Buy Gopher Snake
Answer: A valid sport fishing license is required to capture or kill gopher snakes in California, per CCR Title 14, section 5.60. The bag limit is four and the possession limit is four. Gopher snakes can be taken by hand, lizard noose, tongs or a snake stick, year-round.
buy gopher snake
The Pacific gopher snake has a base color ranging from yellow to dark brown and has a gray coloring on the sides of the body. It is a spotted snake, with the spots being dark brown. Usually there are 41 to 99 spots on the body, while the tail spots range from 14 to 33. The side of the body has 2 or 3 rows of alternating black and brown spots.[4]
A snake with keeled scales, and a narrow head that is wider than the neck, the Pacific gopher snake also displays a protruding rostral scale on the tip of the snout. The two most common base colors are straw and straw gray, though the species' color varies widely.[2] The dorsal blotches, or saddles, are well-defined and generally dark to chocolate brown, though some specimens have had black blotches.[2][3] The side blotches are often brown or gray. The back of the neck is dark brown.[3] In many areas, such as Solano County, California, the snake can be found in a striped morph.
As aforementioned, there are two to three rows of spots on the side of the Pacific gopher snake. However, the San Diego gopher snake (P. c. annectens) has three to four rows of smaller spots on its side. The Pacific gopher snake's saddle spots do not have the barren characteristic as those of the San Diego gopher snakes do. Also, the spots in the second row of spots are much larger on P. c. catenifer as compared to P. c. annectens. Finally, the Pacific gopher snake generally has more saddle spots than the San Diego gopher snake.[4]
The snake is diurnal, though sometimes active at dusk and nocturnal during warm weather.[2][3] They prefer drier habitats such as meadows, fields and agricultural farmland, and are seldom found in dense forests.
Like other gopher snakes, the Pacific gopher snake can produce a loud hiss when agitated or fearful.[3] When threatened, this species will inflate its body, flatten its head, and vigorously shake its tail, which may produce a rattling sound if done in dry vegetation.[2][3] However, gopher snakes are nonvenomous, generally good natured, and not harmful to humans.[3]
The Pacific gopher snake ranges up and down the West Coast of the United States,[2] its range ending in the southern coast of California.[3] Gopher snakes are rarely seen above 2,000 feet (610 meters) and are most commonly seen adjacent to farms in semi-arid brushy areas. The Pacific gopher snake can also be found in southern British Columbia and Alberta, and in Mexico.[5]
The Gopher Snake is widely distributed throughout the central and western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. It is presently divided into six subspecies (Crother 2008), with the bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) being the subspecies found in Minnesota. Most of the Minnesota records of this species are from counties along the Minnesota, Mississippi, and St. Croix rivers, although there is an unconfirmed record from Polk County in northwestern Minnesota, where a single specimen was reportedly collected near Fertile in 1939 (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). The Gopher Snake is considered a desirable pet species, and while many animals in the pet trade are captive bred, many are collected from the wild. The primary threat to this species is habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, urban sprawl, and lack of fire.
The Gopher Snake is a large, heavy bodied snake. Adults range from 94-183 cm (37-72 in.) long (Conant and Collins 1991), with the record being 254 cm (100 in.) long (Harding 1997). The Minnesota record is a female from Wabasha County that measured 188 cm (74 in.) long (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). The base color of this snake's back is usually a straw yellow, which is marked with a series of black to brown blotches that transition to a banded pattern on the tail. The head is yellow with irregular dark markings and a pointed nose. The chin and belly are pale yellow, and the belly has scattered black or brown mottled rectangles. The scales are heavily keeled and the anal plate is single. Young Gopher Snakes have a pattern similar to adults, but their coloration is lighter (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). The Gopher Snakes resembles the western foxsnake (Pantherophis vulpinus), but adult foxsnakes have a solid brown or reddish-brown, unmarked head and a rounded nose (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994).
The Gopher Snake is a permanent resident, emerging from hibernation in the spring. Breeding takes place in the spring and the males may engage in a combat ritual. From 3-24 eggs are laid in June or early July in a nest excavated by the female under a large rock or log (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). The eggs will hatch in 56-100 days, and the young are 25.5-44 cm (10-17 in.) long and are precocial (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). The Gopher Snake feeds on a variety of small animals, including gophers, mice, voles, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, frogs, and ground nesting birds. Bird eggs may also be consumed (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). Gopher Snakes will try to escape when encountered, but if cornered, they will hiss, vibrate their tail, and strike. The vibrating tail can make a sound resembling that of a rattlesnake, especially if the snake is in dry leaves, but the gophersnake is a nonvenomous species. The Gopher Snake is normally a solitary species, but it may hibernate in groups, sometimes with other species such as timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) where their ranges overlap.
While the Gopher Snake is collected for the pet trade, the major threat to its conservation is habitat destruction and degradation. Historically, agriculture was the primary threat, but today urban sprawl and lack of fire, which allows habitats to become overgrown with woody species, top the list. While fire is beneficial to maintaining open habitats, fires over several consecutive years or conducted at the wrong time of year could have a negative impact on snake populations. General prescribed burning guidelines have been developed for amphibians and reptiles in the Midwest, although land managers conducting burns in areas with known rare reptile or amphibian species or high concentrations of reptiles and/or amphibians may wish to contact their Regional Nongame Wildlife Specialist for input on burn planning, including timing of burns, so as to minimize impacts on these species.The Gopher Snake's large size makes it easy to see and it is often wantonly killed on sight. Confounding this is the species' behavior when cornered, which often leads to it being misidentified as a rattlesnake. Public education efforts should emphasize that Gopher Snakes are nonvenomous and that they are beneficial in reducing agricultural pests such as rodents.
Attracting snakes can be part of an integrated pest management strategy to control rodents. This publication provides more details on the kinds of habitats and features to include on your property if you'd like to attract snakes: The Wildlife Garden: Attract Reptiles and Amphibians to Your Yard, OSU Extension
Rock piles with hiding places underneath are attractive habitats for snakes. Please note that it is not advised to purchase and relocate snakes to your property. In addition to the risk of introducing an invasive species to the area, wild animals that are relocated have a less than 50% survival rate in their new habitat because they're not familiar with the landscape and are easy pickings for predators.Another predator option is to encourage barn owls or another predator bird to move onto the property. More information on their habitats and how to attract them can be read here: Attracting Birds of Prey for Rodent Control, OSU Extension
The Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) is a subspecies of the widespread gopher snake species and belongs to the constricting family Colubridae. Pacific gopher snakes can be large, with hatchlings reaching up to 20 inches (50 cm), and adults ranging in size from 2.5-7 feet (76-213 cm). These spotted snakes are sometimes confused for rattlesnakes (Crotalis spp.), but they are non-venomous and are not pit vipers. The Pacific gopher snake ranges from yellow to dark brown with gray coloring on the sides of the body, alternating with dark spots. Like other gopher snakes, the Pacific gopher snake can hiss loudly when agitated, and when threatened, this species will inflate its body, flatten its head, and vigorously shake its tail, which may produce a rattling sound if done in dry vegetation. Despite sometimes being confused for rattlers, they are not aggressive or harmful to humans.
The gopher snake often enters rodent burrows in search of prey. It is usually diurnal, but can be active at night in warm weather. It uses constriction to kill its prey. Diet varies according to size, ranging from insects to rodents, lizards, and birds and their eggs.
The Pacific gopher snake is documented at Redwood National and State Parks and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The closely related Great Basin gopher snake (P. c. deserticola syn. P. melanoleucus) is recorded from Lava Beds National Monument.
The gopher snake occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from deserts and grasslands to woodlands and open forests. It frequents agricultural regions, especially where there is brushy cover such as fence rows.
Gopher snakes are a fairly large snake from the western coast of America. They have quite a narrow head and they tend to be a bit heavier than other similar snakes. They are normally beige or faintly yellow with black or dark brown patterns running the length of the snake. We find them to be a very curious and active snake, perfect for intermediate reptile keepers.
Gopher snakes come from a moderately warm environment so they struggle with the cold of the UK. To insulate against this we recommend keeping the snake in a wooden vivarium. Due to the temperature gradient required we would normally select an enclosure a minimum of 3 x 2 x 2ft with large vents and glass sliding front doors. 041b061a72