Cape Gopher or Red Bull?

I'm thinking if diving into the world of pits and was wondering if anyone had any advice regarding them?

I am interested in cape gophers and red bulls (crumbly line).

Which would be the better one to start with? Are these easy to tame? If buying a baby, what should I look for to get the best chance for a nicely colored adult?

Any tips and suggestions on who to contact for one would be great.

Thanks.

i LOVE the crumbly line red bulls!! ( check out hypo bulls too... just cause... heh)

I think pits are great all around snakes, personally.... granted i only have two, but both of mine (bulls) are pretty calm, easy to handle. Little bluffing here and there ( hissing, tail rattling and such), and have EXCELLENT feeding responses very fun to watch during feeding time.

I say bull. but. thats because im biased. ^_-

I'm kinda partial to bulls, myself. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with the reds to offer you any insight. Just remember, Crumbly line does not necessarily mean red (you can get normal looking animals, too).

I'm leaning more towards one with a lot of red like the bull or super contrasty like the gopher.

I saw an albino bull that was beautiful with a perfect pattern down it's back but I have no idea what type it was and neither did the store who had it. All they could tell me about it was that it was an albino bull.
Talk about an attitude though. I never realized how high these things raise up when they look like they are going to strike. And loud hissers. It definitely put on an incredible display.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

Just remember, Crumbly line does not necessarily mean red (you can get normal looking animals, too).

Would nice high reds parents produce high red offspring? Any way to tell as a hatchling which would have the best potential to turn out high red?

Capes and red bulls are so awesome individually.

I have both a red cape and a Kingsville locality red bull.

Orange capes are awesome as well. I no longer have my orange one but have my red one. Capes are very sensitive, so as babies, they should never be pushed in feeding ( as I believe no snakes should be ) but they are really prone to regurge if pushed. Once they puke, it is about all over. Feed them smaller meals as babies than what you feed a bull or pine. After a year with some growth, meals similar to a bull or pine could be fed, but I always stayed on the cautious side, and feed my red cape slightly smaller meals than compared to others. Also, cooler temps are a must, 78 or so.

Red bulls are so killer, and it is almost impossible to predict how a red bull will turn out. Of course, the more red a baby has, the more we would think it would turn red as an adult. My Kingsville red bull had hardly any red on her as a baby. Some on her head and sides, and some on her belly, but I have seen redder babies. Now, she is a smoking red sub adult. I will try to post pics.

Crumbly reds are killer as well, if you get one with a lot of red. To me, it seems they have a little more pronounced black on their blotches, which contrasts nicely with the red.

Not all babies produced by red bull adults will turn red, as the gene is not recessive. Again, it is so hard to tell, so I would actually just look for the reddest babies.

Here are some before and after pics of my Kingsville red bull:

http://www.cornsnake.net/Billy/image5r.jpg

Since I am not used to posting pics on this site, you will have to click the link above the pic of the baby red bull to see how the snake looks now. I apologize! Apparently, the adult pic was too big to put on this post, but you will get the idea.

In regards to taming, pits have been the best pets for me and the most tame. I have found that pits kept at higher temps may have a tenacity towards hissing and puffing more. I keep mine at 80 degrees max, with a usual at 79, and they are always calm. 82 would be the most I would go but you may notice them way more active. They also have very high metabolisms usually.

They are my favorite type of snake as well, so if you dive into the pit world, you may experience how addictive they are and you may never return...haha!!

Randy Whittington has some very nice capes right now as well as Gregg Feaster ( www.greggsrb.com ). As far as red bulls, I am not sure at this time who has any. The classifieds on Kingsnake usually have a lot of choices.

Take care!