Let's Talk Pits...

My favorite is the Florida Pine. Beautiful and probably the loudest. I have a pair consisting of a female normal and a male that is so called "leucistic". I hate using that term so if anybody can come up with a new one I'd be glad to use it. My female has the greatest personality. Doesn't mind being picked up or handled but try to put her back home and your in trouble. lol I love to get her out and show people how nice she is and then put her back. People ask "Is that the same snake I was just handling?" By the way, when she strikes, open mouth every time. Plenty of slobber on the glass to prove it. My male is the most confident snake ever and therefore never rattles or hisses, just tries to get away from me and dive into a breeder tank full of mice. Only the ones with pinkies though. He never tries to hide if he gets away, just goes for the mice. Pits are great snakes they just demand a little more carefulness than other colubrids. Heck my kings are downright boring sometimes.

I need to get either a Northern Pine Snake or a snake that looks like a northern pine. I hear the King Snake and the San Diago Gopher look like the Northern Pine. Can anyone help me on this? Is there any other snake that looks similar? It may be illegal for me to possess a northern pine since I live in NJ. They are on the "threatened" list for New Jersey. This is also why I may have to settle for a look-a-like. Thank You!

Tom Ertle

My vote goes to the Louisiana Pine. Sad to see that as of my vote they only received 4% of the votes. I guess this can be attributed to the fact that they are very uncommon in collections, and the wild for that matter. I have a pair of Louisianas that I will be breeding for the first time next spring. But in general the pits rule!

Thomas, I dont have my reptile law book handy but I'm prety sure that you can keep pines in NJ. You might want to check with Fish and Game. Also check with Anthony Choadan, he keeps several species of pines and lives in NJ. I believe his business name is A1 Reptiles.

I voted for the bullsnake, but a few years ago my state protected almost all nongame wildlife. Which includes the bull. Second for me is the black pine snake. The ones I've had were so mellow!

My bulls taught me almost all I know about how talented snakes are at escaping.

This is why

Very nice snow southern!!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!! I picked up a female in Daytona back in 2002 from Mark Bell. Where did yours originate from?

Thanks for posting the killer pic! Nice Gene Simmons logo under your name section!

Take care!
Billy Fraser

Pituophis ought to come with the warning: You can't have just one!
Someone mentioned that the cape gophers are a little fiesty! Here's one of my little capes smiling for the camera!

I love northern pines. I dont really care for gophers, we have them all over out here. I do like some of the albinos, though.

As for popularity, I dont think they are all that uncommon. I dont see them at shows out here all that much but there are a lot of pituophis collectors out there. They also seem to sell fast, I dont think some people realize the demand for them.

I am looking for feedback on length and girth of the folllowing, and please, I am only looking for first hand information, not the monster your best friend saw on time at a side show!

Northern Pines
Southern Pines
Sonoran Gophers
San Diego Gophers
Great Basin Gophers
Bull Snakes (Sayi)

I have a lot of experience with some of these but not so much with others. I am interested in some first hand information.

Jeff Snodgress: Those Pines I got form you are awesome! Super eaters. I have occasionally found Pituophis hatchlings to be on-again-off-again, not these guys. No off yet, they just devour rat fuzzies. I do believe they think they are king snakes!


On the length/girth survey, I will broadcast the results to anyone interested.


Val Campbell