Philodryas baroni

[Cherry.Chops]

Any one got a Philodryas baroni care sheet?
I cant find one ANYWHERE!

[loxocemus]

i can tell you what iv learned over the past 3yrs with mine, hope it is of some help.

thier a good sized non dwa back fanged colubrid, and like any back fanged should be treated with respect re handling and bites, if ur particuarly sensitive to bee stings etc id highly recommend not keeping one, but onto the good stuff

females get larger and heavier in general than males, mines is about 3yrs old and about 6ft i havent weighed her in a while but she's probably around a kilo in weight, definately not a little handeful, babys are born quite large and can be tricky to difficult to get feeding, often assist feeding is necessary for a short time before they start to feed on thier own, usually mice are accepted no problems, and chicks seem to be equally relished.

cage type and size for babys is like any other similar sized colubrids, kings corns etc, plastic tubs etc, with a temp of 82 to 86 and a light mist everyday is appreciated.

as they get older they get more adventurous and like to climb more and more and eventually can become completely arboreal, though this has as much to do with thier cage type as anything else, if thier heat source is aloft then so will they.

iv kept them in shallow tubs and taller cages, both drier and wetter and they always thrived, thier not sensitive to either humidity or temp drops and wont drop off a perch becuase u forgot to mist.

cage size, for babys the bigger the tub the bigger they grow kinda thing, paper substrate is best as they eat a lot and therfore poop a lot when young, as they get older and u start to think of an adult setup, id say a minimum of 3'x2'x2' for a single adult, ideally 4'x2'x2' for a pair if u an find the space, well fixed branches are particuarly apreciated, especially a good perch in the cool end and one under the heat, id recommend reptile radiator's for both accuracy, design and low wattage, plastic plants provide cover and a pleasent look as thier an easily spooked species (thier not called pampas racers for nothing), a good substrate for adults is eco earth/coco husk as it holds water well without molding and if ingested is easily passed through. as it drys out just add more water (i just spill the water bowl when im going to change it).

handing, thier not small, but thier not mangroves either, thier very very reluctant to bite and when they do they get as much of a scare out of it as u do, they have to be highly stressed to go on the defensive but dont hold on like false waters do. i have a hook nearby mine but its more for lifting her out of the back of the cage than any kind of defensive thing.

a few months back i was checking on her at 2am and she flew out the cage with her mouth open and just missed me, id obviously woken her and her instinct kicked in before she remembered she was tame, im sure u already know this with any normal snake but with back fanged's uv always got to keep it in mind

diet wise mine has been a bit troublesome of late, she was raised on mice and ate them with gusto for 2yrs and then suddenly decided she was a chick feeder so now eats mostly chicks which she really really likes, really

once a week feedings are good, fuzzie mice for juveniles and adults can easily handle the largest mice, 2 chicks for mine is 10 days worth of food, though its pooped out very quickly, so they have a high metabolism and are quick to wander after feeding so make sure they know thier not getting fed when u open that door

this is just my experience of one specimen and i hope it of some help to you.

rgds
edward

Originally Posted by Cherry.Chops

Any one got a Philodryas baroni care sheet?
I cant find one ANYWHERE!

[Cherry.Chops]

thank you very much!

[loxocemus]

ur most welcome, if theres anything else ud like to know please feel free to contact me.

rgds
edward

Originally Posted by Cherry.Chops

thank you very much!