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Temperate terrestrial snake

Gopher and bull snake

Pituophis catenifer

Kept the same way as the California king snake, corn snake and garter snake, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

Build a gopher and bull snake setup See the gear
Photograph of a Gopher and bull snake

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
26 to 32°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
21 to 29°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
20 to 25°C
Humidity
40 to 60%
Adult length
94 to 183 cm
What it eats
Carnivore
When it is active
Diurnal
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
15 years
Longest recorded life
34 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that suits a gopher and bull snake

Chosen for temperate terrestrial snake. The setup builder puts the whole kit together, sized to the animal, with the reason for each piece.

Build the whole kit

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan), USA (Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, California, New Mexico, Arizona), Mexico (Baja California, Aguascalientes, Nuevo León, Sonora, Durango, Hidalgo, Zacatecas, N Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo) affinis: USA (W Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, SE California), Mexico (Zacatecas and S Sinaloa, Sonora, San Luis Potosi, Coahuila, Chihuahua);

Breeding: oviparous (Van Denburgh 1898: 139).

Where the figures come from