Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here are some pics of my six foot beast. He is wild caught from here in Calcasieu Parish LA. He's also tame as a kitten, once out of the cage. Getting him out isn't even that bad, he vibrates his tail a bit. No way of knowing how old this guy is, but probalby up there in years.

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Matt Kauffman

Yeah,...that IS a nice sized robust looking Texas Rat!

Thanks for posting that nice specimen!

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

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Can't say it enough. Matt..
That is a "honker"....
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PS Please tell us those are PJs and not regular trousers!!!!

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Regards, Bill McGighan

Yeah, they are PJ's. I was reading the threads about the other texas rat this morning and I stepped outside where my girlfriend was doing some weeding in front of the house, and got her to snap a few shots. I think I need to retire those pants.
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Matt Kauffman

One, for the terrific photos. I had no idea that their yellow colors were so bright in their eastern range. (So much for the official literature, which claims that they are often darker there.)

Two, for being ANOTHER person who claims to have a tame Texas Rat Snake. I am not alone!

For awhile there, I felt like someone who saw an amber orb floating across the sky, and nobody believed them.

I just wanted to mention I didn't say I have never had tame TX rats. Just that if you happened with the more common aggressive one it can be very difficult and next to impossible with some individuals to tame down. Don't turn this into a war. haha! I don't think anyone claims all TX rats are mean. No one denies there are tame tx rats.

By the way! I love the yellow on that one!

I totally agree. Most T-Rats that I encounter in the wild are very defensive. I geuss I just got lucky with this one, and another six foot male I caught last spring was very tractable. very unusual.
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Matt Kauffman

Awesome critter. I'd like to fill in my rat collection with one like that someday.

That's a shame because I had another one almost just like him that I caught last spring, except that one had a much larger head. I would have gladly sent him to you for shipping cost. Anyway, I left the cage door open by accident and he slipped out. I couldn't beleive that I couldn't find a six foot Texas Rat in my house, but he must have made his way outside somehow. He was pretty laid-back also. Just been lucky lately,I guess, because I've encounted some real nasty ones as well. I wasn't going to keep both of them anyway. I hope he made it to some good habitat.
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Matt Kauffman

Nice T Rat!! The biggest I ever found was in Lake Charles, LA. Saw some pretty big ones in central Texas, but no where near the length of the one I found in LC!!

Well guess what? That's where he came from.(well somewhere between Sulfur and Moss Bluff). Yeah, I've caught some huge ones around this area.
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Matt Kauffman

notice the girth compared to the head, an older male to be sure but not fat, just stocky as heck! Good one Matt!
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Todd Hughes

Thanks. He is actually a little on the thin side, having just been cooled for two and half months. He'll get thicker than that after a couple months of large rats, his favorite food. I'm hoping to catch a nice female early this spring and see what happens, just for the hell of it.
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Matt Kauffman

I have his identical twin, WC here in central Oklahoma three years ago, also pushing six feet and the healthiest, best eater I have ever had. Though he remains a belligerent, testy guy in the grand tradition of his breed.