hey i have a ball python and i was wondering about getting a black rat snake. i work at a place where they are all over 'wild' and they lay eggs in the sawdust pile and i was thinking that i could take one and hatch it... i was wondering what kind of care you need for a black rat snake. i looked in the care forum and didnt see anything about black rat snakes. any help is much apperciated...also if i get a wild bread but i catch it and hatch it is their a possibality of mites and other problems? also i know the ones at the barn hibernate in the winter do they do that in captivity?
First of all I would advise strongly against "taking one" rat snake eggs are laid in clumps and tearing one off could rip apart all the eggs that its in contact with and the egg itself, even after you take one - eggs require high humidity (near 100%) and an incubator, do you have the materials to provide that? and if the eggs are being guarded by a mother and you tamper with them she will most likely not tend to them after they have been in contact with a human so you would effectively be killing the rest of the babies... Even if you did sucessfully get an egg and incubate it - it might not hatch! not all eggs hatch sucessfully there are always a few in every clutch. But for the sake of argument lets say you somehow got an egg, killed off the others, managed not to break your own egg, bought an incubator (more expensive than a snake and a full setup put together) and some home managed to keep the humidity as high as it needed to be: a captive hatched snake will not be friendly, may have hereditary traits carried over from its parents that are undersirable, and is unlikely to tame anywhere near as much as a simple $20 corn bought from a pet shop. I hope you consider this carefully
rat snakes excellent! our deckert's was jumpy at first but is a real sweetie now. heredity from wild not important as all snakes, even from shop have same instincts as babies. if it is legal to take from wild where you live, why not get a hatchling? not sure about parasites but there are experienced people on here who would know
Well like Devastate said, you'd be tampering with nature. You could kill off the other eggs. Even if you manage not to ruin the others or your own, the parents may not accept the remaining as her own. She will smell human on them. Trust me, it would just be a lot easier and cheaper to buy a black rat already in captivity. I've seen them for sale often enough :lol: But yes, they do make good pet snakes!
ok cool thanks for the advise everyone. i guess buying one would be a better option. do they hibernate in the winter time in captivity? the ones at the farm i work at hibernate in the winter. what are the care requirements? i have looked it up online but i want some advise for so people who already have one.
Not sure about the hibernate thing, but I know for care it's pretty much the same as for corn snakes.
they will hibernate if the temps get too low as with all snakes keep the temps up in the winter and the light cycle to a 12 hur day and 12 hur night and it should be fine
thanks to everyone for all the help and info and i checked the corn snake care sheet and i didnt see and temp and humidity requirements. what are they for a black rat snake?
For temp, you need a gradient to keep it comfortable. Cool side can be low to mid 70's (ie, 73F) and hot side should be about 10 degrees higher (83F). Humidity can be about 60% OR you can just put in a humid hide. Just a box with a hole cut in the top with some damp sphagnum moss in the bottom. This should be kept in the middle of the tank, not the cold or hot side. If you don't like the humid hide idea, just mist the tank daily will do.
the humid hode idea is great..thanks..are you sure they dont need nore humidity though?...they are wild where i live in virginia and the humidity is ALOT highter than 60%...more like 100% in the summer when they come out from hibernation... do they like higher humitity?
It's not really a huge deal. Normal house humidity is fine. Like if it's that high where you live, yours should be fine.
rat snakes are cool! i've got a grey rat. i've noticed that he's far more active than Blaze and actually calmer. he likes to be held and will lay curled up around my fingers for a long time. rat snakes tend to get larger than corn snakes and most are actually active during the day. they arent nocturnal like corn snakes. and most rats like to climb. my grey rat is also called a "white oak" snake, because they are found hanging out in oak trees.
ok i had to make an emergancy move (roommate issues) and am now living with my parents again so purchasing another snake is not going to happen for awhile...but i will post pics when i do get one.
