Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I work at a Walgreens in Knoxville, TN. This morning I came upon a young snake in the office. It would constantly strike at me from 6 feet away. I threw a towel over him and put him into a sterilite box, where it continued to strike in the box when anyone came near. It appeared to be a corn snake(I own 3) and I decided to take it home. Since getting it into a 10 gallon tank it has been showing more aggressive behavior: strike posture, striking the glass, tail rattling. I am posting some pictures, although his head is grey but does not show well in the pics. I have not and will not handle him. I am not very hip to snakes around this area as I recently moved here from Wisconsin. At this point I am a bit worried it may be venomous. I appreciate any help in identifying this little demon!
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Emily

Pattern of the snake. Though the true color didn't come out right in the picture.

Background color is greyish with brown/coppery spots.

Sorry for the poor quality.

are the colors more like the second snake pictured on this site.
Link

or this one. On my monitor your pictures definitely looks like dull corn snake colors although the head marking look more black rat snake like.
Link

the first snake on there is a northern/southern black racer!!! I had to laugh pretty hard when I saw that. The head shape and scales are a dead giveaway!

Guess someone got their pics mixed up.
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

yeah, its on the website somewhere..

Yep, looks exactly like him. Thanks!
~~~~~
Emily

Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta maybe?
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilotac cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

Yeah young black or grey rat. They aren't typically that aggressive, but he may be nervous, give him a good hide spot, something small and tight that he can crawl into.

copper color? looks like a corn snake to me.

I don't see any copper color in either pic. I see a small hit of darker color between saddles, but it doesn't appear to have nearly enough to be a corn, and the dark grey saddles don't look very corn either.

>>I don't see any copper color in either pic. I see a small hit of darker color between saddles, but it doesn't appear to have nearly enough to be a corn, and the dark grey saddles don't look very corn either.
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Chris Harrison

I don't think we're getting a good color on this picture. He describes the saddles as copper colored and I never saw a black rat or grey rat with anything other then grey tones, but I could be mistaken.

I know my pictures are very poor quality, but the pics posted here verify that it is indeed a black rat snake. What I meant by the coppery colors is that there is a very slight brown/copper hint around the saddles, which I can barely see unless I'm pressing my face upto the glass. But I thought I would mention it anyway in the description of the snake.

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Emily

typically brick saddles, beige ground color with a hint of orangish coloring along its spine. This is a typical hatchling/young juvenile black rat snake.
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

In mississippi, newly hatched corns have that bluish grey look to them with the coppery line on the anterior portion of their body. The slowly develop the brick colored pattern. My vote goes with corn. The grey ratsnakes around here don't have a checker pattern quite that distinct either. But, then again, you can't be sure unless you are looking at the snake in person.
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roomates:
1.0.0 anery corn "zepplin"
1.0.0 normal corn "little bub"
0.0.1 red milk "ed"
2.0.0 false map turtles "marley & harley"
0.0.1 alabama map turtle "pulchra"
0.1.0 eastern garter "auspicious"

Maybe in MS, but here in TN and KY the corns are as I described them. Plus the rats here also have a pattern on the belly, so one cannot go with that alone. Take a look at the head. The one pictured does not have the arrowhead marking at all, totally absent, and has a very strong ocular stripe. This is a black rat, 100% certain. I would betcha a 6 pack of beer if you were close enough to help drink it!! LOL

>>In mississippi, newly hatched corns have that bluish grey look to them with the coppery line on the anterior portion of their body. The slowly develop the brick colored pattern. My vote goes with corn. The grey ratsnakes around here don't have a checker pattern quite that distinct either. But, then again, you can't be sure unless you are looking at the snake in person.
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>>roomates:
>>1.0.0 anery corn "zepplin"
>>1.0.0 normal corn "little bub"
>>0.0.1 red milk "ed"
>>2.0.0 false map turtles "marley & harley"
>>0.0.1 alabama map turtle "pulchra"
>>0.1.0 eastern garter "auspicious"
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

That six pack would definitely go to you. I can't make enough of the head to see if the spearpoint is there, I would defenitely say it has the "ratitude" We only get influence of the black rats on the grey rats here as far as I can tell. There may be some black rats, just never seen one. We do have a dicephalic grey rat on display at work.
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roomates:
1.0.0 anery corn "zepplin"
1.0.0 normal corn "little bub"
0.0.1 red milk "ed"
2.0.0 false map turtles "marley & harley"
0.0.1 alabama map turtle "pulchra"
0.1.0 eastern garter "auspicious"

and pretty typical for KY and TN. Here is a pic of my black rat when he was 4 months old for comparison. Mine has more yellow in his coloration than average, so dont let that mislead you, as black rats in KY and TN are very variable in coloration.

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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Thanks for posting a picture of yours! It looks exactly like the one I found. I have decided to keep it, but it is going to take alot of time and patience to get it settled down, it's young enough that I am confident over time it will develop the tempermant of my corns. Thanks again for the picture.
~~~~~
Emily

I have been playing around with snakes since I was old enough to catch them by myself, and especially black rats. If you can get it to calm down it will make a great pet. Easy to feed and a hardy animal that will no doubt give ya lots of enjoyment. But be prepared to be able to house a snake that can easily attain 6'. Mine is currently 3 years old and right at 66"!!!

Here is a picture of him I took last week...

>>Thanks for posting a picture of yours! It looks exactly like the one I found. I have decided to keep it, but it is going to take alot of time and patience to get it settled down, it's young enough that I am confident over time it will develop the tempermant of my corns. Thanks again for the picture.
>>~~~~~
>>Emily

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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

could it be a fox snake? im sorry, im not even lookin at my guide now but looks like one a little

We dont even have them here in KY. It is a black rat snake, trust me on this one guys, I am 100% certain, have seen lots of these little guys here.

>>could it be a fox snake? im sorry, im not even lookin at my guide now but looks like one a little
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Great pic, he's a big one! I fed my little one a pinkie yesterday, after eating it he/she stayed in strike posture for about 30 minutes. But it has settled down a little bit over the past few days, now I can look in on him without him lunging for the glass. My husband has volunteered to start handling him in a couple of days... better him getting bit than me, teehee!! Although I dread the first few times having to clean the cage.
Thanks again!
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Emily

"His will was set, and only death would break it."

Its a baby black rat snake for sure, corn snakes have a slightly differnt head pattern, from that angle i can see its a black rat. Just for advice it isnt so smart to mess with snakes that you are unsure about, but anyways obviously it is stressed and the best thing for the snake would be to let it go where you found him.

-Brandon