Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, got another question.

I have been reading a lot about rat snakes. It seems that these black rat snakes are somewhat arborial. I would like to put some climbing branches in her new enclosure (30lx12wx18h). I have picked out some nice non-resinous branches from the same acre that she was caught on (it is amazing how her colors blend with these branches). Do I need to do anything with them before I put them in her enclosure? They are from the same ecosystem that she came from.

Also, my wife and I were in Pigeon Forge TN this weekend, and while she was shopping and shopping and shopping, I checked out the Reptile "museum" there. It was very cool. The snakes are all very active and visible. Their enclosures seemed very clean and they are all well fed. The keeper even fed the snakes while I was there. I saw an Egyptian Banded Cobra eat. Very cool. I am not scared of snakes at all, but the King Cobra was very active (fast snake)and very aggressive to any movement or noise. I wouldnt do well in a room with one of those. Anyway check it out if you are ever in the area. The keeper does a little show where kids can handle tarantulas and a ball python. Lots of rattlers, mambas, large constrictors, and even a rat snake or two.

Oh, and check out my litte BRS sniffing around..These things are so cool!!!

easiest/most foolproof way would to get a can of provent-a-mite from pro products. spray it down, let dry and put in cage.

another method would to mix up a bleach and water solution consisting of one capful of bleach to one gallon of water. let the branches soak for a couple hours. preferable to dry in the oven, 250 degrees for an hour. at least let dry indoors.

or you can go down to home depot and get some wooden dowels. these will work great for climbing structures. my black rat lovesss to climb.

-----
-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
N. American Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote
Information on substrates

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

Bleach and hot water works great. Then place the branch in a 175 F oven to dry for an hour or more. That both drys the branch but it also helps to rid the wood of parasites and insects. You could also place the branch in an autoclave if your school has one. That would insure that you had a very clean branch.

Did you ever find out your snakes gender?

Thanks for your replies. IT'S A GIRL!!!