Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Eastern Shore VA

Nice hole in a tree that proved to be a tree house for an adult pair of Black Rat snakes. The one in the photo appears to be a female. The snakes go back and forth between the tree and the area up under the house. They seem to enjoy and look forward to their free mouse meals and have even come up to the entrance of the tree hole to drink water when sprayed with a mister bottle.

Photo #1 - Black Rat Treehouse
Photo #2 - Snake basking in a nearby bush next to the house after her meal
Photo #3 - Snake coming out to take a F/T mouse given to her

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PHWyvern

...but this must be the first offical "snake feeder" and "snake bath".

DR
Suboc.com

>>...but this must be the first offical "snake feeder" and "snake bath".
>>
>>DR
>>Suboc.com

lol. At least now we have a proven disposal method for any leftovers from the indoor snakes. The black rats have taken F/T mice and rats with glee. Electrician was under the house yesterday and found a fresh shed.. roughly 66" inches. Saturday was funny.. came back to the house and saw a "snake in the grass" pose of one of them coming out from under the house with head held high to see over the grass (hadn't been cut in a while).
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PHWyvern

Great story and nice photos. We are lucky, here in Virginia, to have such nice Black Rats. I am going to be on the Eastern Shore on the 2nd and 3rd of next month for a bike ride. Maybe if I am lucky, I will get to see a few of the Shore's many snakes. Thanks for the post.

That is the ultimate.
If I had that I would not have one in a cage!!!
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Regards, Bill McGighan

>>That is the ultimate.
>>If I had that I would not have one in a cage!!!
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>>Regards, Bill McGighan

I second that. That's why God is a god. I mean, who wouldn't want their own Garden of Eden?

N/P

DR

How cool is that?To be able to watch them from your home.
What a great way to make field observations.
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"Upon Thy Belly Thou Shalt Go"

Very cool. When we lived in rural Tennessee, we had a female black rat who lived in a hole at the base of a split rail fence post in the front yard, right near the gate. Every day she would stretch all 5 feet of herself out on the top rail and bask for hours. She'd go off to hunt field mice, and come back to stretch out and digest her meal. She even laid a clutch of 8 eggs in that hole. We incubated them so the raccoons and other critters wouldn't get them, then released them in the woods behind the house.

What was great is that we had very few unwanted visitors. Word of our "guard snake" spread. People like my sister-in-law would call ahead to make sure she wasn't basking near the gate when she wanted to come over.

rgds,
althea