Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im new to Ratsnakes and I will be getting a pair of Yellows from a friend on Friday. One thing I want to get is a nice Black Rat. I cant have more than one as they are protected here in Wisconsin. My question is who breeds the blackest and the biggest Black Rats ? I dont really want it het for anything but since I aint breeding it I guess it doesnt matter much. I just want one that gets huge and is black. Thanks for any info.

Keith Hillson
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well not sure who breeds the best but what you really need is a southwest MO Local! I have caught several over 6 1/2' and they have absolutely no pattern! absolutely beautiful black rats here! I may catch one in the next few years to breed to the pair of albinos I'm getting Tuesday so I can bring in some new blood and have some beauties! get ahold of me in 2 years or so
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Redtail "Kilo"
1.0 Ball Python "Road Hog"

Hey Keith, Dwight Good has some adult breeders that are pretty solid black. Also another person good person to deal with that will have some solid black rats would be Michael Jolliff. Just look on the Corn/Ratsnake classifieds. I'm sure they are both getting ready to have some 05's available.

Steve

I got mine from Mike Joliff and they're definately quality stock. I've heard lots of good things about Dwight Good so I don't think I would hesitate to get one from him either. Whichever way you go, make sure to get some from quality stock.
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Chondros and colubrids... my 2 favorite types of snakes!

"Life is hard. Life is harder if you're stupid." - John Wayne

Here's a very large Virginia Black Ratsnake I took some photos of earlier this Summer at a nearby State Park.

Steve

>>Here's a very large Virginia Black Ratsnake I took some photos of earlier this Summer at a nearby State Park.
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>>Steve
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Keith
Glad to see you expanding into the rats!! For some black rats, you would either like the ones from the eastern sea board, or from MO. I am originally from MO and have a pair from there. They are not yet old enough to breed, maybe next year, but jet black with red between the scales that "bleeds" down into the belly!! Awesome looking,

Here is my male....

And my female...

Now you could check out the black rats here in KY!! They are a breed all their own for sure, here is my male that is over 6' and going on 4 years old...This pic was taken last September, and he has grown considerably since then. He has really put on the size this summer!!! Ill try to get some updated pics....

Nice shot of his pattern and coloration..

And here is my albino from Dwight Good!!! He is a behemoth as well!!! And only 3 years old!!

Hope you enjoy the pics....
Brian

>>Im new to Ratsnakes and I will be getting a pair of Yellows from a friend on Friday. One thing I want to get is a nice Black Rat. I cant have more than one as they are protected here in Wisconsin. My question is who breeds the blackest and the biggest Black Rats ? I dont really want it het for anything but since I aint breeding it I guess it doesnt matter much. I just want one that gets huge and is black. Thanks for any info.
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>>Keith Hillson
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Corn snake (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
0.0.1 Great plains rat snake (TX locale)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

Wow all very beautiful animals. Ive always liked the big Rats but just never got around to keeping them. Although I did have a Leucistic Tex Rat for awhile. When I was in High school back in the mid to late 80's we had what was called a Science Resource Center or the SRC. In there they had all kinds of preserved specimens and models as well as a few live critters. One such animal was the biggest colubrid Ive ever seen, a 7' Black Ratsnake. He had a head like a small coffin and was simply a gigantic beast. He resided there for 20 years I guess. Anyway years later I was working for a pet store and the head of the SRC gives us that Black Rat as they are refurbishing the SRC. I went to pick him up and he was like a rope. Super slack with zero zip in him. We decided to just keep him as a store pet and he lived there for another 2 years before dying of old age I guess. Anyway thats my Black Rat story.

Keith
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What a coincidence??? I was only on here to share my find of a monster female I found a few weeks ago here in NC. I measured her at 5.5 foot exactly! Biggest female I ever found. I DID find a large male (yellow) that was a little over 7 foot long on Blythe Island, (Southeast) GA. last year. That was my longest snake ever found in the wild. He was a true giant and only had one eye! I wish I had my camera with me then, because I did turn him loose a few minutes later (GA. law you know)!
Here's a pic of another young female black rat I found on Ft. Bragg, NC last November (my last WC snake of the year).

Zee

Forgot to mention Keith: In case you wanted to see a BIG female check a few posts up for pics of that 5.5 foot (intergrade) female I found. She should be laying (lots of eggs) any day now. . .

Zee