Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it just me or is there a growing interest in "normal" black ratsnakes these days? Personally,they are one of my favorite natives and if it weren't for Va.'s laws against breeding normals I'd probably have a nice pair! Just a thought! Jeff

>>Is it just me or is there a growing interest in "normal" black ratsnakes these days? Personally,they are one of my favorite natives and if it weren't for Va.'s laws against breeding normals I'd probably have a nice pair! Just a thought! Jeff
>>

Black rats are my favorite snakes. If you want a young baby in early june (now) look on paved roads at night.
-----
My collection
1.0.0 Normal Taiwan Beauty Snake
1.1.0 Normal Black Rat Snake
1.0.0 White-sided Black Rat Snake
1.0.0 Anery Corn Snake
1.0.0 Amel Corn Snake
1.0.0 Normal Common Garter Snake
Wish List
1.0.0 Black Racer
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0.0 Spilotes
1.0.0 Blue Beauty Snake

Me, too. All the way around. Of the 5 snakes we have, the WC Black Rat that we have is BY FAR my favorite. Don't get me wrong - I love the rest we have - but she's just my favorite. She's our most recent acquisition...found her in the middle of the yard as I was preparing to mow the lawn. About 9:30 in the AM...wouldn't have expected her to be there under normal circumstances...so I figured she WANTED to live with us.

Seems happy. Eats eagerly. Easy to handle...even tempered. LOVE HER. Named her "Dar", the Romanian word for "gift" since I feel like she was just that.

Sorry to gush....

Yea, you can't sell them, but I don't think the law stops you from giving them away. If you read the law, it says you can't sell Pantherophis alleghaniensis. That would also include Yellow Rat Snakes, but not Black Rats from the Mid West. Now do you think anyone from the agency is going to come to your home to look at your papers if you are only producung one clutch a year. I would just make it a point not to sell them to someone in Virginia.

They are great snakes. I have a female that was rescued from someone's yard in York Co. She is a wonderful animal.

I think you may be on to something. During the past five or so years, I've seen a growing interest in not just Black Ratsnakes, but also some of the other P. obsoletus. Surely, it's not gonna be "the next big thing", but as the market becomes saturated with all these ridiculously overrated boa and python morphs, going for a "good old" Black Ratsnake actually makes perfect sense. If you have the money to spend, you can get a piebald Ballpython anytime, anywhere. A nice Black Ratsnake on the other hand, although affordable to just about anyone, actually is a way more exclusive choice, and certainly will give you much more fun. It feels good to see a growing number of hobbyists turning their back to commercialism, going back to what herpetoculture once used to be all about: intellectual fullfillment. The best things in life are free (well, almost).

Herman,

Well said. I wish I could send you one. In Virginia, we have some of the nicest Black Rats you will ever see. Many are that classic jet black with a white throat.

Man, do I envy you. Back in the '80s, nice Black Rats just like that used to be quite popular among European herpetoculturists. But in the same period the first "investment" morphs like the albino Burmese Python conquered the herpetocultural market, the average intellect of herpetoculturists rapidly declined, and many "low end" colubrid snakes, although very common at the time, mysterically vanished into thin air. As a result, true Black Ratsnakes have now become about as common as lunar eclipses. Still they sell for only 30 bucks though

Black rats have always been one of my favorite snakes, right there with Eastern Diamondbacks, Eastern Kings and Northern Pines. I had been collecting them since the early 1960's and have seen many along the way. They still fascinate me.

Lucky Me. I received a "rescued" Black Rat over the weekend. A cousin found it in their back yard "attacking a cat" as they put it. His wife is of the "the only good snake is a dead snake" mentality and he knew that Black Rats are my favorite so he saved it for me.

I happily relocated it for them (to a vacant tank in our home).

Will post pics soon. This one is much larger that our other Black Rat. Best we could tell he comes in around 3' 9".