Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I'm brand new to posting on the site, although I've been "lurking" around for about a month. I just recently adopted a 2 year old rat snake and I was wondering if a couple people around here could help me with figuring out what kind of rat snake she is. She's definately got some Everglades in her but other than that I'm not too sure.

Sorry, I pressed the enter button before I got to finish writing or attaching pictures...
I'll post the other photos later tonight but for now here's the one off the rescue site...

Hard to see but it looks like an albino black rat, maybe a bubble-gum (evergladesXblack rat). A better pic with a belly shot might help others. I am not that good with black rats of black rat crosses.

Jason

That is ABSOLUTELY a "Bubblegum Rat",albino "everglades" x albino black rat. (ross alleni) x formerly(obsoleta). Bill Love started proppogating those some years ago. That is a super nice example of one!!.....................................Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Thanks! I saw her and had to have her! She's got a sister, who as of this past saturday is still up for adoption, that's nearly the same color although the picture on the adoption site makes her look a lot lighter. I got Aida from New England Amphibian and Reptile Rescue (NEARR). She's shy but she's starting to coming around. I had never seen bright pink rat snake before, and I've been looking for pictures with one as bright as Aida is online and can't find any.

~Sarah

I wish I lived up there!!! I'd take her in a NY second!!LOL..I'm way down in Florida!!...........................Doug

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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Are Bubblegums fairly common? I've heard the name a few times before but it always seemed like more of a nick name. Especially when the one's I've seen in photos are a pastel yellow with only a small amount of pink (or pink and green in corn snakes). If any snake deserves to be named after a pack of Bazooka Joe, than Aida's it! I actually named her after Gatorade She's my first pet snake. I'm an intern at a wildlife sanctuary and I'm around Black rats, corns, king snakes, ball pythons, boas, and a few others all the time.
~Sarah

They are very deserved of the name "Bubblegum Ratsnake",and is definitely their "coined" name, and not just a knickname. When you type this on a "Google search", what often happens is the picture you are seeing is actually a "Bubblegum" cornsnake!!, which, as you know is a totally different snake. Those are "pinkish" colored "snowcorns". Also, sometimes you have to "click" on the website to see the correct snake. Many times the wrong snake appears initially on a "image search", unless you enter the site, then you will see the correct one as you scroll down........I don't see as many "Bubblegums" as I used to for some reason,....but if you go to a International Reptile Show, you would certainly see some there.....yours is truly a fine example. Bill Love started these in the early 90's when he was with "Glades Herp inc.".....hope this helps some,.....Doug

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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Thanks a lot! I'll just have to look a little harder for them )
~Sarah

A book I have called "Corn Snakes and Other Rat Snakes" by Bartlett & Bartlett (1996)describe the "albino bubblegum rat snake" as a "very pretty snake with a combined lineage of Everglades, yellow, and black rat snakes. With growth, the babies develop pink blotches on an almost white ground color, with variable highlights of yellow or pale orange." (p.53)

Yours sure is a beauty. Thanks for sharing with us. Duffy

Here's a couple other pics of her, although neither are belly shots.
Her belly is one solid color (light orangey-pink, although it's more yellow near her head)

Looks like what they call a bubble gum.Very pretty snake!