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Atlas / Library / Colubridae / Gopher Snake
Colubridae

Gopher Snake

Pituophis catenifer

Photograph: Adrianh M. Orozco · CC BY

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

National law is not global, and we hold no national wildlife law for any country, Thailand included. Check your own authority before buying or selling.

Check your setup against this sheet I keep one 123 plants usable with this species
Back to the globe My keep

https://keepr.pet/husbandry/en/pituophis-catenifer

‹ All husbandry guides
Temperature21–24 °C
Humidity60 %
Enclosure122×61×61
Diet7–14 days

The numbers

Temperature

152025303540 °C
21–24°Cool side
Warm side: not in our data

The cool side, 21–24°C. This sheet states the cool side only. It gives no warm side or basking figure, so the hot end is not in our data. Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet statescool 21-24 °C

Humidity

60%Target RH

The sheet statesshould always be below 60%

UVB

T5 6%required

The sheet statesThey can survive without it, but it's still best practice to provide UVB lighting for optimal health and wellbeing; Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% or Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0

Identity

Origin

Enclosure and conditions

Enclosure

60 % RHUVB tube48 in24 in
UVB tube
50100150200 cm
48 × 24 × 24 in · 122 × 61 × 61 cmWidth × depth × height
74dm² of floor
Substrate: not in our dataWater: not in our dataWarm side: not in our dataHides: not in our data

Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.

Why

The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».

The sheet statesA good starting point for the average gopher snake is a 48"L x 24"W x 24"H enclosure, but larger will be required for individuals over 6' long

Temperature
cool 21–24 °C
Humidity
below 60%

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Diet

Feeding rhythm

every 7–14 dAs an adult
4Meals in 28 days

Twenty-eight days, one row. Each band is a meal window. The sheet gives several ages on one line; this is the adult figure.

Why

The windows widen as they go because the interval is a range: four meals after a 10–14 day cycle land anywhere between day 40 and day 56.

The sheet statesmice and rats, hamsters, gerbils, young guinea pigs, chicks, and quail; Babies and juveniles — every 4-7 days; Adults — every 7-14 days

Common questions

Does it bite?

Mostly it hisses and bluffs. With regular handling most become quite reliable, and it is not venomous.

How big does it get?

Around 1.2 to 1.8 metres depending on the animal, sturdy but manageable.

Is it a hardy snake?

Yes, one of the tougher colubrids. Good appetite, good shedding, and it copes with a beginner learning curve.

What do I need to buy?

A long secure enclosure, deep substrate for burrowing, a hide at each end and a gentle warm area.

What it needs

Enclosure at least 122 × 61 × 61 cmbecause enclosure — A good starting point for the average gopher snake is a 48"L x 24"W x 24"H enclosure, but larger will be required for individuals over 6' long
A thermometerbecause temp — cool 21-24 °C
A hygrometerbecause humidity — should always be below 60%
UVB 6-6% (T5), stated as requiredbecause uvb — They can survive without it, but it's still best practice to provide UVB lighting for optimal health and wellbeing; Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% or Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0
Not stated: The heat sourcethis sheet names only the cool side: « cool 21-24 °C »

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation. What the sheet does not state is listed too, rather than left out: a kit that looks complete is worse than one that names its gap.

Sources

reptilesupply.com — lu le 2026-08-04dubiaroaches.com — lu le 2026-08-04gbif.org — lu le 2026-08-08

Others in this group

Corn SnakePantherophis guttatusWestern Hognose SnakeHeterodon nasicusCalifornia KingsnakeLampropeltis californiaeEastern Hognose SnakeHeterodon platirhinosMexican Black KingsnakeLampropeltis getula nigritaSpeckled KingsnakeLampropeltis holbrookiEastern KingsnakeLampropeltis getulaGrey-banded KingsnakeLampropeltis alterna

What this sheet states

77%
TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.