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Introduction
The north American rat snake (Pantherophis obselota) is a medium to large sized snake which are part of a group of snakes called colubrids which are a group of non venomous snakes…rat snakes are increasingly popular as pets due to their manageable size and general calm nature with exceptions to some individuals and nervous animals and feed well in captivity usually being quite greedy feeders too which is a plus sign for the beginner keeper in which can be a worrying time for any keeper when a snakes showing reluctance to eat particularly when it’s a young individual but in some cases there are some stubborn feeders but with time, patience and sourcing the problem it should sort itself out, being non venomous aggression is its only defence in which it rattles its tail against any loose terrain which mimics the deadly rattlesnakes (Crotalus species) and most animals are familiar in that area to the rattle that means ‘danger’ so the animal is left alone or striking at predators is another deterrent.

Rat snakes get their names from their usual foods in the wild consists of rats, they are overpowered by constriction in which all non venomous do to dispatch of prey and the animal soon slips away due to asphyxiation(lack of oxygen) before it is eaten by the snake but being opportunist feeders they will eat other rodents,frogs,small birds, small lizards and even other snakes(even each other!!!!!) but in the states some are referred to as chicken snakes because they eat birds eggs on occasions.

Distribution
the north American snake originates from north America as the name suggests where they inhabit grasslands,moutain areas and woodland areas where they seek refuge in burrows and crevices during times of inactivity to keep away from predators and to keep out the sun with them being crespular animals(active only when light levels are low) and seek heat from rocks, being cold blooded which means they are unable to regulate their own body they have to find other means of warming up they do this by basking on warm rocks that have been warmed by the sun during the day or warm roads.

Appearance and size
The rat snake is a thick bodied snake with a large robust head usually with a few head markings which vary with individual snakes and body markings and patterning are variable and dependant on type/morph.
rat snakes attain lengths of 4ft -6ft but 7ft and larger animals are heard of quite occasionally so are a very easily managed species for anyone wanting to keep pet snakes and their care is quite straightforward so is a perfect snake for the starting out keeper.
rat snakes come in many different patterning and colorations which is another plus to deciding on rat snakes as a pet as due to many breeders all around the world concentrating their efforts on these snakes many colourations are available direct from breeders or through pet shops and shows so doing a little searching through photos or the variety available near you so you are able to find the type you really like and bring you many years of happiness
The varieties are listed below which are available at many pet shops as are many unusual types and patterning of the species….

Black rat snake(Pantherophis obsoleta obsoleta)
this rat snake is as the name suggests as adults are completely black except for its chin and are one of the most widespread of the Obsoleta rat snakes and as hatchlings have very pale markings which get darker as gets older…they are very popular in captivity with such types as albino,leucistic and white sided(also referred to as liquorice stick rat snake) being very popular.

Grey rat snake(Pantherophis obsoleta spilodes)
this rat snake is one of the more larger of the rat snakes with grey and black markings but the ‘white oak’ type displays much lighter colouration and speckles of white as adults and is the only rat snake to retain its juvenile patterning and speckles as adult.

Texas rat snake(Pantherophis obsoleta linderhemri)
this rat snake has to be one of the most ill tempered by reputation of this family of rat snakes and they range from light browns to light yellows and oranges on its sides and are very popular rat snakes but their leucistic form which is very popular sometimes do suffer from ‘bug eye’ which is a genetic fault.


Everglades rat snake(Pantherophis obsoleta rossanelli)
this rat snake is a large rat snake with bright orange colouration ith yellow belly colour with hatchlings being pinkish to light orange with 4 longitudinal stripes that fade when adult and in the wild are usually found near water and are excellent swimmers.

Yellow rat snake(Pantherophis obsoleta quadrivittata)
this rat snake is olive green to bright yellow with thick black stripes going down its body and as hatchlings are usually quite green to light yellow in colouration and the colour becomes more solid as it ages and is one impressive looking ratsnake.



occassionally you will find intergrades but are just as good to keep as the pures and display nice colours
housing in captivity
rat snake housing is relatively easy to get and set up and a large range of housing is available for snakes in many pet shops today….security is one of the most important things when considering your snakes housing as corn snakes are very good escape artists and very clever/inquisitive to the slightest hole/gap left and is amazing how little they are able to squeeze through.

Wooden vivariums are a good cage for adult rat snakes being very securely built and with only the front viewable it has a calming effect on nervous/new snakes as it gives them a sense of security and with vents fitted allows good air circulation as well as coming in many different sizes and very durable as rat snakes get very rough when active.

Plastic housing such as geoflats,conticos,large boxes are also used with high success with keeping rat snakes as they also have the advantage of variety of sizes and secure fitting lids many of which are clipped from the outside which means the snake cannot open it from inside the cage or try and squeeze out
Glass tanks used in fish keeping are very ill fitting with regards to lids and don’t really allow much air circulation but there are ranges that are suitable for reptiles like the perfecto range

A good sized vivarium for a large sized rat snake of up to 7 ft in length would be a 4 ft long cage but large conticos and other housing has been used successfully of which a good substrate needs to be used and is really up to personal preference to what to use but substrates such as newspaper, aspen and shop bought bark are very popular but is worth looking out for with particle substrate such as small wood chips as they are very easily swallowed while feeding and can cause real problems to the snake even fatally injuring it so putting kitchen towel on top of the substrate during feeding days are good to prevent such happenings.

Although many breeders/keepers keep their rat snakes in pairs or more with spacious surroundings and living well together it is best to keep rat snakes separately housed to check its health and feeding well in your care and as snakes are very solitary animals in the wild it is most probably your better choice of housing arrangements

Heating the cage is either by heat mat or headlamp(heat bulbs or CHE(ceramic heater) of which must be controlled by a thermostat that is designed to control such equipment(pulse is best as high load and perfect for controlling non light emitting equipment and can be used to heat multiple cages dependant on wattage output) and if using bulbs a guard must be fitted….both of which will stop your snake sustaining injuries or overheating both of which are extremely fatal and with heat mats make sure there is an air gap to allow efficient heating and use of the heat mat and to prevent malfunctioning of equipment…rat snakes do well at a temperature of 80-83f with a drop to 78f at night and room humidity is fine as well as the water bowl being put nearer the hot end of your cage


The interior of the cage is up to personal preference with regards to decoration but good additions include secure branches as rat snakes are excellent climbers and love the opportunity to do so and cork bark and bits of wood make good hiding places for snakes but make sure all are free from sharp edges which could injure the snake and stable enough to hold the snakes weight comfortably and treated with miltons or any reptile disinfectants prior to be put back in the cage after thorough washing afterwards to kill germs and to keep your snake healthy and a good sized water bowl that is big enough for a snake to submerge is another good addition to the terrarium(dog bowls are good for adult snakes as difficult to tip and very easy to clean)

Food and feeding

rat snakes are easily got into feeding on defrosted mice and rats at hatchling stage and are greedy feeders so are generally not a problem and feeding from frozen is cheaper to buy as are available in many sizes and theres no danger of injury or suffering to the rodent if it was alive.

Defrosting before feeding can be done in many ways like defrosting them in a warm place naturally or submerging them in warm water until defrosted then dried which also has an advantage of raising the body heat of the prey

most snakes will take the food item if you wiggle it with a pair of forceps(you can risk being bitten if using your fingers) until the snake grabs it which is called ‘’strike feeding’’ whereas others prefer to feed off the ground of in the privacy of their hide box.

In some cases you get the odd reluctant feeder which will not take the mice/rats easily so hers a few pointers:

*braining the rodent which involves splitting the rodents skull and exposing the brain and the snake upon smelling this should take it with no problems

*splitting the stomach which involves splitting it and it does the same purpose as skull splitting

*washing the rodent and handling it as little as possible could be another way to get it feeding as it might smell you on there

*scenting it with chick or mouse in the case of rats could trigger a feeding response or rubbing lizard skin on there as snakes are opportunist feeders in the wild so worth a try to the captives

Once these methods have been exhausted pre killed is another option with the above methods used then and after this has been exhausted assist feeding and should only be attempted as a last resort as can cause added stress to the snake may be an option but all the above methods have proved successful so you should have no problems.

Handling your snake

When first acquiring a young snake try and resist the temptation of handling the snake until it is feeding regular and it has fully settled into its new environment, some snakes can be a little nervous when you handle them for the first time and shake their tail and strike but take things slowly and they calm down to accept handling very well but like everything you do the odd exception which is down to the individual really(like people)which can be aggressive and not take to handling as well as you’d hoped

Its best not to handle snakes 48 hours after a feed too as to not risk regurgitation or not being confident in handling the snake as you can risk injuring the snake even a fall from a small height can still hurt a snake

The best way to handle a snake of their size is to support the snakes body at two places and gently let it glide between your hands freely, don’t hold them too tightly as you can cause it injuries like bruising and hold it as you would feel comfortable.

Sexing your rat snake

Some breeders and experienced keepers can tell the snakes sex by tail length or popping the tails when they are a few days old or more but this should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets because in the wrong hands or done after that period you risk harming your snake and damaging the hermiphene in male snakes but the almost 100% way to definitely sex your snake is probing, this also should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets as again can cause serious injury or damage which ultimately could kill your snake in which involves a blunt steel rod being inserted into the cloaca/vent of your snake and depending how many sub caudal scales it goes up will determine the sex of your snake.

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leethal_bite@hotmail.com....

good caresheet!!!!!!

very nice

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very good caresheet!, give you rep

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Excellent work , just what I was looking for
Answered all the questions I had

Having checked out your photos, I have to agree that my new rat is
a Texas Rat.

Cheers

Dizzy

Excellent loads of info and advice on here well done hun

Excellent thanks hun

Sam x x x x

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excellent caresheet, thanks

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Well done ... only thing I question is the 7' snake in a 4' viv .... my everglades is just over 4' at the moment, in a 4' viv and really will be upraded shortly as that viv doesn't seem to do her justice ...

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