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Gopher neophyte <3

Symphony_grace

Symphony_grace

That One Weird Girl
One of my best friends brought over a little snake that she found and picked up at her school and thought was a corn snake, but I immediately saw it as a gopher. Round head, same collar pattern, no rattler, but tomorrow is when I see if it has fangs. If it does, I'm setting that sucker free!
Otherwise my bff wants it, but I will have to care for it. I made terms and conditions for it:
1. She will buy the tank, bedding, furniture, and whatever else is needed for a gopher. Of course I'll help get stuff for cheaper prices!
2. $10 per month for the food, electricity, and the space being used. (mainly just the food and electrical but I'm most likely to get problems in room if it gets pretty big)
3. If a month payment is missed, only the snake is forfeit to me. Everything bought for it goes back to her.
4. She has a week to get the tank and bedding. (which I hope i got this right with bedding: cypress mulch, potting soil, or pine shavings). If there's no give in that week, the snake is mine.
5. She needs to give it attention, of course. I'll talk to her more in-person about this but I'm not the owner. She is. Neglecting a snake for a period of time is not tolerated, regardless of pay.

And that's it. It may seem harsh to some people but I told her it's serious if she wants it. The cost of care cannot and will not fall on my father when she decides that she doesn't want it or she thinks that she can walk away Scott-free after much time of money dropping out of my father's pocket (yeah I still have no job.......I couldn't even get one at Carls Jr.! But I provide care for the corn snake he adores and he provides the food for him and my two snakes). I love my bff but I'm not risking that for anyone.
So if anyone can give the basics of what a gopher needs and what would make it feel more at home will be appreciated! <3 Thank you all reptile lovers!
 
No pine! Use Aspen shavings, or even paper towels.

Also though... does she (and you) have a fishing license? It's required to keep native herps.
 
Gopher snakes seem pretty neat, do you have pics of this one?
Definitely don't use pine. I like aspen, but soil would probably work well :)

Just make sure the snake doesn't ruin the friendship. Pretty strict rules to abide by, and lets be honest - they will probably be broken. If the plan fails, your dad is left financially responsible for the snake and by the sounds of it, will need to purchase all new housing, etc. for the gopher if your friend doesn't follow through on their promise.

If your keeping the snake, feeding the snake and caring for the snake...I would bet your friend will lose interest quickly. I would just be prepared for it to be yours and/or your dads snake in the long run.
I genuinely hope I'm wrong....but don't forget, Gophers can live for many many years in which they need someone to commit to their care for that entire time
 
WestCoast_Redneck said:
Just make sure the snake doesn't ruin the friendship. Pretty strict rules to abide by, and lets be honest - they will probably be broken. If the plan fails, your dad is left financially responsible for the snake and by the sounds of it, will need to purchase all new housing, etc. for the gopher if your friend doesn't follow through on their promise.

If your keeping the snake, feeding the snake and caring for the snake...I would bet your friend will lose interest quickly. I would just be prepared for it to be yours and/or your dads snake in the long run.
I genuinely hope I'm wrong....but don't forget, Gophers can live for many many years in which they need someone to commit to their care for that entire time
Click to expand...

I'm prepared for it. My friend does seem to want a snake ever since she saw mine (about a year ago) and isn't allowed to keep one at her foster home, so I just volunteered my place in exchange for her commitment. I told her that she needs to be the one to hold her snake and get it used to human touch, and she knows I'm serious about this. My dad talked about releasing it back into the wild if she will not take care of it. I'm thinking this is a bad idea but unless a pet shop would give me a good price, I think that's how it goes. There's some craigslist posts of gophers that I've seen for months going for $20. Makes me sad I can't keep the one she caught when it's fully grown unless my room gets expanded or I can move out soon!
Very unlikely. But I appreciate your concern over this. I don't think she will bail on me because she keeps staring at my snakes like they're gold, But I still think of that possibility. And I keep strict rules for a reason: snakes are no joke. I've raised mine for a year and I would foster snakes to give them new homes. Hell, I plan to have a snake emporium when I get my own home! Corns, ball pythons, maybe garter snakes, gophers, I would become insane but it's worth it!
 
Shiari said:
No pine! Use Aspen shavings, or even paper towels.

Also though... does she (and you) have a fishing license? It's required to keep native herps.
Click to expand...

I switched to paper towels until my friend gets the potting soil.
And neither of us have a license but my dad does. He's the one telling me to be careful of it, and watch out for signs of rattlesnake DNA, although, again, none have been sighted. But I saw that a member of the household needs the license to have one kept inside the property so it works out. I'm glad he fishes for fun ^^;
 
Gopher snakes are illegal to sell in California without a captive propagation permit. This is to prevent people catching and selling wild snakes for a profit. The Craigslist ads, generally, are people trying to sell that snake they found in the yard illegally.

As I understand it, you need the fishing license to capture native snakes--but not necessarily to keep them. At least, that's what the DFG employee who handled my emails said when I moved to California last year (already owning a gopher snake and a rosy boa). Of course, that may have changed... Or the DFG guy may have been mistaken.


If it's a gopher snake, it's a gopher snake--it won't have "rattlesnake DNA." ;) It might have an attitude, but gopher snakes are not venomous and cannot hybridize with Rattlesnakes.

I'm still new to Gophers in the grand scheme of things, but their care seems to be about the same as corn snakes. They don't generally get too big.

In regards to bedding: Aspen has worked best for my gopher snake. I've found soil not to work very well unless it is a humid species and/or you're creating a live planted tank environment... It will do the trick, but it's rather dusty and obnoxious if it's not kept semi-moist at all times.

IMHO, the better thing would be to release this one and have your friend look into getting a CBB animal from a breeder. Perhaps even another species that is easier to acquire and easier for you to house (or *legally* sell/adopt out) should things go south.

Last but not least, if you're able to take a picture, I'm sure there's at least a couple people who'd be happy to help you identify for sure exactly what species your little houseguest is.
 
No potting soil!!
Aspen or paper towel/newspaper..
Same care as corns, 3ft is average size..
license needed to catch but not to keep.
they will have an attitude usually but will calm with handling.
they will tail rattle but not dangerous.
Rattlesnake DNA? really... ummm, not happening..
I have had many pacifics and great basins over the yrs and
have never had a problem except they sometimes dont
want to eat in captivity..
 
I've seen gopher snakes with fangs and only one with venom pouch. But you guys believe what you like. Don't blame me once you see one~
 
Symphony_grace said:
One of my best friends brought over a little snake that she found and picked up at her school and thought was a corn snake, but I immediately saw it as a gopher. Round head, same collar pattern, no rattler, but tomorrow is when I see if it has fangs. If it does, I'm setting that sucker free!
Otherwise my bff wants it, but I will have to care for it. I made terms and conditions for it:
1. She will buy the tank, bedding, furniture, and whatever else is needed for a gopher. Of course I'll help get stuff for cheaper prices!
2. $10 per month for the food, electricity, and the space being used. (mainly just the food and electrical but I'm most likely to get problems in room if it gets pretty big)
3. If a month payment is missed, only the snake is forfeit to me. Everything bought for it goes back to her.
4. She has a week to get the tank and bedding. (which I hope i got this right with bedding: cypress mulch, potting soil, or pine shavings). If there's no give in that week, the snake is mine.
5. She needs to give it attention, of course. I'll talk to her more in-person about this but I'm not the owner. She is. Neglecting a snake for a period of time is not tolerated, regardless of pay.

And that's it. It may seem harsh to some people but I told her it's serious if she wants it. The cost of care cannot and will not fall on my father when she decides that she doesn't want it or she thinks that she can walk away Scott-free after much time of money dropping out of my father's pocket (yeah I still have no job.......I couldn't even get one at Carls Jr.! But I provide care for the corn snake he adores and he provides the food for him and my two snakes). I love my bff but I'm not risking that for anyone.
So if anyone can give the basics of what a gopher needs and what would make it feel more at home will be appreciated! <3 Thank you all reptile lovers!
Click to expand...

Yes this snake needs to be released back into the wild.
Your terms for care payment not tolerated...fangs...not neglecting this is all rather overboard for a gopher snake you probably can't have legally.
I have lived down in so cal and never saw a gopher snake with fangs or a venom sack with or without DNA.
 
OK I rethought my earlier reply and still think you should release it.
I have seen gophers coil, rattle and be fairly aggressive but never with fangs. Maybe you were meaning it rattled (of course it has no rattles). I hope if you really think it has fangs you wouldn't even touch it, not even for one night!!!!
 
Symphony_grace said:
I've seen gopher snakes with fangs and only one with venom pouch. But you guys believe what you like. Don't blame me once you see one~
Click to expand...

Gopher snakes don't have fangs! They aren't venomous! Can't breed with Rattlers!
Several here have tried to help and you argue.. many have been doing this longer than you have been alive. Time to Troll somewhere else..
 
DaGiant said:
Gopher snakes don't have fangs! They aren't venomous! Can't breed with Rattlers!
Several here have tried to help and you argue.. many have been doing this longer than you have been alive. Time to Troll somewhere else..
Click to expand...

And how have I argued? I'm simply trying to care for one and asking for help. I'm not sorry for people having opinions opposite of mine, but it's not my fault that I saw what I believe.
But there's one thing for certain. I know this thread was me asking how to take care of a gopher, not for everyone to attack ME for what I saw! Everyone can call bs on me but it's not me trying to troll. COME ON! All I want is information on care! But thank you for putting your superiority on one stupid topic.
 
A gopher snake can't have fangs, or venom.
If it did, it wasn't a gopher snake. Plain as fact. If you don't want to believe us, go to a university and ask.
Gopher snakes lay eggs- rattle snakes give live birth. It's not like breeding a corn and a king. A rattler and a gopher snake physically and genetically cannot reproduce.
 
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