Educational Articles

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The Reptile Living Room

Rubber Boa Charina sp.

By John F Taylor

History

According to The Reptile Database[i] there are currently 3 recognized subspecies.  Charina bottae bottae was originally described by Blainville in 1835; Charina utahensis was originally described by Van Denburgh in 1920 and in 1943 Klauber described Charina umbratica.  The Southern Rubber Boa Charina umbratica is the only species that is protected by California state legislation and they are listed as a threatened species.  The Rubber Boa Charina sp. is very similar to the Rosy Boa Charina sp. in shape as it is sometimes hard to distinguish their head from their tail.  This is presumably a defensive mechanism developed through evolution.  When threatened they are known to bury their head and expose the tail which is said to be moved just like the head.

Range

From research literature it is said to be the most northerly Boa species that we know of today.  Its range extends into Vancouver, British Columbia where temperatures drop below freezing.  One of the most amazing facts about the Rubber Boa C. bottae is that they are recorded as being active in temperatures just above freezing!  The Rubber Boa Charina sp. is found in montane regions of known as coniferous rainforests as well as the more arid mountains of Southern California.

Habitat & Prey

They prefer cooler a cooler habitat which is evidenced by them rarely being found on the surface.  They are found under logs, rock crevices, and rodent burrows.  They are known as either a nocturnal or crepuscular species.  This again I suspect is an evolutionary development due to the fact that this is when their natural prey is also active.  The natural prey is baby rodents so it stands to reason that the mother of said babies is out possibly foraging and this is when the Rubber Boa Charina sp. comes into the burrow and feeds.

Captive Care

Rubber Boas Charina sp. are one of if not the easiest of all captive snakes to care for.  Rubber Boas Charina sp. rarely get to a size of more than 33” in total length.  The average is more in the 20-26” range and therefore don’t require anything larger than a 30 Gallon enclosure to keep them in a captive environment.  This will allow them more than enough room to explore and bask as needed.

One of the most interesting factors to me regarding the captive care of Rubber Boas Charina sp. is they can be kept without a basking spot; which is a requirement of most reptile species kept in a captive environment.  Even though it is possible to keep them without a basking area I would still provide one in the form an under tank heater.  They should be given a substrate that would represent their natural environment of leaf litter at a depth of four to six inches.  This is easiest by using cypress mulch but you can also use reptile bark if you choose.  Since they come from a moist environment I would spray one side of the enclosure once to twice a week so that the Boa could choose to be on the drier side if it needs to.

Providing multiple hides will also allow them to choose if they want to be warmer or cooler as well.  Placing a hide over the heated side of the enclosure as well as the cooler side will accomplish this task.  A water bowl that the snake can climb into without knocking it over should also be provided as they will want to soak from time to time.

Feeding

The most common issue we have when keeping Rubber Boas Charina sp. is feeding.  We must understand that these are ‘ancient’ snakes which haven’t developed the mobile jaw structure that other Boas and Colubrids have developed.  Therefore they must be fed a smaller prey item and more of them.  Try feeding 3-5 pinkies a week and this should keep them satisfied if you find that the Boa is still searching for food after eating the last one then feed more.

Final Thoughts

Rubber Boas Charina sp. are an incredibly docile species of snakes, I would even venture so far as to say that they are even more docile than the Rosy Boa Lichanura sp. When handled they will wrap their prehensile tail around their handlers wrist for quite sometime before deciding to move off and explore.  This is an excellent species for someone who is first exploring the world of snakes.  I’m not sure if wild caught snakes are even available on the market today of this species but I would only buy captive bred species as the wild caught ones will end up being more costly in the long run as thy may have a parasite load which will need to be remedied.  If you’re interested in getting into snakes for the first time I would highly recommend this species.

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[i] http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Charina&species=bottae&search_param=((taxon%3D’Boidae’))

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The Microcosm of the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard

John F Taylor

The Yellow Spotted Night Lizard occupies a microcosm of the world in Central America.  It lives in the lowland forests of Costa Rica and Panama.  It is within these forests that they occupy a very specific portion of the forest floor.  They will actually live out their entire life in one small area such as a fallen log etc.  There is extremely limited information on this species being kept in captivity.  Also field notes are very limited as well, except to say that they are a secretive lizard.  Basically, that’s science speak for we don’t know jack about it.

The above was all the information that I had to go on when I purchased my pair just over two years ago.  Except for one website which is now defunct that said they needed a twenty gallon long with lots of plant cover.  To be honest the pet store didn’t even know what they had, they had them labeled as Nicaraguan Alligator Lizards with no scientific name.  I called the importer myself to get the scientific name.

Taxonomy

The Yellow Spotted Night Lizard Lepidophyma flavimaculatum was originally described by Duméril in 1851.  The Xantusiidae family encompasses thirty different species of Night Lizard.

Natural History

The Night Lizard species are a viviparous lizard and interestingly enough the populations in Panama and Costa Rica are known to be parthenogenetic where as other populations have males within the range.  This specific species range is from South East Mexico to Panama from the reports I have been able to find they prefer lowland tropical forests.

It is unknown, to me anyway, why this species is such a habitat specialist but they are definitely that.  Within the forest regions they remain in one specific area and reportedly live their entire lives out within a very small niche such as a fallen log or other type of hollow.  Average temperatures for the areas where they are found range from the low 70’s to the mid 80’s.  Rainfall being fairly common means humidity in the 70-85% range is normal.

It is presumed that this is a communal species from those who have discussed the species and reported their findings in the wild.  Apparently a couple of zoos have housed with other species from the same region in a singular enclosure and had them breed in captivity.  From what I have read no one outside of these establishments has ever had the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard Lepidophyma flavimaculatum reproduce in captivity.  It also seems that very few people even know of this species or keep it in captivity today.

Description

The Yellow Spotted Night Lizard Lepidophyma flavimaculatum evokes memories of the  native Elgaria multicarinata[i] California Alligator Lizard which I share counties with.  Both have similar plated narrow heads with what seems to be an unblinking stare.  This allows them to appear quite dangerous to the casual observer.  The body of the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard L. flavimaculatum, is covered in tubercle type scales dorsally but the ventral scales are shaped into a band which doesn’t overlap but instead is close together.

The ventral area of the lizard is covered in a scalation that is once again similar to the native Alligator lizards, as they are both covered in smooth singular bands.  The singular bands stretch from one side of the midline to the other, and never go beyond this point.  The tail starting at the base just after the cloaca is covered in what appears to be overlapping bands of sharp scales, as well as the spine like plates, until the end of the tail where they taper off to a rounded tip.

The name Yellow Spotted Night Lizard Lepidophyma flavimaculatum quite accurately describes this particular lizard.  Generally, they have a black to brown ground color, with yellow spots interspersed at regular intervals on both sides.  The color on the ventral side is a subdued yellow color, and I have read statements that it can range, from yellow mustard to a cream color.  The dorsum and tail are dull in color, while the ventral areas tend to be much shinier and brighter.

Captive Environment

When I first acquired the original pair I set them up in a 20 long terrarium with a mixture of potting soil and ground cover bark mixed at about 3:1.  I had about four to five small tropical plants, multiple hides, and a climbing branch as well as a water dish large enough for the lizard to soak in.  When I first obtained the species there was as I said very limited data on their captive care so as any herpetoculturist would do I began researching prior to buying the species.

This allowed me to identify the habitat and microhabitats which they lived in the wild as well as what they were eating.  The major reason for research is to discover temperatures.  If you know nothing else other than diet and temperatures of the native habitat then you can probably keep the species alive.

Lighting/Heating

I started out with a 5% UVB bulb as this would replicate a forest dappled sunlight effect within the enclosure which in my estimation was what the lizard would experience in the wild.  I added to that a ceramic heating element of 65 watts to create a basking area of 90 Degrees and an ambient temperature in the low to mid 70’s never going higher than 80.  I would spray the entirety of the enclosure a minimum of once a day at which time the lizards would come out of hiding and drink droplets of water from the glass.  This kept the humidity in the 75% percent range.

Behaviors

Whether or not the UVB had any effect on the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard Lepidophyma flavimaculatum I have no idea, I was using it mostly for the plants and I didn’t notice any behavioral changes when the light was taken away versus when it was used.  I am presuming that the lizards may reap some benefits from the UV exposure but without blood tests it’s hard to tell how much benefit.  As far as basking activity is concerned I did notice that after feedings there was one which had no issue basking in plain sight on the climbing branch provided.  The other that lizard which shared the enclosure seemed to not care for basking as much as her cagemate.  I now believe that this was a dominance issue.

It has long been perceived that females of certain species can be housed together.  Recently though, I am reading documentation and speaking with people who are saying that there is a definitive pecking order even amongst females.  This became apparent during the summer months my wife and I noticed that there was a lot of scurrying around in the enclosure as if the lizards were hunting crickets.

We watched as one of the lizards chased the other around momentarily then stopped and moved to another part of the enclosure for a few minutes only to start chasing the other again.  There was never any physical damage such as biting or mounting that we witnessed so we thought nothing would come of it.  I was watching a television program of some sort and they were talking about Whiptail lizards Cnemidophorus sp. which share the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard L. flavimaculatum trait of being parthenogenetic.  This program detailed how one female would take on the guise of a male of the species and go through all the motions such as head bobbing etc that a real male would do even so far as mounting another female.  I wondered about this but then didn’t think that the species were closely related enough to exhibit similar behaviors.

In August of 2008 while cleaning out the enclosure my son called me and informed me that the lizards have given birth to a baby.  Now we understood that the behavior we had previously observed was probably a mating ritual of some kind.  The baby unfortunately passed away a short time after being moved to a different enclosure which was set-up to mimic the other that the parents were in.  Why the baby died we don’t know but a short time later one of adults passed as well.  I hadn’t planned on breeding the species in the first place they were more of a decorative hands off type of pet which was nice to watch.

I acquired a chameleon enclosure for free almost right after the adult Yellow Spotted Night Lizard L. flavimaculatum died and this got me to thinking that maybe there was something wrong with the environment.  Knowing that they weren’t an arboreal species I decided to use the chameleon enclosure anyway as it provided more air circulation.  This was about a year later or so and in the interest of consolidating I put the Yellow Spotted Night Lizard L. flavimaculatum into the new chameleon enclosure with a Green Anole Anolis carolinensis. They remained together for about three to four months and never bothered each other the Anole stayed mostly towards the top of the enclosure and the Night Lizard stayed at the bottom.

Again during the month of June we heard the scurrying sound again.  This time we could see the Anole at the top of the enclosure and the Night Lizard in its hide on the bottom, we presumed it was uneaten crickets.  Later that week we found that the Night Lizard had not given birth to one but two carbon copies of herself!

Diet

The main diet that we have been feeding in captivity is one of crickets and mealworms.  In the wild it said that they take all types or arachnids, arthropods such as millipedes, and various other insects.  For the most part they seem to be more intrigued in the movement of the crickets to trigger the prey response.  They will eat mealworms but they are definitely not as enthusiastic as they are when there are crickets loose in the enclosure.  Another behavior that I have noticed is that they are not overly active hunters like say a Gecko, Anole, or other lizard that would actively chase down their prey items.  They will only chase prey a few inches outside of their den and then give up preferring to wait for dinner to come to them.  I also believe that they will take non live crickets as well as I have yet to find any dead crickets left afterwards.

Vitamin Supplementation

When it comes to vitamin supplementation we dust with Sticky Tongue Farms 0 formula and this seem to satisfy all the calcium needs that the lizards have had.

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[i] http://www.reptile-database.org/

Different Name; Same Great Snake
A general overview of Corn Snakes
By John F Taylor

Taxonomy & Brain Hemorrhages
Trying to keep up with all the Taxonomic changes that occur each year is to me a mind numbing experience. Some people really enjoy taxonomy and I say to them more power to you. The hamster in my head starts twitching with epileptic spasms at about the third or fourth line of a taxonomic breakdown. That being said there have been some changes within the Eastern Corn Snakes Elaphe guttata guttata typically known now, as just Corn Snakes. These are an all too familiar pet snake to those in the herpetoculture industry.
Before continuing, I wanted to go through the change that has occurred with this genus. In 1758 when this species was first described by Linnaeus it was called Pantherophis guttatus since that time it has undergone several taxonomic changes that we won’t get into; because personally it hurts my brain and gives me a nosebleed trying to keep up with all the changes that taxonomists do. So, let’s fast forward 250 years to 2008. Low and behold two folks known as Collins and Taggart decided that Linnaeus was right and it should be called Pantherophis guttatus. You can read into all the specific changes by going to http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/
What’s in a name?
The common name of Corn snake is believed to have come from the early American settlers who encountered this snake in the corn fields where it was undoubtedly hunting the mice that were feeding on the corn. The Greek and Latin come from the patterns of the skin Elaphe is Greek for Deerskin while guttata refers to the spots found on Corn snakes. Presumably the deerskin reference comes from the leather like feel of the snakes skin itself. Another common name while to my knowledge not as well used as Corn snake is Red Rat Snake which refers of course to the most common coloration seen in the wild and the entire genus being once known as Elaphe which is known collectively as Rat snakes due to their typical food source.
Seeing Spots
Corn snakes Pantherophis guttatus sold today in most major pet stores are typically hatchlings which are anywhere from 9”-14” in total length. At adult size they will typically reach a length of 2 ½’ to 5’ in total length with an occasional 6’ specimen occurring. As stated earlier Corn snakes P. guttatus have spots or large blotches which run down the dorsum or back of the snake with smaller spots being present on the sides. The wild specimens have either a red, orange, or brown ground color and the spots are outlined in black. Today there are about 45 different color morphs which are many different patterns and colors to choose from and more are being created every year it seems.
Lunch
When it comes to diet I have rarely heard of a Corn snake that wouldn’t take an appropriate sized rodent as a meal. That being said there is some disagreement when it comes to feeding snakes within the community but I will explain what I do and why and the final decision is up to you as your experiences might differ. Before we get started I want to say that for commercial breeders my specific feeding technique is not effective as it would take way too much time. For the hobbyist or personal keeper it has worked for the past twelve years for me and many others.
Essentially, you remove the snake from its enclosure and place into another container which can be secured in someway and has air circulation. After the snake is secured, you place a thawed frozen rodent into the same container. The snake eats and you let it settle for an hour or so. After this you take the snake and place it back into its original enclosure. The reason for this feeding technique is very simple.
Whether you consider snakes as dumb reptiles or not the fact is that studies have shown that they are not dumb per se. With that being said it is theorized that if you feed a snake in its enclosure it will soon associate the opening of the enclosure with feeding and will potentially strike the hand that feeds. In my personal experience this is accurate and has happened not only to me but to several colleagues as well.
Home on the Range
A Corn Snake P. guttatus can live its entire life out in a 20 gallon enclosure. All lids for the enclosure should have a locking mechanism that will not allow the snake to push it open. Believe me they will do so. Corn snakes P. guttatus are found native to habitats known as the Pine Barrens and rocky hillsides.
In order to recreate their native habitats in a captive environment most keepers opt for the old standby of bark. Personally, to make the snake feel more at home I use Cypress mulch which can be purchased from any reptile store. There are those who would say newspaper is a great substrate. Now while this is true this looks like hell to me in a display enclosure which all of my enclosures are. I also add to the enclosure two hide boxes and a sand blasted piece of grapevine. The hide boxes can really be anything that the snake can go into and coil up with its body touching all sides of the interior. Whether this is a rock looking hide or log is up to you. You can even use an old shoebox with a hole cut into it.
Two hide boxes are used in order to give the snake a choice between the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side which we will cover below. The sand blasted grapevine is used by the snake to aid in shedding. It gives them something to rub against when shedding and will pull the old skin off as they rub against it. If you get a large enough piece, they will also use it as a perch to rest upon.
Heating the House
Heating the enclosure is done in order to facilitate digestion of meals as well as allowing the snake to move in a normal fashion. Snakes are poikilothermic which means they rely on the ambient temperature to warm themselves to a level where they can function. Temperatures on the warm side of the enclosure for the Corn snake P. guttatus should be at about 80 degrees on the warm side and have ten degree difference on the cool side. This is easily achieved either through a heat mat which is stuck directly to the exterior of the enclosure or a heat lamp which is set on top of the screen lid.
Water the true spice of life
As we all are well aware water is necessary to all life on the planet. Corn snakes P. guttatus are no different in this regard. Always provide a large enough bowl that the snake can climb in and soak. This facilitates shedding and also adds to the humidity of the enclosure. The water must be changed daily as an active snake will pick up particles of substrate on their skin and going through water will foul it.
Scratching the Surface
Well, I really hope you enjoyed this post and might be considering a Corn snake P. guttatus as your next pet snake. They are an awesome snake which is incredibly docile and active and will bring many years of enjoyment to you and your family. Corn snakes P. guttatus have always taken extremely well to handling and with the dizzying array of colors and patterns now available in the market there is no shortage of snakes that will match your preferences of color, pattern, and natural gentleness.

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