Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I hate to sound like a noob, but I wanted to get some opinions. I've got an 03 black rat around 22" in length and he's still very squirmy. He used to musk whenever I handled him, but that was about the worst of it. Now he never musks (and he's never attempted to strike at all) but he flails and squirms like mad. I hate to put him through that much stress just so he won't be like that full grown. Should I keep trying to handle him or leave him alone and wait for him calm down on his own. I know that baby snakes are almost always nervous, but none of my corns ever flailed around like him and I'm kinda scared he might wriggle free and get loose in my house. He's very curious in his enclosure and will come out to watch me when I'm in the room, so I assume he's getting used to me but he doesn't like being handled at all. I just don't want to stress him if you guys think he'll calm down anyway. He's my first non-corn ratsnake and I could use some experienced advice. Thanks.

Your qestion is not stupid at all. Lots of baby snakes are jumping, after all in the wild this is when they are the most vunerable.

Try handling him no sooner than 48 hours after he has eaten. Move slowly towards him no quick movements. Handle him for about 5 minutes a day to start off with. Over time as he grows older he should calm down, allowing for more handling time. My leustict Texas rat snake was jumpy at first but now has clamed downed well. He loves to go down my shirt and sit on my lap.

What type of rat snake is he? His coloring is very different.

He's a licorice (white sided) but their coloration looks a little different as juveniles. I'm hoping this jumpiness is just a phase he's going through like the musking. I can't currently interact with him much since I'm in college and usually only get home on weekends. I did get to work with him some last week (over spring break) and I plan to handle him more over the summer. Also, I just moved all my snakes into a new rack system about 2 weeks ago. I don't know why I didn't think of it, but he could just be jumpier due to the change in surroundings. Thanks for the advice.

he will settle down w/ age. Who knows when - as each individual snake is different. The more you handle him, the more he'll get used to it. Just be sure to try & support the whole length of his body. I don't handle my snakes very often but my Black Ratsnakes don't seem to settle down until they are a couple of yrs. old.

Thanks. He's one of yours, by the way. I got him from you at the November show in Colombus, OH. I'm considering moving a corn or two to make space for a female to breed him with eventually, but I haven't decided for sure yet. I think I'd like to have a het female instead of another licorice though.

First off Kevin, that is a good question and post. Most rat snake hatchlings will display some sort of defensive behavior when picking them up and handling. Some are more flighty than others, but most rat snake hatchlings have some level of what you are experiencing. Rat snakes generally will calm as they grow and with some handling. There are some exceptions where a rat snake is nervous and nippy no matter how much you handle him even up to adult. Your licorice black rat snake doesn't sound like he has a temperament that is unusual for him. Handle him a little less at first and handle him more as he grows and gets used to someone picking him up. Good luck.

Terry Parks

Kevin, you have been given some excellent advice by some very experienced people. There seem to be a lot of nice people who are willing to share without putting others down for not knowing.

One thing that I would point out is that a very young black rat snake that didn’t act afraid at first was a snake that wasn’t acting normal. I would be thinking that it had a health problem.

Most animals show distinct changes in behavior as they grow and mature and black rat snakes are no exception. You seem to have a healthy snake. Just don’t expect it to start acting calm like a ball python, and everything will be fine if you follow the advice that has been offered so far.

Best of luck with you young snake.

Yeah, he'll calm down in time. Sounds like you don't get to handle him as regularly as you'd like, so it may take a little longer. When you pick him up, does he quit thrashin' about after a minute or two? At least he's not biting, etc. You are going to have one fine animal on your hands. Joliff has some nice ones. Duffy