Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a first-time snake owner and just purchased a 2-or so month old Leucistic Texas Rat snake and I am not sure it was the best choice because the little guy seems to be a bit on the agressive side. We named him Senor Jeffe but because of his, ah-hem, "fiesty" presonality we are now calling him Jeffe the Horrible. He is a beautiful animal but my concern is handling him as he gets bigger. The striking is sort of cute right now but wont be when he is several feet long. I belly dance and was looking for a constrictor to perform with and was told that Texas Rats are as good as any for "holding on" but I can't perform with an agressive animal. So, with a lot of handling will Jeffe go back to Senor intead of Jeffe the Horrible?
Thanks!!
Taryn

I'll pinch hit for the more experienced forum members tonight. I think most of the gang is on their way to the Daytona show. Admittedly, I don't own Texas Rats of my own but I have friends with them. Although some snakes do get less attitude as they mature, many don't. Texas Rats can be quite beautiful but they also tend to be scrappy. If you are more interested in pretty Rat Snake for the show, Everglades Rats are a beautiful orange color and generally very docile. Since they like to climb, they hold on well too. For another angle, certain localities of Boa constrictors stay fairly small. Some of them, like Nicaraguans are more like 4 feet long.
Here is a picture of an Orange Phase Texas Rat I'm baby-sitting for a couple months. It was produced by Dwight Good a few years ago.

that orange tex is absolutely GORGEOUS,i have never seen anything remotely like it.do you know of any available or people working on breeding projects?

Keep trying. Handle your snake every day, and it will most likely calm down. There is still the chance that it will be aggressive for the rest of its life, but most obsoleta become more docile with time.

Speaking as an owner of several Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri, I can assure you that your baby will almost certainly outgrow its feistiness.

The link below is to a picture of my little girl, Bianca, at about 18 months old, a few months after I got her. She's now three years old, and is the gentlest creature you could ever hope to meet. At the same time that I purchased Bianca, I purchased a normal hatchling Texas Rat, and he was just about the snappiest little thing I ever saw. But, at two years old, he's now very laid-back, and almost never shows any aggression. Generally speaking, once they're over a year old, they'll calm right down. They rarely or never strike, except if they're very hungry. When they're hungry, anything that moves may be mistaken for food.

>>Keep trying. Handle your snake every day, and it will most likely calm down. There is still the chance that it will be aggressive for the rest of its life, but most obsoleta become more docile with time.
Bianca {Leucistic Texas Rat Snake)

-----
tricia

As mentioned below, it's not at all uncommon for baby ratsnakes to be pretty feisty. My leucistic texas rat was a biter when I first got her (she was only a few months old). Now, a year later, she never strikes at all. All 6 of my North American Ratsnakes are very easy to handle. Handle yours on a regular basis, giving it a couple days of peace and quiet after he eats, so you don't make him puke. If he continues to bite, you can even use a latex glove on the hand you pick him up with. Once he calms down, transfer him to your other hand and take the glove off if you want. I have heard that they don't like the taste of the glove, and it makes biting unpleasant. I used one with my little texan, but I'm sure she would have calmed down anyway.
If you really get into snakes, maybe you will wind up with several and you can choose the one who is the best dance partner.
Good luck. Duffy