Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I caught a ratsnake about 2 days ago, it's about 3.5-4ft long, a pretty black/w white under. It attempted to strike 2x while being captured, upon putting it in an aquarium, it became very docile,.........do I release this snake back in the wild, or can I make it a pet? any feedback, suggestions will be appreciated. I have a tropical fish aquarium with Gouramis, a Giant Goldfish, swordtails, guppies, a large PECO, 2 one line catfish, and another fish that I cannot identify at this time, I add to to say that I wish no harm to any animal. Any suggestions concerning this Ratsnake capture?

blackfoot1c@verizon.net

IMHO wild animals belong in the wild where they can help to keep the ballance in nature. You can get a nice captive breed snake for so little cash, you don't need to take them from the wild.

Just remember to return the snake to where you found it unless that will put the animal at risk.

Rick

Thanks Rick, I made the decision to return it prior to reading your response. I thought that it would be better to return it to where it truly belong!

As noted, captive bred specimens are readily available and quite inexpensive. If you are interested in keeping snakes, by all means you should do so. Just do a little research, make some decisions, and...Welcome to the Club! Again, good job letting the wild one go. Duffy

Thanks Duffy, I still feel good about setting it free! I want one to raise,....yes I'm reading 1st before I do anything...thanks again for the words from experience.

Good response, some get so busy with raising and breeding, how many others keep the natural balance of nature in their minds. I think I will raise a young one from captivity.

You could match it up with a mate, and start your own bloodline, otherwize in my experience wildcaught adults usually do quite well in captivity. While there are a lot of captive born available, most breeders are into producing color morphs. There are very few being bred for jet black coloration. Dwight Good produces some really nice ones. Where did you catch yours.

Taking an occasional wild caught for the purpose of gene pool is not a bad thing, if it's not done from time to time, you wind up with a bunch of generic inbred mutants. By the way, the ruthveni is gravid again, I have Drumheller Bullsnake eggs, and I may have a gravid Eastern Fox! Good to see you on the forums,hope all is well

Bart

Thanks BBBruno! good to be in the forum, I am learning so much from u people of snakes......

Hey Bart, how have you been? I'm glad the ruthveni are doing well for you. I had a couple of good trips this Spring, finding some speckled kings, black rats, many copperheads, and my first pigmy rattler. I'll call you soon.
Alan,

Thanks for the feedback! I caught this ratsnake in Baltimore, MD in a park called "Herring Run"....

Thanks for the feedback, u know how hindsight is..."Wish I would have kept that ratsnake and breed it!"

Well, whenever you do breed some, and I hear they're common up your way, put me down for a pair of the offspring. Take care and welcome to the ratsnake addiction.
Alan,

Good feedback! Thanks Alan, I'm investing a lot of time reading now! Oh, about snakes of course!

There is plenty of good reading out there on all subjects, but it certainly doesn't hurt to get your RDA reading about reptiles.

Here is a w/c male that I pulled from a brush pile that was about to be burned in a friends back yard.He had a hole in the middle of the brush pile and was living in it.
That was 5 years ago,and he is alive and well in my herp. room in a very large enclosure.He is around 6'-6" and very docile.
He was bred to an amel. female 2 years ago and produced 9 het. for amel. babys.He loves med. rats!
He is the only w/c snake I have.
You made a good decision to release your snake.I probably could have relocated the snake I have,but since I decided to keep him( legally caught with a Pa. fishing permit)he will be kept warm and fed till his last day.

Beautifull snake. Does he have blue eyes? Here in MO their eyes are a light brown color.

-----
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"
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake "Molly" (Flogging Molly)

As we say in Missouri, "I ain't goin back to Missouri!"

While we're on the topic of wild caughts, here's mine. In 2004 he crawled into my apartment complex from a construction site next door. The field where he lived is now a parking garage. I was quite close to releasing him in a nearby park, but my girl thought we should keep him. He was my first snake ever, and I liked him so much I got two captive bred corns. I wish I had some updated pics but I don't have a digital camera.

that will never end. It depends on ones conviction about keeping a w/c for ANY reason. Let's all remember that this WHOLE industry was based upon w/c and I was there as the hobby/industry grew into what it is today. There is that movement to get back to PURE and original strains of blood lines. How do you do this ? How do you know what you are getting as far as a captive raised pure anymore ? Sure, there are some bona-fide honest breeders of such but look at the reptile shows/expos and some classifieds. Het this, hybrid that, etc. Also with the habitat loss going on these days of whatever, if a w/c caught reptile is within the legality of your state law, I don't see any harm and in fact just may save that particular animal. This is in my opinion within reason and doesn't mean multiple numbers or anything like that. Of course I and you have no way of knowing this but if given the right caging and requirements in captivity...........I keep saying there is several reptiles that are STILL basically pursued almost endlessly of wild that in my opinion doesn't need to be. But that's me and my opinion !
-----
I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

My rule on disposition of WC snakes (and any other wildlife for that matter) is the one I applied to the black rat snake I now have: If the animal is in danger where it is, and there is no nearby place to safely relocate it, placing it in a captive state is the best option for its future. My snake came from a neighbor's back yard in a suburban development, several miles from any truly safe habitat. Given the snakephobia out there, it was only a matter of time before some uninformed goober chopped him up with a hoe. I am also aware that it is unwide to relocate snakes beyond their home range, as they lose direction to customary hibernation sites, food supplies and even breeding locations. Best rule is, if it saves the snake, take it home.