Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok the small snake we found (we believe either black or grey rat) is a lil mean one. We got him a new aquarium today and put him in there and all he wants to do is strike. no matter if we put our hand next to the glass or just walk by him. is this normal? is this a protection instinct that they do when they are small? i am skeptical to try to hold him just yet until he calms down. he eats fine.. just fed him another small pinkie today.. but is this normal? you can see images I took today here.

any and all information is greatly appreciated.
new pics here 09-22-03

we found another one back in May and it has only tried to strike once since we got him and actually bit me once. but that was when we took it to a pet store and I dont think he liked the ride in the car. anyways forgot to say we are from Eastern NC.

thanks

Is that cedar bark that he is on?? if so remove it ASAP. it can cause serious problems.. But that sure looks like a little black ratsnake, and yes they can be a bit nippy for a little while. But they usually get over it. If you plan on keeping it (They make great pets) the best thing to do, after he is eating on a regular basis, is to handle him a lot. You might get nabbed a few times,but it isn't even noticable. You don't want to wait to get hit until he gets to 6 feet , but even then it doesnt hurt that much.
Good Luck
Ben
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1.0 Black Rat
0.0.1 Normal Corn
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.1 blue beauty

went to a wildlife refuge and this guy was the 'snake guy' and he told us that it was really good for snakes.. they had all their snakes in it.. he said its easy to clean.. is really absorbant and also fights against mites..etc..

i would never use cedar

thanks for the information.. thats good to know.. he sure is a lil meanie i tell you..

Yep, that's normal. (By the way, you have a young Black Rat snake there. You can tell by the postocular stripe, which ends at the mouth line. Cute li'l meanie!)

When it comes to disposition, rat snakes are one of the most variable genera or species I've ever seen. Some are docile, others of the same species/ssp are just born to be mean! In any case, patience and persistence will help settle him down. With frequent gentle handling (slow, gradual movement), he eventually should come to realize that your big hands are not threatening. He'll probably tag you a few times, but if you persist with the gentle treatment and handle him loosely and gently, he'll come around. It may take time, but be patient.

And watch his tail. The tail is a good sign of what mood he's in at any given moment. If it's vibrating, he's agitated and feels threatened. If not, he's realtively content.
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MichaelB

the other black rat we have i can pickup with no problems.. sometimes he sits back and tastes the air and i slowly move my hand over and pick him up.. but this new small one is really a lil meanie.. after leaving him alone for 2 days in his new enclosure he seems to have calmed down.. now i can walk by the aquarium and he dont flinch/strike.. in fact he usually just sits and watches.. and yes i have noticed that they like to shake their tail ala rattle snake.. real good illusion for people who dunno they are black rats..

Keep doing just what you've been doing for the last couple days - i.e., leave him alone (no handling) for a few more days. It can take time for them to get accustomed to their new home. Often, a quiet period of a few days to a week will do wonders. Let's see if he continues to settle down. After about a week of non-handling, his stress level should be down to a level where you can start doing the regular-handling thing.

BTW, you're keeping the two in separate enclosures, right? Snakes can be very territorial. Put a new snake in with one that's had his/her own space for a while, and the latter can stress out big time. In fact, they both can. Call it jealousy, or the simple instinct to defend their territory, but I find that a lot of captive snakes would rather be alone and have their own space.
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MichaelB

yah.. they are in their own aquariums.. i have been watchin him like this morning.. and i put my hand next to where his head was and he just tasted the air.. didnt do anything else.. no strike.. i am going to leave him alone til this weekend then see what he does when i put my hand in there.. im not worried about getting bit.. i was accidently bitten by our 5ft iguana.. now THAT hurt heh.. felt like a vice..

thanks for the information we really appreciate it..

Yeah, my black rat does that a lot more than my king did when he was a hatchling (he did it all of twice for me, the first time he even curled up and got the pose all going). And I think there was a point he was striking at the cage (but it was a one time occurance I think). Now he just follows my fingers, if I move it away he looks like he thinks its food, if I move towards him he freaks and slithers away.

This guy rattles all the time when I'm trying to pick him up. On the other hand he went from being pretty jumpy/bitey to being mcuh better (he's still squirmy and a bit jumpy, specially in the picking him out of his tank stage, but he hasn't actually struck at me in a while). But oh, he loves to rattle his tail. I find it works best to stick my hand in there, have him rattle and stare at it, then wait til he tries to slither away (he usually tends not to freak at being picked up at that point).