So I'm curious to know how many morphs there and which are true Everglades, not the result of breeding in traits from other subspecies.I know of white-sided and hypomelanistic, are these pure Everglades?

Actually those are the only two morphs that I am aware of that weren't created by using other ssp. There used to be blotchless everglades rats available but I'm not sure how many of those aren't tainted. They may or may not have been 'pure' everglades to begin with. Kathy Love could give you more information on the history of those.

And who has a nice bloodline of normal Everglades? I assume Dwight Good is the place to start?

Sorry but I won't be producing any nice normal Everglades this season. Jim Merli has some really nice stock, you should check into getting on his waiting list.

One thing to keep in mind about raising any of the snakes formerly known as Elaphe obsoleta ssp. is that they change dramatically from hatchling to adult. So my advice to anyone wishing to build up a nice breeding colony of everglades (or other obsoleta ssp) rats is to start out with as many animals as possible. Buying a pair will not do if ending up with the best looking adults is your goal. I'd say go with at least 2.4 hatchings, or even 3.6 if possible. Start with the best looking stock/bloodlines that you can find and then raise them up for about a year or so. Then cull out the less remarkable specimens, you won't be sorry that you did.

Hope this helps,
dg

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