Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am really thankful for all the answers I received about different ratsnakes. I'm still a ways from making my decision, and will continue to do research to make sure I pick out the right first snake.

On the Trans Pecos I had a few questions. How big do these snakes get, and how are they as babies?(ie. feeding, caging, handling, etc.) Are they hard to find, and are there any reputable breeders/websites that specialize in them. The few pics I have seen prove they are a beautiful snake. You all are great, I hope someday to pass on my knowledge to others!

Mike

On the Trans Pecos I had a few questions. How big do these snakes get,

A big adult averages around 5 feet, while a few might get to 6 feet. They are slightly larger than the average corn but slightly smaller than the average black rat.

and how are they as babies?(ie. feeding, caging, handling,

They produce a few big babies that generally start well on pinkies. Actually a few babies I have produced were slightly defensive, but again, it is mostly bluff and they rarely bite. Even when they do, it is a peculiarly gentle bite.

Are they hard to find, and are there any reputable breeders/websites that specialize in them.

They aren't as common as Corns or Black Rats, but they aren't rare. They lay smaller clutches than Corns or obsoleta Rats so there are fewer produced, but they aren't impossible to find. They often breed later (July in the wild) than other ratsnakes so babies may not show up until September some years.
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Chris Harrison

Subocs are very rewarding animals, and among the prettiest to be found anywhere.

I cannot attest to whether mine was the exception or the rule for the species, but mine had a tendency to eat small compared to black rats and corns: preferring fuzzies when he was fully capable of taking hoppers, preferring hoppers when he was capable of taking weanlings, etc. He was a great feeder as long as I adhered to the preferred meal size. So if you get one that refuses one meal, offer a smaller one.

1. Size -- About 5 feet. We have a fully grown female that may be slightly bigger than that.

2. Babies -- Won't be much help here. We have never raised them up from babies, but we did buy one that was about 4 months old and he was, and still is, very docile. They can be on the shy side, but I've never had one even come close to biting me. Don't put them in too big a cage as babies, but when they are full grown, provide them with at least a 3 or 4 foot cage. Ours are excellent feeders except when they are blue (what a surprise!).

3. Breeders -- You come across them occassionally in the kingsnake classifieds, but not terribly often. We have axanthics, which are even tougher to find. We bought our female from Ronda at nwherp.com. She had some babies (blondes) about a month ago . . . don't know if she still has them. David Katz at dkreptiles.com is also another reputable breeder. I have also been referred to Craig Trumbower, but he doesn't have a website.

Am overcome with a need to brag, so I'm posting a picture of one of our axanthics!

I have a large ltc male over 5ft.4in. Very gentle dispositioned serpent as a species.
Young ones need to feel secure. Mine seem to prefer tight spaced hiding places as opposed to anything else.
Ventilation is paramount to their health.

A few breeders come to mind. VPI, South Mountain Reptiles (Don is a really great guy to do biz with) have websites. Craig Trumbower, Mark Bell and Mike Price are also reputable breeders.

My blonde(66% het for silver) came from Ronda Van Winkle at NWHerp, although she doesnt breed subocs anymore. My silver came from Envy Reptiles. I anticipate they will lay a clutch for me this summer, so atleast blondes--het silvers or both blondes and silvers will be available.
I also have a triple het(albino,blonde,silver) pair that should hopefully reproduce in '06. These are from the Hwy. 277 strain of albino now bred at VPI. They should throw albinos, axanthics, blondes, axanthic blondes, albino blondes, an occasional snow and even more rarely, snow blondes---not to mention alot of normal looking "Bogies" that are mystery het for any mixture of those morphs. These are hard to come by, but sometimes become available on kingsnake. Hope that I was helpful to you Mike.
Best of luck--
Dsuty Rhoads

Dusty Rhoads...that is. not Dsuty. LOL