Care and Breeding
By LdyDrgn
Also known as: Mexican Rat snake, Tiger Rat snake, Tropical Rat snake, Tropical Chicken snake and our favorite, Thunder and Lightning snake
Spilotes pullatus ssp range from Mexico through Central America and all the way to Northern Argentina. Their color varies depending on what area they are from. Ones from Mexico are mostly yellow-orange and white with some black banding and a bright white belly. Those from Central America have a touch more black in their patterning, and further south they are mostly black with yellow bands sometimes across their faces and down most of their body. The ‘yellow’ can be a darkish orange, bright lemon or a pale pastel, almost white color. There are even striped varieties of these amazing snakes.
Being fairly swift snakes, they seem to fly through the branches or leaf litter (with their markings, the name Lightning makes sense). They also have a rather impressive defensive display. They will rattle their tails loudly (hence the Thunder) and vertically flare their necks. From the side they look twice their size and from the front they look as if they have swallowed an egg. Some will twitch their heads side to side in order to triangulate their target for striking. As they assess danger they use a very slow tongue flick. When hunting or searching the flick is fast.
They are one of the longest snakes of the Americas, the record reaching 14 feet in length. Generally, males get around 10 feet while females get about 8 feet maximum. There are always exceptions to the rule.
CARE:
Being arboreal they need a rather tall and roomy cage with plenty of climbing branches. Being diurnal, you will often see them climbing about. Putting them in a nice display is a great way to show them in your collection. We like to wrap our branches with many lengths of silk vine allowing a few of the loops and ends trail on the ground. Heating is provided from above with covered lamps. Cypress mulch is used as a substrate to help maintain humidity as well as give them a chance to burrow. If the cypress is deep enough you will often see the tunnels they create within it. An adult breeding pair can live comfortably in a 4x2x3 enclosure. If the branches and vines are placed well enough, they will provide the only hide spot the snake(s) will need. As a very territorial snake, care must be taken whenever reaching into their enclosure. It is recommended to use a hook to remove them from the enclosure and they usually calm down once in your hands.
Humidity should be about 60-65% and temps should be 88-90° during the day with a night time drop to about 75°. Good air circulation is also a must. They will drink from water bowls but also like to drink the droplets that run off their heads when sprayed. Water that accumulates in the cupped leaves from the vines on the ground will provide water sources as well. Spraying daily also helps to maintain the humidity.
We keep ours on a 12-14 hour light cycle.
UVB and vitamin supplements are not necessary as they get all the nutrients they need from their whole prey items. Spilotes will eat mammals, birds and other reptiles in the wild. In captivity they take rats readily. They seem to prefer multiple small items as opposed to 1 or 2 larger ones. They do well on 2 or 3 smaller items every 7-10 days as adults. Every 5-7 days as hatchlings/juvies. These have been known to be the fastest swallowing snake. Watching them eat is nothing short of incredible.
Spot clean the cage as necessary as these snakes defecate quite often. Clean the entire cage every couple of months, wipe it down, wash the substrate and clean any cage furniture.
BREEDING:
A breeding pair can be kept together their whole lives. It is not necessary to cycle them or separate them.
The male will court the female by lining his body up with hers and following her around when she explores. When at rest, he will drape his tail over hers, encircle her body with his and vibrate his body slightly until he builds up to a violent shake. She will buck in response. Mating may or may not take place immediately. I have observed copulation with them in the branches, one facing left and up, the other right and down. Their tails were inverted to each other. This mating practice brings up some interesting questions…
Ovulation should be observable 10-12 days after courting/mating is identified. Oviposition should occur 30-40 days after mating.
Her pre-lay shed will occur 10-14 days before oviposition. Provide her with a dark hide that has plenty of damp sphagnum moss or cypress for her to burrow in. This is where she will lay the eggs. As she gets closer to the time to lay she will pace the enclosure incessantly. Remove the water bowl at this time. You may want to remove the male as well so he does not occupy the laybox. I spray our female to distract her as I place or remove objects as needed. This extra liquid she gets is also good for the developing eggs. Mist her until she stops drinking.
She will lay anywhere from 5 to 14 large eggs, average is 10. This can sometimes takes a few hours. Try not to disturb her as she lays as it may cause her to be too distracted from her purpose. Once she is finished, remove her from the clutch and place the eggs into a container with dampened vermiculate or sphagnum moss. Take care not the tilt the eggs during removal.
We use a 4:1 ratio of vermiculite to water. You want it to be the consistency of damp sand but not wet. Incubate at 79-81° and at 40-50% humidity. Hatching should occur, on average, at 75 days.
Feeding the hatchlings may require using live prey, depending on the size of the snake and prey. They may refuse frozen/thawed prey for quite some time. Unlike the adults that will usually just swallow their prey almost immediately, the hatchlings will often constrict it.
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