Sonoran Gopher Snake

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reptilist
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by reptilist »

My backyard is 'the big nothing'....where all the wildlife hang out. I had a little pond back there for a couple years, but maintaining it was a big chore so I dumped it.
The upside to all this is that I use a lot less water on the yard plants now!
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by Plays In The Dirt »

reptilist wrote:My backyard is 'the big nothing'....where all the wildlife hang out. I had a little pond back there for a couple years, but maintaining it was a big chore so I dumped it.
The upside to all this is that I use a lot less water on the yard plants now!
My extensive weed collection around the property provides great habitat for rabbits - snakes - rodents and birds, especially the quail which I love watching. I haven't seen a roadrunner yet this year and usually we have several around, what's-up with that?
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by reptilist »

Kathy! Pretty neat story abut "your" snake!
Jerry Feldner
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by Jerry Feldner »

Kathy wrote above; "Not sure how old snakes live to be... "

I presently have a California Kingsnake which was a young adult when caught and I have had it for 26 years.
I know a man in Sedona who caught a Kingsnake as a yearling. Last time I spoke to him, his snake had been captive for 41 years.
I have two Sonoran Gopher snakes. One from the Davis Mountains in Texas has been in captivity since 1986. The other, from AZ, I have had for at least 12 years.
My daughter was given a captive bred kingsnake when she was 12 years old. She is now 33 and the snake just died this spring.


I am not sure either how long snakes live. Keeping them alive in captivity and assessing longevity in wild animals is different.

Kathy also wrote>>>"I named him Sir Oliver and he knows his name." Apparently, Sir Oliver can read sign language since snakes do not hear. They can feel vibrations through the ground but airborne sounds are not heard. The bones that mammals and other animals use for hearing within the inner ear have evolved into specialized jawbones in snakes.
Last edited by Jerry Feldner on Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kathy
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by Kathy »

Hi Jerry,
Thank you for your information about the snakes.I know Sir Oliver
has been here 10+ years old in the wild if you could say living under
our mobilehomes is in "THE WILD". :lol: He does stray away from the
house but not to far.Kathy
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

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Just curious, what is the reason for keeping a snake in captivity unless it's for research?
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by reptilist »

It's a hobby, like fishing.
Also for education.
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by Jerry Feldner »

To expand upon Terry's remark about education, I would like to say that I am a member of the Arizona Herpetological Assn (AHA) and we have an active group interested in conservation and education. We frequently go to commuunity events with our reptiles and amphibians, all natives, in an attempt to educate the public about our native animals. I have 4 common rattlesnakes which are caged in secure enclosures, mainly to show people that not all snakes are rattlesnakes or dangerous. It is amazing how many calls we get for rattlesnakes which, when a volunteer arrives on scene, turn out to be harmless Gopher Snakes, Kingsnakes or even 10-inch long Groundsnakes (Sonora semiannulata) { http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subp ... ulata.html }. In AZ, we have a very large group of "outsiders" from urban areas in the east and midwest who have never seen any snake let alone a rattlesnake.
Our job is not research, it is education of the masses so that they have a better understanding of the reptile and amphibian inhabitants of our state and their role in the life of the desert and other biomes of AZ.
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Re: Sonoran Gopher Snake

Post by Plays In The Dirt »

That's great Jerry, what you and Terry do is an asset to the community and the public at large. Many animals and reptiles are killed out of fear and misunderstanding. I remember years ago that I came home one day and the live Christmas tree that was in a pot on our front porch next to the front door had what appeared to be a length of rope wrapped around inside of it. When I inspected it closer I discovered that it was a snake of some sort. Well without being graphic let's just say it's no longer with us. Looking back on it now I feel really bad, it wasn't a rattlesnake, (or anything that would harm us), but was some sort of gopher or garden snake that are found in the desert.

A senseless death out of my ignorance and fear. Hmmmm - I never knew that snakes could crawl up a wall.
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