Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I got my black rat snake on Friday. She is about 18" long and I decided to feed her today. However, she did not accept the pinky, she completely ignored it. I thought it could be either two things: incorrect temps or stress. Or possibly both.

The problem is that I have some temperature fluctuation through the day. In the morning, the warm side is about 80-82 degrees and the cool side is 70. But by the end of the afternoon, my room has heated up to 79-80 degrees and the warm side is more like 90. Is this a problem? She seems quite healthy, throughout most of the day and night she is exploring back and forth from the warm side to the cool side and back again. She spends some time in her hide box and some time climbing around on her branch and plant.

I'm kind of worried. This is my first snake, and I just got her a few days ago, so maybe it's too soon to expect my snake to eat. But even so I'm concerned I might be doing something wrong. Are my temps suitable for black rat snakes? Any advice would be appreciated.
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-Andy

im no expert but 90 is too hot,,,and maybe its just stressed out,,handle it for like a week then try again,,if your snake refused to eat ,,dont try till the next week and dont handle it 3 hours prior to the feeding,and make sure he has 2 hideboxes one on the cool side and the other in the warm

,,hope this helps

...then you don't even need any extra heat. I wouldn't let it get over 85*, at the very highest.

I moved the tank out of my room and into the hallway right outside my room, which is much cooler in the afternoon. I put up a big piece of cardboard in such a way so the tank is sheltered from view and from bright lights. Hopefully this will make my snake more secure. I'm going to keep the warm side under 86 degrees, and I'm going to leave her alone for 3-4 days before I offer food again. I'm not going to handle my snake until after she eats. I'm going to try and reduce stress as much as possible.

Sound good?
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-Andy

What works for you is good. I just give my opinion to try and help out at times. The way I care for my animals is to be sensitive to their needs by watching them. They have ways of showing how comfortable they are

People are going to vary in what they think is the best way to care for snakes. Use what you want and discard what doesn't work for you. Good luck in your new venture.

I have always kept my black rats at room temp. which is 70 degrees.No heat pad,just a 100 watt light bulb at one end for 10 hrs a day.My enclosure is 5 foot long.3 foot high and 3 foot deep.

I usually unplug my heaters when the temps hit around 80, as I don't do AC and my house stays nice and warm all summer. My snakes are loving the heat of late spring/early summer with no added basking spots.
My first snake was also an albino black rat. I got her about 16 months ago, and she's doing great. I didn't even use any supplemental heat at all until this past fall when I spoiled some, but not all, of my ratsnakes with UTH. They have all done well...those who had extra warmth in the winter and those that did not. I would unplug until fall, depending on temps.
As for not eating...could be stress, heat, or he may just be a moderate eater. If she does not take a pink next time...try cutting the head off one and let her flick at that. I have a small snow corn that was a problem feeder, but she just can't resist a headless pinky. Let us know how it works out. Good first choice of snakes. You will really enjoy that one!
Good luck. Duffy