Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Picked this up at the Pasadena show Saturday. Kind of like an Old World Baird's, very calm yet inquisitive...thanks Nick!

Check out the island where these things live...incredible beautiful but sure looks cold and not very snakey?

www.shpilenok.com/reserves/kurilsky/index.htm#3

Looks like they botched the Id on this one...sure looks like climacophora to me...on a cold beach at that. Starting to get an itch to visit that place...wow!!!

www.shpilenok.com/reserves/kurilsky/pages/WL_RA_004.htm

>>Looks like they botched the Id on this one...sure looks like climacophora to me...on a cold beach at that. Starting to get an itch to visit that place...wow!!!
>>
>>www.shpilenok.com/reserves/kurilsky/pages/WL_RA_004.htm

Nice! and that is a climac. I used to keep Kunisar's myself long time ago. Neat snakes. Very short season...

Terry
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Conserving reptiles by helping to protect habitat...
www.ratsnakehaven.com
www.scenicsantaritas.org

Wow, those basalt mountain sides are insane!!

I could only imagine being on vacation there, and running into one ot those ratsnakes there too. That would certainly make for a perfect vacation!..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

Very nice snake!! And very cool island too!! I like the kunisir rats alot!! If not mistaken, the areas they come from are cool and moderate in temperature. Not tropical and hot. I believe they can be kept cooler than typical North American Ratsnakes.

Now, that IS different. I haven't seen many pics of this species.
Congrats!

Matthew

Your right... Very cool...They seem to have the same subtlety as Bairds in their colors.
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I thought "Shane_OK" posted some field shots of these a few ears ago...
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Regards, Bill McGighan

Wow, beautiful animal.

Pretty snake. This is one of my favorite species--I have 1:2 normal and 1:1 albino climacs. Keep in mind that this species likes the temps cooler than many other species.

rgds,
althea

I picked up a pair at Hamburg Pa a few years back as Japanese rats. They we're small but showed promise to have good color later on. I didn't know much about them at the time and at $180 for the pair it was an impulse buy, but one that has turned out to be one of my happier aqusitions.
They have amazing color now and are definitely Kunashir rats. They are easy to keep, calm and never ever bite.
I keep mine on the top shelf in my snake room with 4" heat tape running under the tank set at 95 degrees and the ambient room temp hovering between 75-78 degrees.
They are doing great this way. As they are the size of the average adult corn now I'm hopeing to have them breed this upcomming spring. I would recommend these snakes to anyone for beauty and ease to keep. As easy as a corn and maybe more gentle.
Mike.

Thanks guys for the first-hand experience.

Pinelandsghost, do yours utilize the hot (95 degree) side? Mine seems to avoid the warm side so far, even after feeding last night.

I keep mine on the cooler end of my herp room--ambient around 78 degrees (they do not like it warmer). I give them some extra heat for 24 hours after feeding, but after that they avoid it like vampires to sunlight LOL.

Also, do not be surprised if they stop eating during the winter months. No matter how I tweak the environment, I have two who will stop eating in november and resume eating in march. Others have also shared similar behavior in their animals.

n/p

Mine don't seem to relly have a preference for where they are as far as the temps go.
You've got me wondering now though. Maybe I'll lower them down and get them to the cooler temps where my manderins are kept to see how they do.(?)
Mike.

I think the poster said these have a temperment similar to a Baird's. If this is true, IME, they would make wonderful snakes to keep & breed. What's your unbiased opinion here? LOl

Matthew

Hey Matthew, IM(LIMITED)E, I only wonder why they are so rare in collections. There's a nice pair in the classifieds now but I just don't have room...drat!!! Hopefully we'll see more of them someday.

I have been keeping 1.2 Kunashir Isands since 2006. My one female I keep in my science classroom. She has an amazingly curious and gentle personality. She is in a 20L with a hide and no heat. When the kids come in in the morning, she pokes her head out and watches. Then she will come out and stay out the entire time the kids are there. They all love to hold her when the have free time, and she will literally come out of the aquarium and climb onto their arms when the top is opened.

I bred my other 1.1 for the first time this past season. They are much brighter green than the female in my classroom. It was tricky though. They never showed mating behavior. I would only occasionally find them curled up together. My female was gravid, and never really appeared gravid. In fact, I missed the signals and therefore never gave her a nest box. As a result, I found 6 eggs laid directly on the aspen. I was able to save 3, and all hatched successfully.

This species does like cooler temps. I keep my pair at home on the bottom shelf of my rach with no heat and an ambient room temp of 72-74F. The other thing that is quirky about this species is the tendency to go off food very early. Mine stop eating around the end of Sept. I already have the male in brumation, and I stopped feeding the female last week. They are extremely tuned into the photoperiod. I'm sure this stems from adaptation to their northerly locale and the inconsistency of food sources.

But I too think these snakes are a hidden gem in the hobby. They are unique, beautiful, inquisitive and gentle animals. I think many times the babies get passed over because they are a very non-descript brownish green. But talk about ugly ducklings becoming swans! I will be breeding my pair again this coming spring. Here is a link to my photobucket page that shows my adult pair and the hatchlings they produced this past season:

http://s925.photobucket.com/albums/ad99/CraigHummel/Kunashir Island Ratsnakes/
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God Bless Evolution.

Thanks Craig, very informative account. Great pics too. Actually the young are pretty attractive too. These seem so much like Baird's. Mine is still eating...we'll see.

I've heard they will stop eating in summer if it is too warm. This guy seemed to eat no matter what though.

Craig has some of his direct children, I do believe.
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Nick Puder
www.rnpreptiles.com

Ha, don't recall you saying you bred him Nick...very cool. He just savaged two jumbo mice last night...the instant response surprised the heck out of me. His first few meals were almost ignored. Guess he's settled in now. Still pretty shy though but getting over it.

Once he's feeding, he'll go nuts! Just had to wake up a little from brumation.

I purchased them as proven breeders, Craig purchased his from the guy I bought the adults from! I was talking to him about buying another female but passed when I found out he was selling grandchildren of this male.
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Nick Puder
www.rnpreptiles.com

Those are really nice!

Their turquoise blue/green coloration is super sharp!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

I especially like the color as well!
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I keep hitting 'escape' but I'm still here.Simply Sober

That is beautiful!!! Jeff

very nice snake, I like it alot
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I keep hitting 'escape' but I'm still here.Simply Sober