Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Shot a photo of this yellow rat at Busch Gardens. I thought this specimen had nice yellow coloring. Not sure that the photo shows it, but he had very bright yellow coloring under the chin area. I told the park staff I'd take him off their hands if they wanted me to, but they didn't go for it.
Anyway, Terry, Jimmy, or any of you guys with experience with Yellow Rats, would this be an above average specimen? Is the parents the best way to indicate how yellow a hatchling will turn out? Or can you tell somewhat when they are hatchlings? Thanks in advance.
Yet another snake I'm sure to add to my list, LOL

Steve

I hit the send button just a little to soon, LOL Here's the picture.

Very nice yellow rat! 2 bad you didnt get him before they did! I am headed down to busch gardens in August..maybe i'll get lucky. My sister in law lives a few mins away from there...I'll have 2 go herping.

I don't have a lot of experience with yellow rats. The one pictured below is my first but if mine grows up to look like that one, I will be a happy camper. I think that one is a very nice specimen.
Jimmy

That's a pretty yellow rat snake Steve. Yellow rat snakes generally have a butter yellow color in the southern tip of their range. They have bright yellow overtones on the belly and under the chin. As you go north through their range, the yellow rat snakes turn to a tannish yellow color and finally having an olive color in the extreme north of their range. The babies are greyish or brownish with brown blotches which give way to four brown stripes as adults. The original specimens that were used to describe yellow rat snakes were actually a greenish and/or olive color with four lateral stripes. They weren't yellow at all. Their scientific name is quadrivittata meaning "four lined" not "yellow". Knowing the parental locality data is probably the best way to know the color that babies will tend to develop. The parents will give you a good indication how the babies should turn out. Although, Dwight Good had a drab looking w/c female yellow rat snake that (sorry Dwight) wasn't that yellow or good looking. The thing was she threw the nicest yellow rat snakes I've seen. She wasn't that great looking, but she came from a great locale.

Steve - You should have said to those park guys that you want to take a pic of their ugly yellow rat snake. Tell them you want to show some people the ugly yellow rat snake they were carrying around. They only get that yellow when they are integrades. LOL.

Terry Parks

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>>Steve - You should have said to those park guys that you want to take a pic of their ugly yellow rat snake. Tell them you want to show some people the ugly yellow rat snake they were carrying around. They only get that yellow when they are integrades. LOL.
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>>Terry Parks
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You think that is an intergrade? Would the lines be more evident if it was a pure or true yellow rat?
Have you seen the picture of my yellow rat i posted below?
It is probably not quite a year old. Does it look pure to you?
Thanks
Heck, I will just repost the pic here.
What do you think?
Jimmy

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Remember, My posts are MY opinion only!
Jimmy (draybar)

Thats definately a yellow rat Jimmy. I have seen plenty of yellow rats a lot darker. A lot of yellow rats are almost a tan with the yellow neck and head. Plus he is still only a year old and will start displaying more colors. My year old yellow was starting to get a high yellow color but alas he escaped on me!

Terry is right. Depending on the region depends on how yellow the snake will get. My yellow rat was a florida locality and you can tell from this crappy pic I took how yellow he is. This is him not even a full year old yet! He was hatched in early 2003 and this was taken around Feb or this year.

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>>>>Steve - You should have said to those park guys that you want to take a pic of their ugly yellow rat snake. Tell them you want to show some people the ugly yellow rat snake they were carrying around. They only get that yellow when they are integrades. LOL.

Jimmy - I was just kidding around with the comments to tell the park guys. If they think its ugly or something else, they might be inclined to let you have the snake. I would just do it kiddingly and let it go for a couple moments.

A snake that goes from blotches to stripes may take up to 3 years to completely make the transition. Each snake may vary a little in the length of time to see most of the transition take place. Some do it in 2 years. One year would be a pretty quick transition, but you can begin seeing very faint stripes developing as the snake approaches one year sometimes. A few adults may retain a few very faint blotches. I don't see anything in the pics to suggest or give any indication of integration. You have a really nice yellow rat snake Jimmy. He's already showing some nice butter/golden yellow.

Here's one of last year's babies

Terry Parks

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>>>>>>Never be afraid to ask.
None of us know everything.
Luckily we have people like Terry who come darn close.
Thanks
Jimmy
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Remember, My posts are MY opinion only!
Jimmy (draybar)