Bullsnakes should be healthy and at least 2 years of age to breed.

• Pre-breeding conditioning – At the start of December cease feeding your Bull Snakes for two weeks so that their guts are completely empty.

• Reduce the overall temperature slowly over two weeks until it is down to 13-14 degrees centigrade and reduce daylight hours to 8hrs a day.

• Keep at this temperature for two months without feeding or handling your snakes. Change the water and check on your Bull Snakes health once a week but otherwise don’t disturb. This type of winter cooling is known as brumation and should only be implemented with healthy snakes.

• After 8-10 weeks you can slowly raise the temperature and increase lighting over two weeks until back to normal at which point you can start feeding your Bull Snakes again.

• After your female has shed her first skin of the year you can place the two Bull Snakes together for a few hours every few days and if you are lucky they will mate. If the male is interested in the female snake he will slide over her back and flick his tongue rapidly. He may also grab hold of her neck and this is nothing to be concerned about.

• After succesful copulation is achieved the two snakes can be placed back in their own enclosures.

• 5-20 eggs about the size of a small hens egg will be laid 1 to 2 months after mating. An extra hide box filled with damp sphagnum moss or vermiculite should be readied as a place for the female Bull snake to lay her eggs.

• The eggs can be incubated half buried in damp vermiculite (1 part water/2 parts vermiculite, in weight) in a plastic container with only a few tiny air holes at a temperature of 26-28 degrees centigrade and 90 to 100% humidity until hatched. The eggs must stay the same way up as they were laid. Eggs should hatch within 2-3 months of laying. Once the juvenile Bull Snake has broken its shell it may decide to stay inside for several hours; sometimes more than a day.

• Once your baby Bull Snakes are out of their shells they should be moved in to their own separate enclosures lined with paper towels and a small water bowl and hide. They should start accepting pinkie mice after their first shed.

This is not a guaranteed method of breeding your snakes (nor is any other) and success has been achieved using a variation of methods but all are basically similar to this.

Snake Bites

There are generally two types of bites: a strike, and a feeding bite. A strike is a warning that you have exceeded the bounds of what the snake will tolerate. It will shoot out, mouth open, then retract just as quickly, leaving you with a series of teeth marks. A feeding bite is just that: they think they have prey, and are not going to let go; the more you move around, the more they try to ‘kill’ your hand. The easiest and fastest way to disengage a snake’s mouth from your body with grain (not rubbing) alcohol; in a school setting, you can use Listerine or, if none is available, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The latter can be toxic, so you must make sure that the snake’s mouth is not flooded with it. Always tilt the snake’s head downwards so that the fluid does not run up into its nose; from there it can get into its respiratory tract, causing infections. Wash bites thoroughly with soap and water. Apply povidone-iodine (Betadine) or hydrogen peroxide, and let dry. Then apply a topical broad spectrum antibiotic ointment. Do not bandage. It should be noted that a snake will always signal when it is going to strike or bite; you just need to learn new body language. Once you see the snake stiffen and slowly retract, head held slightly above the ground or body, be alert and ready to move.