Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Elaphe conspicillata are over the two year old mark now. I'll wait until they're at least three and a half years old before breeding, however. They grow a little slowly.

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Ratsnake Haven: Elaphe schrencki, dione, bimaculata, t. taeniura, mandarina, conspicillata, situla, guttata meahllmorum and g. intermontana; and Lampropeltis zonata and calligaster.

Nice pics Terry.

John

If you end up with some available hatchlings from your Japanese Forest Ratsnakes, let me know! They are beautiful little snakes and I don't mind waiting a couple years either...
Good luck with them and thanks for the updated pic.
Lora

Thanks, Lora. I don't have a list started, but I'll keep a note on your interest. It'll be a couple of years. I don't think they'll be big enough to breed at 2.5 yrs., and I don't want to make a mistake. They are somewhat like Mandarin Rats, which don't breed well at young ages, like two and a half. I'll let you guys/girls know when they're ready. Another thing is they don't have many eggs. Schulz ('96) said they have about four, maybe up to eight eggs. I doubt there will be many pairs for a number of years. Thanks for the interest...TC.

Don't worry, I'm patient. I've got 1.2 Mandarins growing up now and it'll be a few years on them too. Anticipation...
Thanks for the response and I'll keep saving up my money!
Lora

Good luck with those guys. They are on my short to get list. I started hitting up the elaphe guys in Daytona to see who is expecting to produce some in the next year or two. They are even harder to come by than moellendorffi.
Later, Randy Whittington

They're hard to find, but there's a few around. Rex had a pair for sale at Daytona, and the buyer changed his mind, so Rex took them home. I wonder if he still has that pair? TC.

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Elaphe conspicillata are almost unknown in the hobby. When did they first arrive in the U.S. as captive-bred animals?
Is their care significantly different than any similar ratsnake?
What (aside from thier color) is a peculiaruty or habit of the species?
I'm only asking because I can find almost nothing available on the species.
Thanks
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

You asked:
>>Elaphe conspicillata are almost unknown in the hobby. When did they first arrive in the U.S. as captive-bred animals?

My answer:
The first person to get them was Rex Knight, as far as I know, and that was probably about 3 or 4 yrs. ago. Some may have been gravid females. He was the first to get CB babies. Up until then, even the keeper/hunters in Japan didn't have much luck. Rex had a few babies each yr. for the past couple yrs, and I managed to get a pair last yr. Steve Emerick recently received three, I believe, adults from the same Japanese exporter Rex got his from. He might produce some next year. I only know a couple other people who have them, and I'm not sure if they have pairs, or not.

You asked:
>>Is their care significantly different than any similar ratsnake?

My answer:
No, not significantly. Their care is similar to that of the Mandarin Ratsnake, only they don't seem to be nocturnal, and don't need as much humidity. The problems associated with conspics early on were because folks were dealing with w/c animals. My CB conspics start eating in late March and are still active and feeding now. I'll probably start their brumation around the end of November this year. I haven't had any problems with anything and they are growing quite well. They don't like it too hot, however, temps around 70 to 80*F. are fine.

You asked:
>>What (aside from thier color) is a peculiaruty or habit of the species?
>>I'm only asking because I can find almost nothing available on the species.
>>Thanks
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>>...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

My answer:
There is little in the way of peculiarities. They are pretty easy to care for, sort of like a milksnake. Mine feed fairly often on new mice, up to fuzzies. They probably eat half dozen mice bt. sheds, feeding best in warm weather of spring and summer. They are fairly shy and like to burrow and hide. There's nothing too special in their setups.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Terry

II

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Ratsnake Haven: Elaphe schrencki, dione, bimaculata, t. taeniura, mandarina, conspicillata, situla, guttata meahllmorum and g. intermontana; and Lampropeltis zonata and calligaster.