Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello!yesterday my neighbor called me to come and get 2 "chicken snakes" he had caught.they are 4.4' to 5.5'black rats(georgia).they are very calm,no tail vibration or secretions.i plan on relocating them because most people around here will kill them.i put them in a cage together.when i got home there was another 5' black rat behind my house.this one was very aggressive.i have ball pythons so i had some frozen white mice and thought i would try them.the 1st 2 took them with such ease(no constricting)the 3rd one bit it,dropped then ate it.the 2 that are together have some kind of jerking,vibration thing going on(both males?or boy/girl?)there is definitly a difference in head shape/size.the dominate one has a bigger/wider jaws.i'm new to rats.are they usually this calm(especialy wild caught ones).i might want to get one.they are black,with a faint pattern.the bigger one has some grey coloring and faint red streakes.they are really cool.they were caught on farmland so i know they are not pets.any answers are greatly appreciated.thanks

Nice to hear that other people like black rats!They are one of my favorite native critters(central Va.).They are pretty much like anything else,they have their individual personalities but,I find most of them to be laid back!! Take care! Jeff

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Georgia has restrictions when it comes to keeping herps that are native to the state. You might want to check into that.

Black Rat Snake found in Ohio (which also has restrictions for keeping native snakes) last weekend:

Third Eye

hi!nice picture!!i don't plan on keeping them.just trying to get some good photos when i release them.i was just impressed with their personality.thanks

Great.... It's legal to kill them but not to keep them. Who elects this government??? Have we all become wards of the state of what... Enjoy your native ratsnakes... to hell with the laws... they don't stop the housing building permits do they..... Hypocrites!

hmm... i had the same type thing when i lived in indiana. i got a call and went and removed a pair of black rats from a basement. they were not as sociable as what you described though. especially the male. he was considerably larger and nailed the #$%^ out of me, repeatedly. lol the female laid a dozen eggs a week after i removed her though. that was 2 decades ago. lots of fun...