CBN Archives - Care Sheets

		Archives of The Cold Blooded News The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society Archives Care Sheets

About the Cold Blooded News Most Recent Issue Index of Vol.29, 2002 Index of Vol.28, 2001 ARCHIVES Natural History Care Sheets Paleontology and Evolution Taxonomy and Systematics Veterinary, Medicine, and Health Humor Miscellany CHS Home Page		Care of African House Snakes (Lamprophis fuliginousus) by Theresa Moran Originally published in the newsletter of the Michigan Society of Herpetologists. Reprinted from the Toledo Herpetological Society Newsletter, June, 1998. As reprinted in the Cold Blooded News, Vol.25, No.7, July 1998. General Information: The brown house snake is native to all of southern Africa and most of the continent. Although most common in grassland and arid scrub areas, these terrestrial snakes are found in virtually every type of habitat, including urban sprawl. They are small to medium size (24"-36" adults) constrictors in the subfamily Boaedontinae (old world snakes) of the family Colubridae (typical snakes). Orange, red, or brown in color, they have small eyes with vertical pupils and two pale yellow streaks on the side of their head. Their bellies are off-white. Hatchlings and large old snakes are considerably darker in color. In the wild they tend to be nocturnal and feed on a very broad variety of small mammals and, sometimes, reptiles. Housing: In captivity African house snakes require a very secure (escape-proof) cage with about 1½-2 square feet of floor space. (10-15 gallon aquariums work great). A variety of substrates work well. Recommended are 1) paper toweling, 2) pine bark mulch, 3) repti-liners. A hide box should be included in the set-up, its size slightly larger than the animal. Fresh water should be available at all times, but in a very small dish for gravid females. Overall temperature should be about 82°F, with a temperature gradient of approximately 78-86°F. A drop in night temps of about 2-4° is recommended for breeding animals. Heat should be provided with some sort of approved under-cage heat mechanism. Diet: Newborn African House Snakes usually start feeding readily on small pink mice. Live food might be necessary to initiate feeding, but these snakes readily switch over to warmed dead or thawed food. Voracious neonates might eat a pinky every 3-4 days; adults can take larger meals (small adult mice) every 7-10 days or small meals twice weekly. Male adults eat considerably less than females and do not get as large. Food should be offered with tongs, as these snakes tend to be a bit aggressive when feeding. It is highly recommended that individual records be kept on snakes, noting the date and such information as what was eaten, food refusals, shedding notes, and breeding information. Breeding: African House Snakes can reach sexual maturity in 1 year. Breeding takes place throughout the summer months and egg-laying can take place every 1-2 months during the breeding season. Up to 16 eggs are laid at a time and take 60-90 days to hatch. Hatchlings are 6-7" long. As Pets: Although slightly smaller, ANS are somewhat like Africa's answer to the Corn Snake. They do not out-grow the average owner, they usually eat readily, and, once picked up they usually calm down and make well-mannered pets that breed fairly easily in captivity. Copyright © 1998 - 2006, Colorado Herpetological Society. All rights reserved.

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