Captive bred and wild caught?

[Jadie.Glitch]

Hi there,

On a regular basis we find (sometimes huge amounts) of baby bull snakes sunning themselves on the asphault near our home. Sometimes they are hurt or need to be taken in so we recoup them and release them. This year we were actually considering keeping one as a pet (because they are so cool!) and maybe even breeding them with one of our cornsnakes someday. We JUST got these cornsnakes so as far as we know they have never been exposed to wild caught before. Are there any problems you can see with having them in the same house (not the same tank EVER) and what about breeding them? The breeding was just a passing thought. Please don't think of me as cruel or ignorant, I am just throwing out ideas because I want opinions. If my snakes health was ever at stake I would always pick what was best for them and forget my crazy scheming (lol) so I would appreciate some honest opinions, thanks!

[Susan]

As long as it is legal for you to take a wc bull in Oregon, then I personally see no problem with taking just one for a pet. You will want to take it to a vet for an exam and to deworm it as wc tend to have parasites. You should also quarantine it for awhile to prevent any possible spread of disease to your corn. As for breeding it to you corn when they are large enough, I think it's possible (has been done and they even have a name for the hybrids), but I have no idea what the hybrid babies will look like or what the risks involved with that particular pairing are (such as the one has a tendancy to want to eat the other as in making jungle corns).

[Spork]

If it hasn't been stressing to fend for itself in the wild I would say it is okay. WC tend to be more aggressive but I think it will change if it is still young.

[Jadie.Glitch]

Wow, thanks for the advice. I will definately look into if they are legal to keep in my area and then take it to vet/quarantine/etc. I'm super excited, I hope I can keep one!

[kathylove]

Many years ago, I kept a few w.c. bulls and gophers from a few different states. Even the adults usually tamed down after a while. I love the way they huff and puff and put on a show before they tame though! I never had a problem with them eating and acclimating to captivity and handling. A fecal check would be prudent. Any cat and dog vet can do it, but only let a good herp vet treat (or at least be consulted) for parasites, if any are found.

I have seen a few hybrids between corns and Pituophis (don't remember which species though). I could definitely see both sides of the family in the mix. I have never crossed species or genera myself (except for emoryi, recently considered a separate species from corns, but are still close, in my opinion.) But others have said it is not easy, and there is usually high infertility in the first generation.

But if they are legal in your area, I see no reason you couldn't keep one. In fact, it could lead to greater observations and knowledge of the climate and microclimate, and various habitats in your area, as you seek to learn more in order to provide the best conditions for your pet.

[Jadie.Glitch]

Wow, thanks alot! That helps.

I also love the show they put on. I once found a giant (easily a 6-footer) bull snake basking in the sun on the street and I grabbed it to relocate it before it got hit by a car. I got in the car and had a predicament. This thing was ticked and wanted out and I couldn't drive while holding the sucker down. Also, I had my fiance's little sister in the passenger seat and I wanted to hand it off to her but I knew I would feel horribly guilty if it bit her. I could almost guarantee that it wouldn't but I didn't want to risk it. Needless to say, I got back out, reached into the back seat and grabbed a box I had in there to stuff the poor thing into. She REALLY didn't like that and wouldn't go in there for the world so I thought "Well... if I just let her lay on top of the stuff in my car for the 2 minute drive then I can grab her again and everything should be just fine." Wrong. As soon as I loosed my hold on her she shot straight up into the air and did a perfect 10 point dive into the junk in my car and was gone. I was like "Wow, I'm never going to see her again and then my car is going to start smelling funny...". I raced home and began ripping my car apart to find her (literally ripping. There was a knife and a screwdriver involved). This was to no avail. Night time rolled around and I felt defeated so I just left my doors open in case she crawled out on her own and then I went inside. For about two weeks I was on the lookout for this thing just in case. I sat carefully, layed things down carefully, and didn't use my air conditioning (it was the middle of summer mind you and I suffered for every day of that two weeks). One day on our way to church, my fiance was driving and he looked in the rear view mirror and said "Okay... don't freak out.". Then he pulled over and reached into the back and grabbed it off of the window sill. It was inches from me and even though I am not afraid of snakes in the least it would have sent me over the edge if it suprised me by crawling on my neck. We didn't make it to church, turned around and went back home to release it. We took it into the house to give it water and set it temporarily in a box. When we came back, we took the top off to give it the water and it was coiled, pumped up, and ready for battle. It was ticked that all it wanted to do was bask in the sun and this "two-legged monster" (Kathy Love's wording) had kidknapped it and was holding it hostage for weeks on end. When it saw me it was ready to rip my head off. It proceeded to huff and puff and shake it's tail to scare me off. I wasn't phased though and I reached in and picked it up. It immediatly went limp and surrendered. They are definately "all bark and no bite" which I find adorable. The poor thing thought it had me tricked for a minute there. We then took it really deep into the national park we live in and bid it farewell. It dove into the brush and was gone.

Sorry for the long story, I saw an opening to share it and couldn't help myself :)