My preferred traits in captive snakes are: 1) active, 2) curious, 3) good feeder, 4) basks often. Russian Rat snakes are my hands-down favorites, ahead of Corns & Gophers. I also love the colors silver & gray.

A Las Vegas dealer just sold me a large, 16-inch baby that hatched in early July. The manager hand picked my male from the clutch after I mentioned that I prefer a more white, rather than yellow, adult. He said, “He has cool gray with white speckling; he looks like an Anery Mexican Night Snake.”

*He is a naturally occurring anerythristic specimen. I called back to the dealer later to confirm that they had no anery breeders.*

Flickr link below shows his 100-gallon vivarium. (He will eventually grow into it. My smaller terrarium is used as a secure Playpen when I clean the two larger vivariums.) He’s active & visible frequently, and eagerly enjoys exploring his new home. Custom features include fake plants resembling home range species:

Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
Siberian Blues (Dianthus amurensis)
Fragrant Snowbell (Styrax obassia)
Siberian White Lilly (Lilium siberia)

Features: Brush piles at each end, *five hide spots*, climbing arches, covered pool.
Rocks: Twelve
Plants: Seventeen fake species, three live species (moss & lichens, Sword Fern).
Branches: Eleven
Thermal Gradient Levels: Three for main (basking spot, warm area near it, cooler corners. Four subtle basking levels on branches (high, medium, low, ground below)

1.0 Elaphe schrencki
1.0 Pantherophis guttatus (Miami phase)

Anery vs. Normal comparison photos:
http://iansvivarium.com/morphs/species/elaphe_schrenckii/anerythristic/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50964744@N06/
Link

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