Achieving appropriate humidity levels of sixty to ninety percent, for keepers in temperate or arid climates, is attainable through automatic misting systems, or misting enclosures by hand. I utilize a misting system on a timer, which ensures adequate humidity levels and sufficient moisture for both the snakes and the plants in the enclosure. Because the system runs on a timer, I can also easily adjust the misting to simulate the wet and dry seasons which the snakes would experience in their native range. There are likely many benefits to simulating such cycles, not least of which is encouraging natural behaviors such as breeding, which for tropical species is often triggered by fluctuations in precipitation given the more constant year-round temperatures and daylight cycles.

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Hydration, Diet, and Nutrition

 

In addition to frequent misting, I have found that sulphureus benefit from both a water basin, and elevated drinking reservoirs to maintain hydration. In my opinion, puffing snakes are prone to dehydration, and a multi-faceted approach to ensuring adequate hydration is beneficial. After redesigning the enclosure housing the puffing snakes in my care exclusively with plants native to the Guiana Shield, I noticed within a matter of days that the wild-caught females would frequently drink from the axils of the bromeliads mounted in the branches. Ever since, this has represented their primary water source, and I make sure to regularly flush out the axils of the plants to avoid contamination. Secondarily, I observe the snakes drinking from their scales frequently after misting, and occasionally drinking from (and soaking in) their water basin. Lastly, I frequently offer water to the snakes in my care directly using a wash bottle, and have found that they drink readily by this method. As an added benefit, this practice has helped to build trust with the snakes in my care.

 

Due to their voracious appetites and predilection for rodents and birds, Spilotes sulphureus are rarely difficult feeders in captivity. The vast majority of specimens will accept live or frozen-thawed mice, rats, or chicks without hesitation, but most prefer smaller prey items than some might expect. I offer my adults (which are between eight and ten feet in length) prey items no larger than a small rat, whereas a boa or python of similar length might accept much larger prey without difficulty. On average, sulphureus is a larger and more heavily-bodied species than it’s close relative Spilotes pullatus, capable of accepting slightly larger prey items. However, most keepers report both species faring better with multiple small prey items over one large prey item, as they are prone to regurgitating prey that is too large for them to easily digest.

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As sulphureus are sight-hunters (meaning they cue primarily off of the movement of their prey), it may sometimes be necessary to offer live prey, or to wiggle frozen-thawed prey items to attract attention. In my experience, once the first prey item is accepted, sulphureus become extremely responsive and keepers must be careful to avoid being bitten from a hyper-active feeding response. Accidental bites can be avoided by using tongs to offer frozen-thawed prey, while using common sense and staying focused during feeding. Upon seizing a prey item, most sulphureus typically consume it within seconds - faster than any other species I’ve worked with. This is a feeding strategy which would prove useful when raiding the nests of rodents and birds, which are often actively defended by protective adults. In my opinion, the voracious appetites sulphureus possess are one of the many aspects which make them such enjoyable snakes to work with and observe in captive conditions.

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Though the majority of sulphureus will accept frozen-thawed or live prey without difficulty, occasionally one may encounter a reluctant feeder - this is especially true with freshly imported wild-caught specimens, which are subject to high levels of stress. Usually, I approach such snakes with persistence using the above methods, and find that most will accept food when sufficiently acclimated to their new environment. As a last resort, tease feeding has proven an effective way to get particularly stubborn sulphureus eating when all other methods fail. Given the inherently stressful nature of tease feeding, it is rarely a sustainable method for feeding snakes, and has sometimes reportedly backfired, resulting in snakes becoming nervous around the presence of food. Regardless, in cases where snakes are reluctant to accept live or frozen-thawed prey, I have employed the method with success for brief periods, only until the snakes begin accepting live or frozen-thawed prey through less stressful means.

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A rapid metabolism and frequent feeding also comes with more frequent defecation as a consequence, which has much to do with the ‘messy’ reputation with which Spilotes and other large colubrids are often labeled. In my opinion they’re really not so intolerable in this realm, and I suspect much of the unsavory reputation applies to snakes which are kept in cramped enclosures where they cannot easily move away from their waste. The sulphureus in my care typically defecate within 48 to 72 hours after eating, and I remove their waste as soon as possible to avoid foul odors and maintain as sanitary an environment as possible. Even in bioactive enclosures, immediately removing large segments of solid waste is a good practice to ensure cleanliness, leaving any residual waste to be dealt with by the microfauna.