Lampropeltis pyromelana

Secure terrestrial terrarium with a lockable lid (an expert, discreet escape artist)

A 90x45x45 cm terrarium suits an adult; larger is beneficial. Favour floor area over height. Provide numerous hides on both sides of the gradient, stable flat rocks and areas to dig in. Every opening must be perfectly sealed.

A dry to moderate environment with good ventilation. Add a humid hide (moss/sphagnum) to aid shedding; avoid stagnant humidity, which promotes scale rot and infections.

A dry substrate that allows digging and burrowing. Provide plenty of hides and flat rocks (a secretive rock-dwelling species); wedge any rock stack firmly to prevent crushing. Avoid dusty or resinous substrates (pine/cedar).

Not strictly necessary (a nocturnal/secretive species for thermoregulation), but low-level UVB lighting (Ferguson zone 1, ~2-5% UVB) is beneficial for a diurnal species and supports the day/night cycle. Always pair it with a shaded area.

A bowl of clean water renewed at all times, large enough to let the snake soak, especially during shedding.

Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, southern Nevada/Colorado) and northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua). Montane forests and 'sky islands' (isolated ranges surrounded by desert), between 1,000 and 2,700 m in elevation.

Carnivore (whole-prey eater) — Rodents suited to the snake's size (mice, pinky mice, rat pups); in the wild, lizards of the genus Sceloporus.

Adults are easy to feed with thawed mice every 7-10 days. HATCHLINGS are notoriously fussy and often refuse rodents: you frequently have to 'scent' the prey (rubbed on a lizard) or offer small lizards at first, then gradually wean onto rodents. Favour captive-bred specimens: wild individuals are fragile, often parasitized, and some 'sky island' populations are locally protected or subject to collection quotas.

Clutch 3–8 eggs/young. Small clutches but relatively large hatchlings. Breeding requires a winter brumation (6-10 weeks at ~10-13 °C). Incubation of roughly 55-70 days at 25-27 °C. Avoid brumating specimens that are too young, sick or too thin.

• Hyperthermia / heat stress (a species very sensitive to heat — a frequent cause of death if the warm spot is too hot)
• Respiratory infections (unsuitable gradient, too cold and damp an environment, poor ventilation)
• Anorexia and food refusal, especially in juveniles (stress, unsuitable prey)
• Dysecdysis / difficult sheds (humidity too low, no humid hide)
• Internal parasites and mites, particularly in wild-caught individuals