Cape House Snake

Boaedon capensis, the Cape house snake, also known as the brown house snake, is a species of lamprophiid from Botswana, South Africa (from KwaZulu-Natal all the way through to the Western Cape), Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are a non-venomous lamprophiid. This species was previously grouped in the genus Lamprophis but is regrouped with the genus Boaedon.

Appearance

Cape house snakes are usually dark brown on top, but the colour varies greatly from almost black through brown to olive green. The stripes that stretch from the rostral scale through the eye to the back of the head are very strong, thick, and bold. This species may have a lateral stripe running down the flanks, often resembling the links of a chain. They also sometimes have lateral stripes running along either side of the spine. Linking lines between the lateral striping is not uncommon. These body markings tend to be a paler brown/cream in colour on top of the often dark, chocolate-brown base tones. These markings normally fade two-thirds of the way down the body until only the base colour remains, but there are exceptions to the rule. Individuals without pattern are often found in the wild. These individuals have the head markings but no other markings on top of an often pale-brown body. Like all house snakes, Boaedon capensis is very iridescent, their scales often shining with an oily sheen in certain lights. This is a sexually dimorphic species. Females grow substantially larger than males, sometimes reaching up to 4 feet (120 cm). Males are smaller, often only reaching 2–2.5 ft (61–76 cm).

Behaviour and diet

In the wild, this species is known to frequent human habitations, feeding on the rodents that gather there. It is a common misconception that South African people introduce these snakes to their homes to eat rodents. This happens extremely rarely.

Nocturnal by nature, this species is known to eat entire nests of mice in one sitting. In the wild, this species breeds once or twice per year.

In captivity

This species is increasingly more common in the exotic pet trade, with many hobbyists beginning to keep and breed this species throughout the world. It has become increasingly popular with hobbyists as more reproducible morphs become available. Their care is basic, making them ideal for the new hobbyist, yet they still hold their interest for the more advanced keepers as well. In captivity, this species is known to breed as many as 6 times a year, laying 5–16 eggs every 60 days or so.

Morphs

With more selective and captive breeding taking place, there are an increasingly high number of genetically viable colour variants of Boaedon capensis available through the pet trade. Those that are currently known are listed below: