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Crotalus molossus Care
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by CrotalusFan on December 30, 2014
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Hello.....For those of you who keep Crotalus molossus; I am unable to find any sort of care sheet for them. Does anyone have any information with the appropriate husbandry requirements for this species?
I have no experience with them but saw a beautiful specimin at the Hamburg show earlier this month and if it's still available for the February show I'm considering picking it up.
Thanks,
Jeff
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by choppergreg74 on December 30, 2014
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I saw the snake your talking about at the show. Most Crotalus are similar in husbandry. I keep all my Crotalus on brown paper (Home depot sells it rolled up in the painting section.) I cut my own liners. Water bowl and a hide box. All my snakes thrive this way. I keep the heat between 73 and 78. I've seen too many issues with bedding.
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by CrotalusFan on December 30, 2014
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Thank You. When I had a large collection I kept everything on newspaper but at current (with only two) I have them in a more naturalistic enclosure with bedding, hides, plants, etc....I think it's much more appealing and provides a more secure feel for the them; but I also agree that it could increase the possibility of issues. Appreciate the idea on the brown paper though. It would certainly look better than newspaper when I get to that point again.
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by LarryDFishel on January 1, 2015
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I agree with Greg. molossus usually seem to pretty hardy. If you have kept other rattlesnakes, treat them the same way. If you haven't read up on care for any typical rattlesnake and you'll be good to go.
I also use the brown "builder's paper" from HD, and I've never stressed too much about temps. I live in Miami, and have an A/C in my snake room, with the fan ON but the thermostat set around 80 so the compressor doesn't run until it gets that hot (which means it's on most of the day during the summer). In the winter, if it gets especially cold, I hook up a heater with the thermostat set to around 65. As long as nothing fails, that keeps the temps between 65 on the coldest winter nights and 80 on the hottest summers days. That seems to be close enough for all the species I keep. (I don't keep Fea's vipers, sidewinders anything particularly exotic.)
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by CrotalusFan on January 3, 2015
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I kept horridus for a few years but this is my first experience with other crotalus species. I'm keeping my adamanteus in a 75-85 gradient with a 90 degree hot spot. She's in a 24x18x12 which seemed far too open; so I went with bedding, plant cover, and hides to give her some additional security. I've never used bedding for enclosures but have to say that I like the natural look with the plants, log, etc.... .She'll be on paper as she gets a bit larger but for now she appears to be doing very well. That said; if the general consensus is that I should move away from bedding sooner than later I will truly consider your opinions
I have two Animal Plastics enclosures ordered with dividers to get my collection started up again and should have them up and running prior to the show. One of which will house the molossus if still available (and the price is acceptable). I don't believe that I've ever seen one in person but truly thought it was a beautiful snake! I plan to take both your advice and will be using paper in the AP enclosures.
Of the crotalus I have a few species of initial interest. Adamanteus, molossus, lepidus klauberi, and possibly an atrox morph to start. I've always liked and will most likely be looking at a Bitis gabonica and Bothriechis schlegelii as later additions but that's a bit off subject for now. The fact that crotalus seem to do well in the same general temp range is very good knowledge. What of the humidity requirements? I would expect an atrox and adamanteus to have entirely different needs here? Or are they simply such hardy captives that a general range seems to work across the board in that regard also?
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by CrotalusFan on January 4, 2015
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Sorry about the long winded answer. Had a death in the family recently and have been a little out of sorts. Stopped at Lowe's on the way home from the airport and picked up the paper. Thanks to you both for the thought. Looks like it'll work well.
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by LarryDFishel on January 6, 2015
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To be clear, I didn't really mean to imply that the brown paper was BETTER for the snakes. I use it because it seems to be sufficient, is cheap and saves me time. I've kept up to 45 snakes at a time, with varying "requirements" for temperature and humidity, in the same room. Mostly snakes that were adopted through a refuge where I used to volunteer. And while I enjoy keeping them and think I do reasonably well, they are not the most important thing in my life and I am by no means rich, so I can't dedicate the time or money to them that I would prefer. I try to cut costs and time where possible, which includes shooting for somewhere in the middle for temps and humidity and avoiding snakes with extreme requirements.
I make no claim that my methods are the best, but most of the snakes seem to do well. Many of them were very poorly cared for or fresh imports before I got them, so I do lose a snake here or there and generally chalk it up to "unknown" causes (unless it's something obvious) , since I don't have the money to track down and pay a snake pathologist to find out what happened and they generally don't show and symptoms.
I think some keepers worry too much about researching exactly the right conditions for a species when most are pretty adaptable and would not have survived for millions of years if a 5 degree change in temperature were a big problem. But that's just my opinion. I am not a professional herpetologist, and I don't even play one on TV...
Oh, and I see nothing wrong with your posts above. If you think that was long-winded or know-it-all, you haven't spent nearly enough time on the internet... :)
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by atrox84 on January 7, 2015
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I have kept and bred MANY molos over the years. Keep them just like pretty much any other southwestern crote, dry and warm. Are yours feeding? Adult molos are pretty notorious for being tricky feeders. Once you get them feeding though, they are pretty bullet proof. Also, I normally keep my specimens from SE AZ (Sky Islands) slightly cooler and a touch more humid than specimens from the lower deserts in west and central AZ. Around 78-80 for SE animals and 80-85 for others. Seems to work better for breeding. When I say more humid I just mean a slight misting once every few weeks. If you're not planning on doing any breeding though, I wouldnt worry about it cause too much moisture for southwestern crotes can be very bad. I'm lucky enough to live in AZ so I can just open the window in the hot room and keep everything as natural as possible. Good luck
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by CrotalusFan on January 7, 2015
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I hear you on the money aspect. I’ll be paying Santa back for quite a while to cover the costs of getting myself started back again. Would rather do it right the first time though and skip the headache down the road.
I learn a little more with every post and appreciate the information atrox. Don’t own a molossus right now but considering picking one up at the February show. I noticed a nice one at the last but was looking for something else at the time. Am looking at a few different species right now but that one certainly caught my attention.
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RE: Crotalus molossus Care
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by atrox84 on January 7, 2015
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Oh ok, I must have misread the first post. In that case, just be make sure that any molos that you might get are feeding because as I stated, they are pretty notorious for being difficult to get feeding as WC adults. In fact, of all the crotes I've kept over the years it's always fresh WC molos that give me the most diffucult time with feeding.
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