Drymarchon melanurus unicolor

Tom

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He's cute! Have you named him yet? How long til you can take him home?
I decided to name this one "Tex" in honor of his mis-named ancestor that inspired me to love this subspecies so much.

John likes to get them feeding reliably before sending them to their new homes. He estimates 2-3 months. I already made the enclosure and showed it to him for approval. I'm not overly eager or anything though… :)
 

Tom

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I haven’t ever messed with cribos, but I keep hearing about more people loving them. Impressive snakes!
They are just so different than any other type of snake. They are very similar in behavior and appearance to a cobra, just without the deadly venom. They move more quickly and tend to be more active. They also seem more intelligent and thoughtful than most "normal" snake species. I think it is because they are active hunters that chase down and subdue their prey, vs. the usual crowd that are mostly ambush predators that sit and wait for food to come to them. They also prey on just about any living thing that they can subdue. I think that their constant evaluation of everything around them as they rapidly move through their environment also lends credibility to the "intelligence" theory with this genus.

Both seasoned snake keepers and novices can just instantly feel that there is something "different" about these snakes as soon as they meet one. It makes them very appealing to me. I just love them. Always have since the day I met my first one back in 1994. I am thrilled beyond words that I've finally found one to buy. Add to all of this that its CB, out of CB parents, CB by a friend, a friend that sets the bar for excellent animal care amongst his peers, and I tell you it brings tears to my eyes. Could not have been more perfect, and it was worth the wait. Like it was meant to be.

Add to all this that my daughter is probably even more excited than I am about it. She's always loved snakes and we haven't had any of our own since she was born. This will be her first snake. She's literally jumping for joy about it, and that just adds to my happiness about the whole thing.
 

KarenSoCal

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I decided to name this one "Tex" in honor of his mis-named ancestor that inspired me to love this subspecies so much.

John likes to get them feeding reliably before sending them to their new homes. He estimates 2-3 months. I already made the enclosure and showed it to him for approval. I'm not overly eager or anything though… :)
Ok, now you need to start a thread "My Newest Latest Endeavor". But in the fall, I would suggest NOT scheduling a playdate with the 2 stars...sounds like they could, and would, eat each other!
 

Tom

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Ok, now you need to start a thread "My Newest Latest Endeavor". But in the fall, I would suggest NOT scheduling a playdate with the 2 stars...sounds like they could, and would, eat each other!
Maybe I'll do a thread like that when Tex is older and ready to breed. I can bring more "Tex's" to the world for others to enjoy.
 

mrnewberry

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They are just so different than any other type of snake. They are very similar in behavior and appearance to a cobra, just without the deadly venom. They move more quickly and tend to be more active. They also seem more intelligent and thoughtful than most "normal" snake species. I think it is because they are active hunters that chase down and subdue their prey, vs. the usual crowd that are mostly ambush predators that sit and wait for food to come to them. They also prey on just about any living thing that they can subdue. I think that their constant evaluation of everything around them as they rapidly move through their environment also lends credibility to the "intelligence" theory with this genus.

Both seasoned snake keepers and novices can just instantly feel that there is something "different" about these snakes as soon as they meet one. It makes them very appealing to me. I just love them. Always have since the day I met my first one back in 1994. I am thrilled beyond words that I've finally found one to buy. Add to all of this that its CB, out of CB parents, CB by a friend, a friend that sets the bar for excellent animal care amongst his peers, and I tell you it brings tears to my eyes. Could not have been more perfect, and it was worth the wait. Like it was meant to be.

Add to all this that my daughter is probably even more excited than I am about it. She's always loved snakes and we haven't had any of our own since she was born. This will be her first snake. She's literally jumping for joy about it, and that just adds to my happiness about the whole thing.

That is a pretty serious first snake! Most kids just get a corn or a ball or a king...
 
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MichaelaW

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Very cool, Tom! Looking forward to updates. We have tons of Drymarchon melanurus erebennus down here.
 

Tom

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Very cool, Tom! Looking forward to updates. We have tons of Drymarchon melanurus erebennus down here.
Lucky Duck! I would love it if you'd post some pics of wild ones. That would be amazing!

Also, are you going to TTPG this year?
 

wellington

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So happy for you Tom. Can truly feel your excitement. That's really cool that your daughter is that excited. A nice pet project to work together on.
Can't wait to see pictures.
Btw, what do they eat? Please don't tell me bunnies
 

Tom

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So happy for you Tom. Can truly feel your excitement. That's really cool that your daughter is that excited. A nice pet project to work together on.
Can't wait to see pictures.
Btw, what do they eat? Please don't tell me bunnies
In the wild they eat anything they can over power. Birds, fish, crustaceans, rodents, lizards, small crocodilians, amphibians, and other snakes are a favorite of theirs. Their mouths don't open as wide as some of the constrictors, but they have a much stronger, crushing bite. This being the case, they can't eat really large prey items like a boa or a python could. You have to feed them smaller items, more items and more frequently. John feeds the 6-8 foot adults a small rat and a thawed chick about once a week. He also likes to give them lots of variety. Fish, frozen and thawed fresh road killed snakes, and whatever else he can get for them. He used to feed chicken necks, but he stopped due to suspected salmonella contamination.
 

MichaelaW

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Lucky Duck! I would love it if you'd post some pics of wild ones. That would be amazing!

Also, are you going to TTPG this year?
I'll try and get some photos but they are pretty fast. As soon as I see them they're gone again. They get huge though.

I'd love to go to TTPG but it's likely not financially doable this year, but you never know.
 

CarolM

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They are just so different than any other type of snake. They are very similar in behavior and appearance to a cobra, just without the deadly venom. They move more quickly and tend to be more active. They also seem more intelligent and thoughtful than most "normal" snake species. I think it is because they are active hunters that chase down and subdue their prey, vs. the usual crowd that are mostly ambush predators that sit and wait for food to come to them. They also prey on just about any living thing that they can subdue. I think that their constant evaluation of everything around them as they rapidly move through their environment also lends credibility to the "intelligence" theory with this genus.

Both seasoned snake keepers and novices can just instantly feel that there is something "different" about these snakes as soon as they meet one. It makes them very appealing to me. I just love them. Always have since the day I met my first one back in 1994. I am thrilled beyond words that I've finally found one to buy. Add to all of this that its CB, out of CB parents, CB by a friend, a friend that sets the bar for excellent animal care amongst his peers, and I tell you it brings tears to my eyes. Could not have been more perfect, and it was worth the wait. Like it was meant to be.

Add to all this that my daughter is probably even more excited than I am about it. She's always loved snakes and we haven't had any of our own since she was born. This will be her first snake. She's literally jumping for joy about it, and that just adds to my happiness about the whole thing.
I am interested in how you will keep your little one stimulated enough when it comes to feeding time. As you mentioned: "I think it is because they are active hunters that chase down and subdue their prey" and this being the case how do you create or re-create that kind of environment when in captivity. I am not sure if I have put it correctly, anyway hopefully you do.
 
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Very happy for you Tom!! Love to share in your excitement. So will be following...
My daughter has her first snake for a couple of months now. She has been wanting one for quite some time. I help her take care of him. And I love it, haha!!

And about spouses, it is the other way around here. Lol And both my children love Tortoises and Reptiles.

I think little Tex is georgeous!!
 
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