In my experience, Elaphe climacophora is just a little more nervous and has just a little bit more attitude than the average North American ratsnake. Remarkably, this goes especially for the striped morph, and especially for the females. However, when compared to Blue Beauties or King Ratsnakes, she's really not that bad at all. It's her feeding response you should be worried about. Right after brumation she feeds extremely well for 2 or 3 months, and then she tends to slow down and finally stops somewhere around september. But even within her feeding period she does occassionally pause for about a month. This is perfectly normal, but it could drive a power feeder up the wall. For the most reliable feeding response I recommend keeping her sollitary, especially the males.

Besides the feeding issue as mentioned above, they can be kept very much like Black Ratsnakes. They are beautiful snakes with lots of personality. Unless you're driven by commercial motives, I think it's very unlikely you'll be disappointed getting into Elaphe climacophora.

Good luck,

Herman.

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