Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Don't see much about them on this thread. Any pix? Any opinions on them? Actually, I have several breeds I'm interested in that I'm studying before I get any of them and Trinkets, Beauties, and Trans Pecos are the ones I like from the Rat section. I'm looking for an easy to care for, layed back breed that doesn't need a lot of humidity, and that can live on mice instead of rats. Any suggestions as to which one of the above fits this bill?

Thanks in advance
MissHisssss

I have never seen a laid back trinket, all the ones I have dealt with are high strung, but not hard to care for. Now guys like Rick Cunningham have more time with these than I do, in my humble opinion if you want a nice asian rat, I like Dionnes.

Had a pair several years ago and really liked them. They go after mice like a skunk on a June bug and don't get big enough to require anything bigger than a sweater box. Mine were laid back, but I handled them regularly. They are very easy to keep and breed, and they are attractive, as well. Another easy snake you might want to consider, although not a rat snake, is the African house snake. They look like miniature pythons and feed like there's no tomorrow. They are nippy as neonates but calm down very nicely. I love their eyes and smooth-scaled feel. There is now an albino morph available, but the reds and browns are pretty in their own right. These guys will breed all year if you house them together. Good luck and, above all, have fun.

I think beauties, for most practical purposes, end up outgrowing mice.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Trinkets are easy to care for and can stay on mice their entire lives, so in those respects they fit your criteria. In terms of being laid back, they vary from individual to individual. Their temperment is like a radiated - they tend to be darty and some are very aggressive. Some people characterize radiateds as meaner than hell, but my pair is completely handleable and never bite. My trinkets were the same (as evidenced in the photo below). The only criterion that you mention that they most definitely DON'T fit is low humidity. In my experience, trinkets do best at moderate to high humidity and benefit from a light spraying once or twice a week. But overall, trinkets are very underrated snakes IMO, make great additions to a collection, and as a bonus, breed like crazy.

Ophidiophile Farms

Any beauty or trinket can be kept on mice for it's entire life. Just depends on how much of a fortune you want to spend on food.
Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Why not include Chinese Twin-spotted Rats on your list? They fit your criteria better than any of the others.

Ya all have been very helpful and now I have a few more to add to my list of possibilities. I'd heard about he twin spots and diones. Do they have different color morphs? I don't see these advertised very often, so I guess they'd be high priced, right?

MissHisssss

I think it's kind of a shame ya don't see them very often, 'cus they make great pets, and are hardy, easy to care for, and can be quite pretty. There is a great deal of variety in color morphs with some degree of pattern difference in both. The price range can be anywhere from about $40/ea. to $150/ea. depending on the morph and breeder. These are mostly hobbyists' snakes because dealers don't often carry them, although several that frequent this forum do. I think a lot has to do with the fact they don't carry a high price and there isn't much of a demand for them. Some might say these are exotic snakes, although I think they compete very well with some of the most popular, like the corns and kings.

TC

>>Ya all have been very helpful and now I have a few more to add to my list of possibilities. I'd heard about he twin spots and diones. Do they have different color morphs? I don't see these advertised very often, so I guess they'd be high priced, right?
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>>MissHisssss

I will be checking these two out more closely. If you have any links to help me... and breeders, etc, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again
MissHisssss