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Can anyone tell me what a rusty rat snake is? I thought it was a color morph of the black rat, but now I see an ad on kingsnake describing them as black x Texas rats...hmmmm...now totally confused...thanks...

SR

Unfortunatly I think with all of the man made intergrades the Black Rat Snakes and Texas rat snakes offered for sale have joined the ranks of corn snakes. Anything goes. You make it, you name it. With common names you can produce something different and then give it a common name. In this instance the hobbiest or breeder gave that name to a cross but there could be someone else using rusty rat to describe a morph from pure Black or pure Texans. Yes I am just as confused as you at this point. My goal was to find a pure lucistic Black Rat to breed to one of my local Black Rats but now I do not know if I trust anyone at this point.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

I have to agree with you on this one Bill. I have done lots of looking into the origins of the so called "pure leucistic black rat" and I have called and spoken to Don directly to get his view point on it and to ask about the line he is selling. ( great guy by the way..I enjoyed talking with him ) but in the end , I am left to beleive that there is not such a thing as a pure strain from black rat.

Now, do I like the looks of whats out there?? ...YES. I have wanted a leucistic for quite some time, but I dont want a texas rat so I have not pursued getting one any further.

The saga continues.

Rusty blk rats are a natural morph founded in PG county MD [told to me at different times by several old herpers] Like any other snake they come in different shades some lighter than others...I heard that too [they are a cross between a tx rat]I totally disagree because rusties are co-dominate...rusty X normal= half rusties and half normals in F1's and rusties would be found where ever the two rats overlap like greenish in carolina ,...I too saw that ad but hey ppl can put what they want in there ads but it's up to you to do your research !!!!!!!
There's some photos of rusties farther down this forum under bam171bam post
I hope this was some help

i believe you are CORRECT sir...its my understanding that larry rouch actually did the ground work and in the process produced a true leucistic black rat from that prince george rusty rat line......am i misinformed???

Hey Bob
Larry was selling rusties het for lucy at the first MARS show back in 92 or 93 ...I don't remember seeing any leucistic blk rats being sold at the time. An old friend Chuck from PG county MD told me Larry and him was catching rusties back in the later 70's..There's some breeders who are producing lucy's from there rusty line which was trace back to Larry stock.
Larry and Chuck are some of the old herpers who told me that rusties came from PG county MD.

Note:
Most of the breeders that I talked to feel Larry cross his rusties to a Luecistic TX rat.

is this the coastal plains chuck???....i suspected the texas rat outx....but larry told me that white black rat just...POP YOUR MAGIC TWANGER, FROGGIE....hatched out.....ahhh...a spontaneous mutation.........is larry still in watha???

Yeah that's the Chuck!!!!!!!...The last time I saw Larry was at the MARS show @ 4yrs ago

A rusty ratsnake is a co dominant morph of the black ratsnake, just like a pastel royal python. The super form, rusty x rusty produces leucistic black ratsnakes, theres no texas ratsnake involved.

You got my attention! More please. Who works with Rusty and have they kept track of their stock as to keep it pure?
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Most of the breeders that I talked to feel Larry cross his rusties to a Luecistic TX rat.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

But if it is just the expression of a co dominant trait then the one breeder doesn't really matter. Anyone who has a leucy black rat could make rusties.... If you find a breeder with pure leucys (which you don't think there are) then their rusties would be pure. You just have to back track and do your homework. Don't think that because a handfull of people crossed them that there are no pure ones.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

OK I am still doing my homework. On line. If someone has a cheat sheet it would be helpfull!
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

You got to know Larry ...This is a classic case of your past following thru life