Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Having been a King & Milk man since 1992, I recently decided to get a Rat Snake for my 55-gallon Forest vivarium.

I wanted a snake more active & inquisitive than most Kings & Milks, who tend to burrow and stay hidden most of the time. I also want a snake that is active during the *day*. (Climbers are a plus!)

I saw the long & helpful thread on Baird's and almost got one. I think that they may be the most beautiful Rat Snake with their silver-gray & orange colors. I only had a chance to get a yearling Baird's, however, at twice the Texan price, and I was told that they are mostly nocturnal.

I settled on a 4-foot male Texan, and I can hardly await his arrival next week. This despite prior warnings from the Dealer:

"Beautiful and they really bite. Nasty foul tempered beasts for sure. Feeding on f/t rats. These are large enough to breed, and will make you bleed."

"All of mine are mean. If you handle often, you get bit often."

I'm thinking that snake behavior varies greatly from snake to snake, is very affected by whether they are in a home with privacy versus in a small container in a pet store with frequent traffic, and how often they are handled.

Hey, Monklet and other Seasoned Veterans, what say ye? Have you had success with this subspecies when frequently handled? Please share your stories!
Link

Haha! Well my het leucistics where born with only slight attitude and then tame down. That is common in a lot of snakes.
Wild line TX rats like the ones you got. I have been keeping them for 10 years and I can say they where right. I have some 5 year long term captives that are kept in very quite rooms with 0 traffic and plenty of hides and I have tried and tried to tame them and gave up years ago. Good luck!

Or a rifle. (Need not be from Texas.) If the frustration gets too bad during my attempts to tame him I can always aim at either the snake, or my head, and end the pain.

Just joking! (;

Thanks for the reply, I value your insight & experience. While alarming & scary, it's still helpful.

I have a six foot wild caught male that is very tractable. He will sometimes vibrate his tail when I first open his cage, but once I get him out he is fine. I also caught another six footer last spring, which did bite me when I caught him, but after having him in captivity for a little while he also tamed down. I think they are the exception to the rule however, but good luck.
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Matt Kauffman

I appreciate the label but I am definitely not a "seasoned veteran", and only been keeping in my adult life for 3 years now...but there definitely are a bunch of real pros here.

Never had a T-Rat either but there are some really good looking ones and having a few snakes with 'tude adds to the fun.

As for the Baird's being a young, small one...part of the fun with them, and many other snakes, is watching the develop their adult patterns and coloration...especially when it just keeps getting better

I may regret not getting the Baird's, but I'm hoping that one more prone to climb is better suited for my vivarium.

With the Lindheimeri, you may be telling me in 6-12 months:

"I told you so, should have gotten the Bairdi".

Or, I may be quite pleased with him and be another success story.
Let the passage of time reveal all things...

Texas Rats do generally deserve the rep for being a bit feisty, but the specimens I have kept were very handleable - once out of the cage. They were captive born and I handled them a lot, so they were used to me. When opening their tubs, they would sometimes be a bit defensive and nippy, but once they were out of the tub, they settled down right away.

Here is a male I used to have. Sorry - not a very good pic.

They can also be variable in temperament, like all other species of snakes. They are one of the snakes I encounter most often, while field herping - and they almost always stand their ground, "S -up", gape, and strike. However, I have even found a few wild ones which were very handleable, once picked up.

Here is a bad cellphone shot of an adult female which did not put up any fight once I had her in hand.

Then there are lots which will keep biting, once they are picked up. Here's a grumpy one - notice the blood droplets. LOL

As for diurnal vs. nocturnal, the Baird's I've kept were active both diurnally and nocturnally, and the same for the Texas Rats. In the wild, they are also active during both times - becoming more nocturnal and crepuscular in the hottest part of the summer, and diurnal in spring and fall. I find most of them in the early morning and late afternoon.
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-Toby Brock
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research

This is the Herping stuff that I live for...

n/p
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-Toby Brock
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research