Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male albino black rat snake that is my 13 year old sons snake. He is sometimes very aggressive, expecially in shed.
He is getting way to big for my son to handle and he has already bit me. I am afraid of this snake and my son is the only one that handles him. I think he is way to big for my son. How big do these snakes get? What length am I looking at here??
Is this a snake that a 13 year old can handle?

If it is "getting way too big" it is probably as big as it'll get. Black rats average between 5 and 7 feet. Even if it gets to be seven, which is unlikely, it won't get nearly as thick as a boa or python. Insofar as its behavior during shed - they shouldn't be handled while in shed. They get very irritated by their skin, and if they're still in the blue (their eyes are cloudy) they can't see very well, and they're extra aggressive. But a 13 year old shouldn't have any problems with a black rat snake. Just leave it alone for the week or so between the clouding of its eyes and the actual shed, make sure the temperatures are correct, and that it has hides at each end of the enclosure, and it should be fine.

In general, I would say that even a large black ratsnake would be OK for a responsible 13 year old. How long have you had this snake? When it is NOT in shed, how does it react to being picked up? Most (not all) will mellow out in time. One thing your son could try would be latex gloves, the kind that janitors and/or health care people buy by the box. It will provide a little protection against a bite, but more important it may cause the snake to bite less, since they supposedly don't like the taste. It has the added effect of giving the handler a little more reassurance, thus avoiding tentative/hesitant movements when picking the animal up. Usually, once the "pick-up" has been made, the glove(s) can come off.
IMHO, if your son is responsible and HE is comfortable with the snake, I would let him keep it. If, on the other hand, the snake never calms down, you could consider other options. How big is the snake now? As mentioned, 6-7 feet would be the upper limit usually. Duffy

How big is he right now, and how long are you handling him for? How long is he in his cage inbetween handlings? When you go to pick him up, do you mess around for a bit or just pick him right up? What are the conditions like when he is out being handled?

I ask these questions because I feel that you may find the reason why he's agressive in these answers. If he is too small and being handled for too long of a time period, you are putting extreme stress on him. Also, if you handle him too long and dont give him enough time to relax, he'll of course be very agitated. Time handling and inbetewen really is determined upon the size of the snake.

If you mess around moving stuff waiting to pick him up, this is causing undue stress. the best way to do it is just reach in, grab him, and bring him out. Even if he gets defensive, if you back off you will be conditioning him to "make the big hand leave if i act like i'm going to bite." The same goes for handling. If you get bitten, don't put the snake right back. This reinforces the snakes thought that if he bites, he will get to go back home. I keep mine out until they are calm, at that point i'll handle them for a while then let them go "back home."

Also what are the conditions in the room like when he's out? If you have a bunch of your sons friends over running around, this will also cause a natural defensive nature in this guy. I would reccomend to only have you and your son around when you let the snake out, no other pets and none of your sons friends (for the time being.) Keep it quiet, no sharp movements, and you should be fine.

As they have already said, it's going to grow 5-7 feet, the record length of a black rat is 101 inches. (just under 8.5 feet.) If your son is responsible, then he should be fine with it. Just as I said, don't have a bunch of rowdy people around it - this will freak out the snake and highly increase the chance of someone getting bit.