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Had a great wake up call this morning.Picked up a pair of leucistic black rats from Don at South Mountain.Will have some pics of the male up after he calms down...Paul

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Black Rats are just awesome snakes. I purchsed a normal black rat a couple of weeks ago, and now between looking at yours, and Kevin's white-sided black rats at the top of this post, I can see myself getting another. These guys are really starting to be recognized for the wonderful snakes they are. Yours is outstanding.

Steve

I like black rats also.They are everywere around here and I wanted something a little different.I cant wait till breeding season 3 years from now.lol.Is your black rat fiesty?I was bit in less than a second after I opened the lid.My goatee saved me from much blood loss.lol.Im sure they will both mellow out from there ride from south Texas...Paul

Mine has not bit. He's musked me once. Sometimes I'll pick him up and he's calm, but he can spook easy if you touch him wrong, and want to shoot out of the hand. How large is yours Paul, if you had to guess? Mine is around 24-25 inchs.

Steve

When I got my licorice black rat, it was at a herp show in Ohio and I decided on it rather than a leucistic black rat after much deliberating. I think I really lucked out because mine has none of that ratsnake feistiness and never did as a hatchling. He's musked before, but never enough that to make a mess just enough to stink. He has yet to snap at me and I couldn't even get him to open his mouth for tease feeding when he went off food for a while last winter. He's only getting easier to handle with age and I think he'll make a good snake to take to schools. I may get a female for him someday, but no plans in the immediate future for that. I hope to see more pics of your leucistics, especially as adults. It might just be me but I think they look just slightly different from adult leucistic texas rats in body shape as adults. That may be just me though.

The only differance I see from a texan is the head is smaller and slim like a black rat. lol.I was told they dont get as large either.I personally hope they get huge.There's nothing better than a great looking snake that's big...Paul

There 04's and around 20 inches.They were eating fuzzy/hopper mice but Im going to upgrade to small mice.There almost the same size as my 04 female bairds.Bitten again by the rat bug.Isnt life great?...Paul

This guy has attitude.He bit my face this morning when I opened his little cup.I wish I had a video of it.They both have been exploring there tanks all day.

Cant get a great shot of him he just keeps striking out.lol.Will let them both mellow out for a week and try again...Paul

I have a Female Leucistic Texas Rat that looks just like your two. Is there any noticable differences between black rats and texas rats (leucistic ones)? Kinda aggressive arent they. I am lucky my is pretty tame, only been bit once (so far ) Good Luck with them, really cool animals!
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-Doug Daly

"Aren't you two a little old to be drinking illegally?"

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe Obsoleta lindheimerii)

www.petitiononline.com/hhogs05/petition.html

I was looking at some Texans yesterday at a store I sometimes do business with.There heads were wider and more blunt than mine.Both of mine have started to settle in now and there mellowing out.I had them out today and they were a little flighty and musky but didnt try to bite.
The funny thing is when I removed the screens to my tanks I found feces around the edges.Ive never had a snake thats done that before...Paul

>>I was looking at some Texans yesterday at a store I sometimes do business with.There heads were wider and more blunt than mine.Both of mine have started to settle in now and there mellowing out.I had them out today and they were a little flighty and musky but didnt try to bite.
>> The funny thing is when I removed the screens to my tanks I found feces around the edges.Ive never had a snake thats done that before...Paul

I was curious about what you said concerning the head size of black rats. I live in eastern WV and the black rats I have caught and removed from people`s barns, yards etc. all have extremely wide heads.

I caught a 6 and a half foot female one time and I swear you could almost lay a quarter on top her head and not cover it. Black rats in this area grow huge but you would think head size would not differ that much in the same type of snake from place to place.

Now my everglades rat snake has a much smaller trimmer head. Funny thing is everglades are generally considered fairly docile but this male has max attitude. LOL! He has bit me at least three times. He is an 04 hatchling and I have had him since last Oct. You would think by now he would have calmed down.

Good luck with your black rats.
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Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

Hello: I think is should be said that the Black Rat has a smaller head compaired to a Texas Rat but still is a good size as adults are concerened. The Black Rat does have a better disposition than a Texas Rat and rarely bites usually and when it does I find it to be a quick one and not painfull at all. The Texas, on the other hand does have a much bigger head at least all the ones I have and seen and has a slightly agressive disposition. I say slightly because they can and most do settle down with handling. However if bitten from the Texas Rat it is a more agressive bite. Another thing is the Leucistic Black Rat is a hybrid made by breeding a Black Rat to a Leucistic Texas rat so it inherited both the good and bad of the two which is musking and a slight attitude which with handling does not seem so apperent. I have been dealing with Black rats for years and have never been bitten but have been bitten once from a leucistic one. I noticed also that depending on where the original stock came from their size and head size vary but do not atain the girth the Texas Rat atains at leas not in the many I have had and seen over the years.

>>Hello: I think is should be said that the Black Rat has a smaller head compaired to a Texas Rat but still is a good size as adults are concerened. The Black Rat does have a better disposition than a Texas Rat and rarely bites usually and when it does I find it to be a quick one and not painfull at all. The Texas, on the other hand does have a much bigger head at least all the ones I have and seen and has a slightly agressive disposition. I say slightly because they can and most do settle down with handling. However if bitten from the Texas Rat it is a more agressive bite. Another thing is the Leucistic Black Rat is a hybrid made by breeding a Black Rat to a Leucistic Texas rat so it inherited both the good and bad of the two which is musking and a slight attitude which with handling does not seem so apperent. I have been dealing with Black rats for years and have never been bitten but have been bitten once from a leucistic one. I noticed also that depending on where the original stock came from their size and head size vary but do not atain the girth the Texas Rat atains at leas not in the many I have had and seen over the years.

Thank you for the reply. I have notice and please correct me if I`m wrong but the northern black rat seems to be more heavy bodied than the Texas version.
The Texas black rats I have seen all looked strange. Big head but a much trimmer body compared to the northern version.

I wish some of you could come to WV for a black rat hunt so you could see the head size of some of these 6 foot plus snakes.
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Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!