Its been 36 yrs since I owned one....I still think they are one of the most beautiful snakes around....who breeds them and why are there so few around in the classifieds etc. Thanks?
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
Western Green Rats
coolhl7
Aug 01, 2003 04:45 PM
Replies (2)
jfirneno
Aug 01, 2003 08:24 PM
Well, if you don't mind central american locale I think I saw some on the KS colubrid classifieds recently. And although I can't think of whom at the moment, I think several of the rat snake breeders that advertise on KS raise the Arizona animals.
John
Terry Cox
Aug 03, 2003 01:16 PM
John, I think you're right. Several people in AZ raise green rats, although they can't legally sell them. I believe Bill Gillingham sells them at Great Valley Serpentarium. Also, Ophidiophile Farms has the Central American ones.
I've had Chihuahuan green rats for about three years, and have decided to get out of keeping green rats. To answer the initial question, although they are beautiful, I don't think they're a true ratsnake, or at least don't act like one. They are always flighty, even my captive raised ones. I don't think they qualify as a "good" pet.
Green rats are hard to acclimate when wild caught and often come with lots of parasites. Young ones might do a little better, but I think lots of people don't care to breed them because of these drawbacks, so you don't get many of the big breeders getting into them. Also, they don't brumate well, and can die if brumation isn't handled well.
They are very pretty snakes, however, and their ecology and behavior in the wild is both interesting and difficult to unravel. It's something I look forward too as a future AZ resident though. I probably won't try to keep them in captivity, as I will be concentrating on snakes that make better pets. So, I'll just be studying them in the field.
Later....
-----
Just looking, clicking, curious, studying, laughing, having fun, meeting cool folks, sharing. Live your dream, relax, smile, don't worry so much, love life. See ya there...TC.
