The Diadem Snake
March 1, 2008
The Diadem Snake (scientific name - Spalerosophis diadema) ranges from North Africa east with some related species ranging as far east as Pakistan. I am currently working with the sub species S. diadema cliffordi (commonly called the Egyptian Diadem) which is a North African Species from the areas in and around Egypt. The photo below is of a juvinal as they grow the pattern reduces and they get beautiful shades of rose, orange, peach and red.
Diadem’s are many things, active, curious and intelligent but they are not docile by any means. They are not a snake to handle like a “pet” and do not particularly enjoy being touched (of course there are some exceptions to every rule). They will hiss much like a North American bull snake, but unlike our bulls there is no bluffing, they will strike, bite and even chew. They are technically considered rear fanged colubrid but no reactions of any kind have been reported to their mild venom on humans and their Toxicology Report officially lists them as “nonvenomous”. Still I use a hook to handle mine just because I do not enjoy being bitten or chewed on.
Many people wonder why anyone would want to keep a snake that bites, to them I say try keeping a Diadem or a pair of them and you will quickly answer your own question. Keeping a Diadem is like keeping a Saw Scaled Viper or Desert Adder with out the risk. Their show is impressive and they require you to think before putting a hand in their cages. You quickly learn to use snake hooks and how to deal with something more challenging they say a corn or ball python that just lays around.
The return for your efforts is great! Diadems like to explore a lot and don’t spend hours hiding from you. While they strike at hands that come at them they are not freaks that smack the glass just because you walk by it or attack you when you are just changing a water dish. They quickly learn to trust their captors so long as you are not trying to get to close to them or pick them up and will take mice off tongs with vigor.
Spalerosophis grow to about corn snake length (4-4.5 feet) as adults but are much more heavily bodied and therefore more impressive. Breeding is a simple affair, simply by providing a long photo period and introducing a male to a female you can get them to breed around June each year. Dr. Neil Ford of UT Tyler has a paper on breeding Diadem’s you can download here.
What really makes these snakes so wonderful in spite of an aggressive nature is how enjoyable and easy to care for they really are. I often observe my snake studying my movements and watching me work. They eat just about anything of reasonable size you place in front of them and actually prefer arid environments so humidity is a minor to no concern. As they do not get overly large topping out under 5 feet so they are easy to provide for. If you are looking for a snake that gives you a bit of the thrill of an exotic viper with out the risk of going to a hospital or loosing a hand, then a Diadem may be the perfect fit.
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