Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what are keepers doing to make there black rats a happy home?
I really want something more than a sweater box for them.
I have lived with black rats around in the wild for years and allmost allways find them in trees and so thought a tall cage would be best, just want to know what pthers are doing.
Hoosier Reptiles

I keep my black rats in a 29 gal high tank with a hide and a climbing branch. (Note, I have more then one, and each has its own tank). They always have clean water in a dish that they can soak in. The room that they are kept in is always warm (around 78-84F) They always seem to poke their heads out of their hides to see if I am going to feed them when I enter the room, so they seem to be happy.

I got both of mine when they were about a month old. There are plenty of hatchlings out there for sale, so please let the wild ones stay wild.

I agree, let the wild ones stay wild.

I have a basic setup, 29 gallong tank, and a 20 gallon long tank (2 snakes). the only difference is that I don't have all the climbing branches, yet. I have astroturf for a substrate, 2 hiding caves (one on hot and one on cold sides) and a water bowl. actually looking right now i noticed one is climbing up lyin on the top of the tank by the cage...lol.

i'm going to get some braches/driftwood and such to give them both climbing spaces, and then glue some cork board along hte top back of the tank for some added grip vs just glass.

i read somewhere the optimal tank size is long-2/3rd's the length of the snake, height and depth - 1/2 length of snake. remember black rats also are going to grow upwards of 7 feet, with the longest on record being 108 inches. i'm about to purchase a biards also next week, and i'm in the process of building a very nice elaborate cage out of wood and FRP lining for them, and each cage will be 6 feet long by 3 deep by 3 high. hopefully this will be good for the rest of their lives. hopefully i dont have some mutant 20 foot snakes, lol.

hope that helps. -chris
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

I know that most of the ones i find in the wild (mine are amels) are in trees of varying heights and so was concerned about giving them as much space as they would need.
do most keepers notice diurnal tendencies in their black rats?
are all of you cooling yours in the winter for breeding purposes?
or like corns do they breed with or without a cool period?
Thank you all for your help.
Chris
Hoosier Reptiles

one thing you have to think about with brumation on black rats is that they do naturally occur in the florida keys, where it doesnt get that cold, maybe one night or two nights out of the year but not enough for them to brumate. therefore they probably rely on something more like the shortened daylight hours along with slightly cooled temperatures, i'm going to experiment this fall and try keeping them in my closet with very little daylight coming in, about 65-70 degrees, which is typical florida keys wintertime temperature.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

It is my understanding that the black rat snakes range from Maine to Georgia. The yellow rat snake replaces the black rat on the NC coast and ranges into south Florida, where the Everglades Rat Snake takes over. In Alabama and Mississippi, the gray rat snake replaces the black rat snake as you go south. If the black rat snakes have been found in the Florida Keys, as the previous message states, I would be very interested to hear about it.

I've kept black rat snakes for years. They are very much diurnal, being most active in the late afternoon and evening. In my experience, the black rats seem to be active at lower temps than the yellow rats and corn snakes that I've kept. My black rat seldom uses the warm side of his enclosure. The cooler side is kept at 76-78 degrees during the day and drops to 72-74 degrees at night. He seems to hang out on that side unless he's just eaten a big meal. Considering that these guys range into Maine, I would consider brumating for optimal success breeding.

I keep an adult male in a 55 gallon tank along with an adult male yellow rat snake. Both have been in my collection for about 3 years. The black rat is near 6' (he's only an '01) and the yellow is near 5'. I have several climbing branches in the cage, which they seem to enjoy, and three hide spots (one warm, two cool), plus a large water bowl.

erm, i wasnt thinking straight...i just saw ratsnake im like hey those stretch down into the keys...so yeah sorry my bad lol. but yeah as you said black rats most likely will need to go into brumation, however i am planning on trying this not quite as cold type thing with the daylight controlled, just to see if it would work.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Please post and let me know if it works to just cool them slightly and "rest" them. I'm going to breed some Miami corns, yellow rats, and white oaks next year and I'm still deciding on the best route to go.

Thanks,
Michael

Would you e-mail me? culebra@ureach.com
Thanks in advance.