Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up a pair of hatchling Texas Rat Snakes over the weekend at the hamburg PA show. They are wild! Is this normal for young ones? will they calm down?
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[signature removed 6/4/07]

They get worse with age. If they start out biting they will turn into real face biting monsters. They also jump so watch out. When young they usually target the nose but as they get older and smarter they will target the jugular vein! As with all things their personalities will vary from bad to worse! I usually wear welding gloves and a hockey mask with hatchlings and for adults I put on a shark suit made from chain mail. Relax they will probably calm once they get used to your routine. Here is a wild Blackrat a relative of yours.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

That's an awesome black rat snake, and that response still has me laughing. A hockey mask and welding gloves...

On a serious note, they calm with age. Almost all hatchling ratsnakes are fairly insane.

Kevin

as others have stated, they usually come around if you interact with them regularly, once they loose their fear of you, the aggression will subside simultaneously.

Neonatal aggression is a "survival mechanism" that helps the snake avoid being predated upon.

Think of it from their perspective.

What's this very large predator like animal coming directly at me ?

Kicks in their "innate" survival of the fittest behaviors.

Fight or Flight behavior type of thing.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

I was rememoried the pseustes kissing picture.
Hahahaha!
Take care Bill.
Justin

I've kept TX rats and tried to tame them a bunch of times. It doesn't work.
If a TX rat is defensive, it will stay that way. If yours get better, please let us know. It will be a minor miracle.
They are much like beauty snakes. Fun to watch and breed, etc., but are biters.
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V.P.
Austin Herp. Soc.

All snakes -- virtually all animals really -- will repeat behavior that is reinforced as beneficial. The hatchlings want to be put down. They bite. If you put them down, they'll keep biting. I have always used gloves (NOT welding ones!) at first, allowing them to nibble away until they see that such behavior will bring no freedom. Then, tuck first one glove and then the second under your armpit and pull them off, making no sudden moves, and transfer the snakelets to your bare hand, once they have stoped gnawing. Pretty soon they'll decide that there is, a) no benefit to be gained by chewing on you, b) no real threat in being picked up and handled.

well put.
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[signature removed 6/4/07]