Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I heard that Texas obsoleta can be nippy and aggressive, but Yellow Rat Snakes and Everglades Rat Snakes subspecies tend to be more docile. Any truth to this?
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Mick
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1.0 Amel (Floyd)
1.0 Ghost (Gabriel)
0.1 Lab/Pointer Mix (Zoey)

GENERALLY this is true. After having multiples of all of those over the years, I would say that the Texas rats are the reliably most aggressive, the yellows the reliably least aggressive, and the 'glades the least predictable. All of these can be terribly fierce and all can be reliably tame of course. It depends on the individual snake and less predictably, on the bloodline. Interestingly, the hypo 'glades, in my experience, are the most reliably predictable. They are almost always non-biters. Hope this helps.

That's the general rule I've heard and read. I tend to think the Texas rat snakes aren't all that nippy as people say. If you get a nippy one than they can out nip the other obsoleta. My male adult everglades is more aggresive than any of my 10 Texas rat snakes or adult pair of yellow rat snakes. He wants to strike at anything that comes or walks by his enclosure. He's O.K. after I get him out, but he's the most aggresive obsoleta I have. Now, the adult female everglade is real docile and I can reach right in and take her out. I don't think so much of them being nippy as much as their musking. The Texas rat snakes and everglades will musk me everytime I pick them up. The Texas rat snakes can out musk any other obsoleta. IMHO. Every one in the part of the house where my snakes are will know when I pick a Texas rat snake out of its enclosure. What you have heard on their general behavior tendencies is right, but any obsoleta can be aggresive and/or nippy. If you pick the snake up as a baby or juvie and work with it, most of the snakes will be calm as adults. If you get an adult snake ask if its aggresive or not. Here's my female everglades and she's as calm as any snake I have.

Terry Parks

What is 'musking'? Do all snakes do it or are some species more apt to? I've not heard this mentioned at all - I've only researched and own a Ball Python.

Musk is a fluid produced in the cloaca. It smells bad which helps deter a snake's predator. It is a secondary defense mechanism. Kingssnakes and rat snakes have musk glands. California kingsnakes are one of the most prolific muskers. IMHO I don't know what other snakes musk. Maybe someone can add to what I've mentioned.

Terry Parks

>>What is 'musking'? Do all snakes do it or are some species more apt to? I've not heard this mentioned at all - I've only researched and own a Ball Python.

Garter snakes, brown snakes and water snakes also are notorious for doing this, but they usually stop doing it once they get used to being in captivity. Ringneck snakes also deploy a pungent-smalling fluid, but I believe in their case it's saliva released in small drops from the edge of their mout.

The residual musk odor can be hard to remove, even after repeated washings.
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MichaelB

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Hi, my name is Don and I am a colubrid addict!
My posts are just my opinion or what works for me.
Thanks for letting me share.

Well said Terry. All four of my Glades are real puppies. They've been handled frequently, however. I'm baby sitting a pair of Texas Rats that haven't handled been handled much and they are a different story. It took me about 4 months to get them used to handling but they're fine now.
The pic is my female 02 from Dwight. (I spoil them a bit but the nice enclosure makes for fun viewing.)

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Hi, my name is Don and I am a colubrid addict!
My posts are just my opinion or what works for me.
Thanks for letting me share.

Beautiful color with nice stripping. That enclosure makes for a pretty display. There's that Dwight name again. LOL. I remember Travis G. having a female that looked like yours. I got my male as an adult last year to breed to my female this year. I know he's hardly ever been handled. I keep working with him though. I'm sure he'll settle down. He just isn't sure when you open his enclosure. Thanks again for posting a pic of a very pretty everglades. Love that enclosure too.

Terry Parks

>>Well said Terry. All four of my Glades are real puppies. They've been handled frequently, however. I'm baby sitting a pair of Texas Rats that haven't handled been handled much and they are a different story. It took me about 4 months to get them used to handling but they're fine now.
>>The pic is my female 02 from Dwight. (I spoil them a bit but the nice enclosure makes for fun viewing.)
>>

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I'm a sucker for all of my Glades. Maybe its the color. Maybe its their arboreal habits. Whatever it is, they work for me and I guess that what really counts.

You are correct Mark. It is what really works for the person.
It must be working good for you by the looks of your everglades.
Good luck. Here's a pic of a male everglades I used to have. He came to me as a normal, but he may be a hypomelanistic everglades.

Terry Parks

>>I'm a sucker for all of my Glades. Maybe its the color. Maybe its their arboreal habits. Whatever it is, they work for me and I guess that what really counts.