New gopher

Syco · 03-01-04, 09:46 AM

We just bought an Albino Sonoran Gopher a couple of days ago, she is really beautiful. I would show a picture of her but I can't get close to her without her striking! LOL! This girl was so calm in the store where we bought her(no she wasn't cold) They actually take wonderful care of the reptiles at this store. The lady that runs the reptile dept knows us and told us about her and said she had been kinda nippy but she had been keeping her in the back and working with her and was waiting for the right person to sell her to (we must have "sucker" tatooed on our foreheads!). She was really calm at the pet store and the day we got her home we both held her and had no problems. Yesterday we tried to hold her and she was nothing but pure evil!

She bites repeatedly and strikes at any movement outside her cage. She's just a baby now but I'm worried about when she gets bigger! Anyone had any experience with Gophers? Have any ideas? Should we just leave her alone for a while or should we keep getting her out?

Syco · 03-01-04, 10:05 AM

Here's a really bad picture of her! She still has an attitude this morning.

foman · 03-01-04, 10:39 AM

Congrats they look awesome as adults.
I would let her relax and get used to her new set-up for a couple of days, she may just be nervous.

C.m.pyrrhus · 03-01-04, 05:11 PM

Gophers, good at being nippy. I have a few myself, yet these are all WC. General rule of thumb, give it time and be patient. Let the lil' one take some time off away from anything stressful, and after about a month slowly introduce yourself. It may just be that this one is gonna be nippy for life......

My smallest is also nippy to say the least, with a lot of huff and puff. My largest is about 5 foot, and is handleable. He was also huff and puff at first. Personally, handling them is gonna add stress.

These guys will pound down a ton of food and grow to be relatively large snakes. They are OK pets, just not as 'nice' as the corns and some other colubrids are known to be. Great looking snakes, one of my favorites.

Moose_18 · 03-02-04, 06:50 PM

Snakes in general are tricky animals when they first come home.I would say just make sure she/he has plenty of "alone time" and his/her own hiding box. Hold off on feeding it until about a week atleast or until it calms down.
-Good Luck and hope it works out soon.

Moose_18 · 03-02-04, 06:53 PM

Baby snakes in general also will feel like they are constantly being preyed on and will have a need to defend itself until it knows you wont harm him.

Syco · 03-02-04, 10:22 PM

Thanks for the advice, she seems to be calming down some and she ate a nice fat fuzzy tonight and is back in her hide and looking comfy

A friend that has a lot of experience with snakes came over last night and he got her out and held her with no trouble at all. It's almost as if she knew that her bluff wasn't going to work on him , or maybe it's just that he wasn't nervous and we are and she senses that. He raises GTPs and a little gopher with an attitude wasn't bothering him a bit.

jsnake0 · 03-03-04, 01:00 AM

my corns are no where as nice as my Sororan gopher I would trust mine with ANYBODY she is so tame. except right after i get her back from the friend that I have that breeds her then for the first day she is all huff and puff but as soon as I touch her she is oh ya it's you duhhhhhhh! She has only bitten twice in 7 years once because my girlfriend was playing with the baby rats that then peed on her so she put them back and got the snake out and wack struck right where the rat had peed I was really not trying to laugh. she was new to handling snakes and forgot to wash her hands last time she did that. The other time she bit was me the day after i got her hit and let go before i even knew it no blood nothing picked her up and has been puppy dog tame ever after

they just need LOTS of handling every day for the first few months
if it is puting on a huff and puff show use a paper towels tube to pick him up and then put him in you hand