Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok well i quess this is a personal problem but mabe someone can help me. I got a yellow rat, its a CB male about 3-3.5 feet long. his termperment is ok i guess the place i got him from didnt handle him often enough, his fine being held its just getting him out of the sterilite without getting bit but thats easyly done i just use my homemade snake stick. Now my problem is he musks and he always does, now the musk dosent really bother me because i do a bit of field herping and the WC's always get me, but the thing is this guy is in my bedroom/study/snakeroom and when he musks its is pretty sinky as you all know. O and he didnt musk on me at the store. will he grow out of this and if so when.

thanx in advance
RV
heres his info if it helps

Yellow Ratsnake
CB 02' Male
3 - 3.5 ft.
Large opque sterilite
cypress substrate
water dish
1 hide
handeled daily exception 48 hours after feeding
feeding on adult mice and rat fuzzies/pups cant remeber jsut ordered more
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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"

How long have you had him? Obsoletas of most subspecies can be variable in temperament from one to the next, so you might just have a grumpy snake. But if he didn't musk you in the store, I suspect it's just a matter of him getting used to his new surroundings and he'll stop doing it eventually. It has nothing to do with them not handling him enough in the store. They may not have handled him much or at all, and maybe that's why he's musking now. Some snakes just don't like to be handled. Actually, most snakes don't particularly like it; it's just that some tolerate handling better than others.

If your Yellow Rat is a biter and has to be removed with a snake stick, it might be the way you're handling him. Remember to be gentle and slow; do what you can to assure him you're no threat. Don't try to handle him within a couple days after he's eaten, during his shed cycle, or when he's due for a meal.

If he's still doing it routinely after a month or so, your only choices might be to either move him to another locale, or keep a can of air freshener handy.
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MichaelB

>>Are we having fun yet?
Be patient.
Just keep handling him and he will eventually calm down and quit musking. At least most of the time.
My Bairds rat snakes were muskers. It took me quite a while to get them over the musking and even now, at two years old, they will still musk if I really aggrivate them.
Fortunately it is just a minute amount. It is like they just don't want to go to that much trouble...lol
I also have a yellow rat and an everglades rat that are both close to a year old. I have had them for about three or four months now and they still have a tendency to musk.
Thats cool, though. They both wanted to be little biters at first. The yellow rat gave up on that within about a week but the everglades took about two months to get over the nippy part.
The yellow rat has now just about gotten over the musking part too. I think he has maybe musked me once in the last week or two.
The everglades is getting better but not as quickly. When he does musk it isn't such a large quantity and it isn't multiple times but I would say he musks about every other time I handle him. But I am sure that time and patience will prevail.
so, just keep handling and keep some towlets handy.
good luck
Jimmy

well iv only had him for about 2-3 weeks so mabe thats the problem. he is very active in his cage its fun to just watch him. when he musks its really not alot but this last time he did it he did decide to put all the really bad white stuff. Im thinking he just hasent been handeled ehough and its still nervous bout his new surroundings, im gonna put in a few more hides and babe a climbing still mabe this will help him be less nervous. o and he isnt much of a biter matter of fact he has never acually connected he striked once and does pose up.
also when i use the snake stick i do go slow and all i do with it is position it in a manner where it basicly makes it so he cant strike,(Im NOT pinning thats bad) then i grab his tail andand lift him up using the snake stick for support untill i get him to my table the i lay him down and use my hands from there.

thanxs for you help both
RV
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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 pair of latex gloves (the cheap, disposable kind that janitors and medical folks have whole boxes of) will let you reach right in and pick the snake up without getting tagged too bad. I used them at first with my Texas Rat, the only real biter in my collection (he doesn't bite any more).
They say that the snakes don't like the taste of the latex, and so it becomes unpleasant to bite.
I don't go for the "slow and gentle" approach to picking them up, by the way. I am certainly very gentle with them once they are in my hands, especially once they have calmed down. But I really feel that the "quick grab" is the best way, giving the snake less time to feel that it is being pursued. Works for me, anyway. Duffy

thanxs duffy for the idea, im gonna give it a try, got to go to he store later anyway.

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"