Care Sheet for Bull, Pine, and Gopher SnakesAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.82 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 06/21/2005 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Bull, Pine, and Gopher Snakes |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Reptilesrock |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Regular Western Gopher Snakes |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Also standard care for cornsnakes and kingsnakes |
Sexing and Characteristics: | The only way to accurately sex them is to have them probed. But only experienced herpers should attempt to probe their snake. Also, babies should not be probed as it can injure them. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Cage carpet, sand, or newspaper work well for this species. Water should be provided in a dish big enough for the snake to curl up in. |
Lighting and UVB: | A normal UVB lamp will help this species thrive. Even better is about 30 minutes a day of pure, unfiltered sunlight providing the snake has a cool, shady spot to retreat to. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | The temp should be kept 80-85 in the warm side of the cage and 70-75 in the cool side. Gophers are desert species, so humidity shouldn’t be a concern. Some snakes enjoy a misting every so often, especially during shedding. |
Heating and Equipment: | I use an under tank heating pad and a red, nocturnal heat bulb. The ceramic heat emitting bulbs can also be used. I would not recommend a very bright heat bulb as gophers are nocturnal and their sleep patterns will be disturbed by a bright light. |
Caging Provided: | My gopher is still small, so he is currently being kept in a 10 gallon glass tank with a secure screen lid. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | I feed my gopher one appropriately sized mouse every 4-5 days. An appropriately sized food item should be 1 to 1.5 times bigger than the thickest part of the snake. Gophers can eat mice, lizards, rat pups, or small rats depending on the size of the gopher. Some may even eat a small snake such as a ribbon snake. Be sure to feed only healthy food animals to your snake. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Optional. Vitamins and calcium supplements are not necessary. If you do choose to use one, be sure to thoroughly read and follow the dosage and instructions on the back of the container. |
Maintenance: | Gophers are pretty easy to maintain. They are not extraordinarily demanding. However, I wouldn’t recommend them for beginner. Gophers like any other snake shed their skin. How often depends on size and age of the snake. Young ones that are still growing may shed every month, while mature ones may only shed every 3-6 months. Make sure the enclosure has a secure fitting top as gophers are good escape artists. When a gopher is about to shed, it may not eat and it’s eyes will become opaque. It will appear as though a milky film is covering the eyes. they may also become cranky during this time and it is advisable to leave them alone as they cannot see well and may not recognize you. They may also soak in the water for long periods of time when they are going to shed. |
Some Words on this Species: | Gophers are easy to handle once you become accustomed to their habits. Unlike a king or corn that will happily coil around your neck and hand, gophers will determinedly head in one direction. So they must be gently redirected and pulled back. Be aware that gophers can reach up to 9 feet in length so they will need larger habitats as they grow and mature. |
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