Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Forum,

Just wondering.....

I recently went into a pet store here in Ohio, where the owner said that ratsnakes did not require a constant heating source that it could kill them, causing dry sheds and so forth. He said maintaing their cage at room temperature is perfectly sufficient for these snakes. He claimed this because these snakes are native to Ohio, and Ohio typically is not a really high heat/humidity state.
Oddly enough, he claimed the same thing about kingsnakes and milksnakes. I found this practice rather odd. Anyone else agree or disagree with this? All replies are appreciated.

Thx,
Stanley

yes, i'd agree w/ that. i keep almost all my snakes [mostly NA colubrids] at controlled room temp all year round and have for many years. the temps rise slowly thru the day and fall slowly at night, just like mother nature intended. the only exception are the tiger rats which actually require a basking spot. from what i read, alot of people in the hobby, esp. beginners mistakenly overheat [cook] their snakes believing they need constant warmth. that simply is not true and is actually detrimental to the animal in the long haul......

I agree with Dan, IMHO.
Todd Hughes

That's where I got my first ratsnake...3 years ago. If you are in the columbus area, you should check out the All Ohio Reptile Show. They have one every month, the next one being March 12. You will pay less and get more in terms of choices than ANY pet store, even one that specializes in reptiles.

As for your question: Yes, these snakes can be kept at room temps (depending on what your temps are like). A heat gradient is desirable, however, if your cage is long enough to truly allow for a cool and warm side. I kept many of my ratsnakes at room temps for years (no a/c in the summer)...Now I have a snake room which is kept a little warmer than the rest of our house.

As for your consideration of North American Ratsnakes: An excellent first choice...But be advised that there are some Ohio laws regarding black rats (and other Ohio species) that might make a non-native rat more desirable. Cornsnakes, yellow rats, baird's rats, texas rats all would be worth your consideration.

I strongly suggest, however, that you go to the Ohio Show before buying. I still have my first snake...and she's great...but I did pay twice as much for her as I would have at the show. You can pick up a nice corn/rat there for $20-$40. Duffy

Hello,

Thanks for your replies. Actually, Yes, I was at CBR. I was just a little curious about that because I have read some of the care guides on these snakes and they claim that they need basking spots and so forth. Just had me wondering. I wasn't necessarily interested in getting one, I own a few ball pythons and a reticulated python. Understand these animals care, had me a little curious about the rat snakes. I am aware of Ohio's ridiculous law regarding them. Out of all the poor decisions Ohio has ever made..............Oh well, not getting into that.
Anyways, I am newer to the forum. I usually read alot of books but a friend recommended this site a few weeks ago. I started reading, and then, finally decided to post when I couldnt necessarily find anything related.

Thx for your replies,
Stanley

Hey Goini, (By the way I love Goini) If you're working with "CBR" be sure to talk to Terry or Jan personally. Terry is more knowledgeable about Elaphe than perhaps 90 per cent of the people who post on this forum. I am sometimes a vendor at the Columbus Show, and I love the show, but I'm sure if you get Terry or Jan, and ask specific questions, you will get advice that will work well. I believe in always having a thermal gradient, but I know people who just do rooms with years of good results.

Jamie

Room temperature in my house in winter is (at best) 72 deg F. Even my fox snakes would probably go off feed if it was in the high sixties for any length of time. A thermostat with a cage gradient of 80 to room temperature works well for me.
John

I was thinking the same thing. Typically in a pet store i'm sure they keep their temps around 75-80 probably. My room where my snakes are stays in the upper 60's bout year round. If I didn't have heat, i'm pretty sure that they would be going off feed.
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-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)

I'm here in south Texas where the temps can be in the high 80's even in winter with a brief cold period, 6-8 weeks. My room temp is normally high 70's- low 8o's year round except for the short winter season. All my snakes and lizards are doing fine.
Todd Hughes

Sorry for the crappy quality shots. Was trying out the camera phone and was curious.
Todd

My room temp is 68 because I like it cool to sleep. Do you think a ceramic heat emitter placed on one side of a 55 gallon tank would be okay or do you prefer heat pad under hide area?
The reg day temp in the room is like 75. Its for a leucistic Texas rat snake I intend to get.
thanks

Room temp is okay most times, but to be on the safe side I have a small heat pad for both my corn and my Bairdi set at like 88 (with a thermostat) since after a meal they digest more easily at those temps. It's inexpensive, uses little electricity, and you won't have to worry if you have a really cold night.
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- John

1.0 Baird's Rat (Milton)
1.0 Okeetee Corn (Edgar)
0.1 Ball Python (Agatha)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Rudyard)

Here in Fla. my two corns do fine at room temp (about 78 daytime/ 72 nighttime) with just a small heat pad at one end of their enclosures for easier digestion. The only time we 've ever had a problem was the coldest night of the season last winter, outside temps in the low twenties - some drunk hit a light pole and knocked out the power for the whole night. Wouldn't you know - I had just fed the "kids" earlier that evening and was afraid they'd get too cold and regurg. I put them back into their plastic feeding boxes and took them to bed. Snakes, cats, and I spent the night all cozy and warm.....hubby spent the night on the sofa!

Well atleast you kept the snakes comfortable, hubby is warm blooded, he will get over it. Thanks everyone for your replies,
the store that I went into, the colubrids and such were not heated. They had the baby snakes in little 1 gallon tanks. They were all mixed. He had milksnakes, kingsnakes, ratsnakes and all were without heat. I asked about that, because I was thinking of purchasing this little Cal. King that was available and he said not to put any heat. He said that the store temps in the winter can drop into the 50s but he said that none of his snakes ever have any problems. They all feed well, is what he said. So I just thought that I would get some second opinions before deciding whether I would buy from him or not. Overall, I didn't like the condition that well of the store. He had 12-14ft retics in 4x4 cages. In which he also recommends not applying too much heat to them as well. I dunno. Just thought I would get some better opinions before my money was spent on this gorgeous Cal. King. Thanks for all of your replies.

Stanley

I will stick with my original suggestion: If you want a nice Kingsnake...go to the Ohio Show and get a better snake at a lower price. Duffy

Yeah, I agree. I think I will do that anyways. When is the next one? Do you happen to know?

The next one is March 12. You can get directions and other info at: allohioshows.com or get there by clicking on Events above and looking for the Ohio show. You will probably get a king (or ??) for half what you would pay at CBR or any pet store. Price of admission is $4 for adults, but you will save way more than that, and it is just worth it. I buy my rodents there. You will enjoy it. Duffy

Thanks for the info. I will mark that on my calendar because I want to go. The last show that I went to was in cleveland to the NOAH show. Just outta curiosity, what is your opinion of Captive Born Reptiles? Overall, I am not that impressed. In fact, I feel sorry for many of the animals in the store. Overall I dont think that I would purchase one from him. I want a good quality animal, and healthy animal. Not saying that his isn't, but I think I will just wait it out. Besides, I have enough animals to keep me busy for the time being .

Stan

Everything is relative. After "discovering" the All Ohio Show several years back, it seems to me that I would be throwing money away buying a reptile anywhere else that I know of here in central Ohio. Like I said, I still have my first snake (from CBR)...I also bought a baby corn there that regurged every meal I gave it until it died. They said it was feeding fine, but the skinny little thing (in retrospect) could not have kept down many meals in its lifetime. And it was this time of year, so it should have been several months old with more weight on it. I like to visit CBR sometimes still to see what they have, but I know I can do better than ANY pet store once a month at the Show. You will enjoy it. Duffy

I'd have to agree with Duffy. I like to visit CBR from time to time just to take a peek around, but I don't think I would ever support it by buying from them. The quality of their animals seems to vary widely with each visit, just depends on what they have at the time. I'd also suggest buying at the All-Ohio Show. I love going and attend every month, even if just to look around. The quality of animals is consistently high, and the prices are great.

Just a note of caution, too. Don't mention the All-Ohio to the staff at CBR. Last time I mentioned the show and how much I enjoyed it, I received a rather nasty 10-minute rant. They told me that all the animals at the show are unhealthy wild-caughts being sold as captive-bred by sneaky vendors. Of course, this isn't the truth. There are a mix of good and bad anywhere you go.

Anyway, enjoy the show!
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)