Reptile & Amphibian Forums

for a yellow rat snake.

ok well i just got a yellow rat snake. Next year i would like to breed it after i tame it down a little and make sure it is 110% healthy, im pretty sure it is. I also have to take it to my vet and get it sexed unless there is an other way.

my questions are

what is the recommended breeding size for yellow rats?

is there any other way to tell a male from a female other than probing and if so what?

thanx
RV
-----
Corns 0.0.3
0.0.1 03' Amel
0.0.1 03' Normal
0.0.1 04' Ghost
Rats
Yellow Rat 0.0.1

my lil sisters under my supervision
0.0.1 Green water dragon ---- "Dragon"

>>for a yellow rat snake.
>>
>>ok well i just got a yellow rat snake. Next year i would like to breed it after i tame it down a little and make sure it is 110% healthy, im pretty sure it is. I also have to take it to my vet and get it sexed unless there is an other way.
>>
>>my questions are
>>
>>what is the recommended breeding size for yellow rats?
>>
>>is there any other way to tell a male from a female other than probing and if so what?
>>
>> thanx
>> RV
>>-----
>>Corns 0.0.3
>>0.0.1 03' Amel
>>0.0.1 03' Normal
>>0.0.1 04' Ghost
>>Rats
>>Yellow Rat 0.0.1
>>
>>my lil sisters under my supervision
>>0.0.1 Green water dragon ---- "Dragon"

A good general rule for sex is to check tail length after the anal plate. IF the tail shorten quickly and is a little thicker, then chances are it is a female. If there is a lot of tail after the anal plate and it gets skinnier then it is probably male.
-----
Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

I think that's backward. In an adult female, the taper of the tail will increase noticeably just behind the vent (anus), while in an adult male the taper is more gradual and essentially uniform. The developed hemipenes in an adult male result in the more uniform taper.

Eligibility for breeding is a function of age. It is recommended that the snakes be at least 3 years old, which in the case of a pair of healthy Yellow Rats would probably translate to at least 42-48 inches (3.5-4 feet) . That's an educated guess; others with more breeding experience should be able to amend the length if I'm wrong.
-----
MichaelB

>>I think that's backward. In an adult female, the taper of the tail will increase noticeably just behind the vent (anus), while in an adult male the taper is more gradual and essentially uniform. The developed hemipenes in an adult male result in the more uniform taper.
>>
>>Eligibility for breeding is a function of age. It is recommended that the snakes be at least 3 years old, which in the case of a pair of healthy Yellow Rats would probably translate to at least 42-48 inches (3.5-4 feet) . That's an educated guess; others with more breeding experience should be able to amend the length if I'm wrong.
>>-----
>>MichaelB

Maybe I did not state it as clearly as I could have. My information came from "A Complete Pet Owner`s Mannual" by Barron`s. The mail tail is long and tapering (7-12 scales) while the female tail is short abruptly tapered,(2-4 scales). This how it is stated with an illustration showing that over all the male tail is longer.
-----
Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

well from what you both said it looks like i have a roughly 3 foot plus male yellow rat. i know he is more than 3 because he is longer than my arm even when hes wrapped up in my hand.
Any one know where to look for a female yellow rat that should be ready to breed next year, like and 01 or 02, jsut wonderin.

thanx again
RV
-----
Corns 0.0.3
0.0.1 03' Amel
0.0.1 03' Normal
0.0.1 04' Ghost
Rats
Yellow Rat 0.0.1

my lil sisters under my supervision
0.0.1 Green water dragon ---- "Dragon"

Rat snakes are pretty easy to tell the difference from looking behind the tail. Males have a longer tail from the vent then a female does. A female has a shorter thicker tail from the vent then a male. A female also will have a little dip behind the vent that is absent from the male. This pretty much goes for a lot of colubrids besides king snakes. You need to pop them or probe em. I can never tell the sex of a king just by looking at it..lol...