Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After few posts here I am a little confused on the possible age of my Luecistic Texas rat snake.

I first noticed this snake in the local pet shop around Nov. Dec. 2002. It was about as thick as my little finger and look about 18-22 inches long. Then in Feb. of 2003 after carefull observation I decided to buy. There were two snake so I check their tails and picked the snake with more tail length after the anual plate because I wanted a male.

At first he was nippy and the length was about 22 inches long. Since then he has eaten like clockwork. Two mice every 7-9 days, NEVER skipping a meal even during his shedding periods. When he has gotten ready to shed I simply lessed the size of his meals but he has never turn down a meal yet. It`s been a year since I got him and he is now 4ft. plus.

My question is, is it possible he is only 18 months old borned in the Aug. or Sept. before I bought him or does it sound like he`s more than 2 years old? I don`t feel I have overfed him. He has just been so consistence in his eating. At either age, how long can I expect this snake to get? Thanks.

If the first time you saw the snake was in '02, then I would say it is an '01 snake. Especially the size you are describing as of Dec '02. Probably hatched like you said, in mid to late summer '01. If that is correct, then your snake should be 2.5 years old.

That would make him the same age as my '01 KY locale black rat and he is 54" and still growing!

-----

1.0 Corn snake
1.0 Black rat snake
1.0 Albino Black rat snake
1.0 Everglades rat snake
0.1 Yellow rat snake
1.1 California king snake
1.0 Prairie king snake
0.1 Black king snake

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

It is POSSIBLE that the snake is 18 months old, but 2.5 yrs seems to make more sense based on what you have told us. You could easily wind up with a 5 foot animal. 6 would not be out of the question. Enjoy! They are fine snakes.

Texas Rat Snakes have been recorded to grow to 2185 mm (86 in). Its growth rate is related to how much you feed it. (And, I also agree with Brian that it is most likely going on three.)Sounds like you have a nice snake. How tame is it?