An observation:

[Skiploder]

About 5 months ago I altered the method in which I keep my large colubrids and my aspidites.

All of my drymarchon, pituophis and rhamphiophis are kept in 6' and 4' cages respectively. I modified each cage by constructing a hide drawer (a CB70 tub) under each one encased in an open wooden frame. This drawer is accessed by a hole in the floor of the cool end of the cage.

Every dry and beaked snake is using those drawers to defecate and urinate in. Every one. The pits still crap all over their cages.

Two YTs a trio of BTs a pair of indigos, two rufous beakeds and two red beakeds. All 11 of those snakes are using their drawers as litter boxes.

For a comparison, I have five aspidites set up in a similar fashion and they go in the cage, in the drawer, in their hides, in their water bowls - you get the picture.

Two weeks ago, I got a third rubropunctatus. Just like the other two reds, he is using his drawer exclusively as a latrine. That's 12 for 12.

So it got me to wondering - given the opportunity, are these animals predisposed to not fouling their own nests? Has anyone else noticed this behavior in their snakes?

[wilomn]

I kept and bred both YT and Easterns in setups similar to that, smaller but hide accessed through a hole in the bottom.

They did, mostly, crap in the bottom. Not always though. I kept False Water Cobras the same way. If I recall, and it's been a while, they just went wherever whenever.

Are you breeding your YTs yet? I bred mine in 92 and 93 then entered into a partnership that went south and haven't had any since. They were one of my favorites of all the snakes I've ever kept. I think my male was over 9 feet.

[Skiploder]

I kept and bred both YT and Easterns in setups similar to that, smaller but hide accessed through a hole in the bottom.

They did, mostly, crap in the bottom. Not always though. I kept False Water Cobras the same way. If I recall, and it's been a while, they just went wherever whenever.

Are you breeding your YTs yet? I bred mine in 92 and 93 then entered into a partnership that went south and haven't had any since. They were one of my favorites of all the snakes I've ever kept. I think my male was over 9 feet.

I bred the YTs from 2001 to 2003 and the BTs from 2002 to 2006. There isn't a huge market for them and my main customers were two area reptile stores. The problem with that is that I saw a lot of my animals come back to the stores. A lot of people get in over their heads with these snakes.............

My sole YT male is now 9 years old and about 105 inches long.

Any ideas on why some species seem predisposed to not fouling their nests? I was wondering about the FWCs.............I've never kept one but I had figured that if any other colubrid could be "potty trained", they'd be on the short list.

[wilomn]

I bred the YTs from 2001 to 2003 and the BTs from 2002 to 2006. There isn't a huge market for them and my main customers were two area reptile stores. The problem with that is that I saw a lot of my animals come back to the stores. A lot of people get in over their heads with these snakes.............

My sole YT male is now 9 years old and about 105 inches long.

Any ideas on why some species seem predisposed to not fouling their nests? I was wondering about the FWCs.............I've never kept one but I had figured that if any other colubrid could be "potty trained", they'd be on the short list.

Number one, the have nests at all. Most snakes don't.

Number two is intelligence. I think the Cribos and Indigos are some of the smartest snakes I've ever had.

Same for the FWCs but they like to poop in the water, which makes sense too. Keeps things neat and clean and smell free. Safer.

[Skiploder]

Number two is intelligence. I think the Cribos and Indigos are some of the smartest snakes I've ever had.

One of the YTs I sold came back to me as an adult three years later. The person who purchased him held him often as a baby but began getting intimidated by him once he began putting on some size.

He bought a trap box for a venomous snake and utilized it to clean the cage, remove sheds, etc. In typical cribo fashion the snake would tail rattle and huff and puff every time this dude so much as entered the room.

So he calls me and asks me if I want the snake back and tells me why he wants to give him up. I advised him to get a pair of stout leather gloves (preferably lineman's) and sack up and start handling him.

So the first time he takes Ol Yeller out of the cage, Yeller clamps down hard on his hand. The gentleman feels the pressure but roughs out the short handling session like a champ. He related to me over the phone that Yeller was eyeballing him the whole time he put the chomps on him. It unnerved him.........

He lived about 15 minutes from me, so the second day he asks me to stop by on my way home from work. I go into the room where he keeps the snake and ask if I can give handling him a shot. I use a hook to get him out but ditch the gloves after Ol Yeller allows me to remove him from his cage with no huffing or tail rattling. I got a YT stare in the face with a nice huff but no other untoward aggression.

Heartened to some degree he continues his handling sessions. After I leave and on day 3, Yeller gives him an initial chomp on the glove, but immediately lets go once his mouth hits the leather.

On day four he takes the big brute out and handles him for about five minutes with the gloves on. No biting, no tail rattling - not even a huff. Feeling relaxed he takes of both gloves and immediately gets a lacerating chomp on his right hand.

Relating the incident, the owner (now the previous owner) swears that Yeller suckered him into removing his glove - that somehow he equated the donning of the gloves as a consequence of his threat displays.

While I have no way of measuring snake intelligence, I have seen how drys will dominate a tentative or inexperienced handler. I have also seen drys that seem to know how many prey items they should receive. I have never been around a reptile that is so aware of not only their physical surroundings but of the people around them. Sometimes I feel that I'm on display for them.

Ever been tagged by one?