Re: Question on black rat temperament

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Posted by CulebraOnna on June 12, 2002 at 17:07:37:

In Reply to: Question on black rat temperament posted by Magicman on June 12, 2002 at 02:55:29:

I think mainly it depends on age and how long it's been in captivity. My first black ratsnake I caught (all four that I'm talkiing about have been wild caught, either by me or by my dad), bit me 3 times and was a baby, it also rattled at me. Then it was perfectly fine, incredibly sweet, won my heart over for black rats.
The second was also a baby. Kadin constantly bit my dad, but calmed down pretty quickly. She acted more like a boid, just sat there and was happy. The only time she bit me was when my finger got in the way of a pinky.
Third was a 3 1/2 footer. She was fairly posessive of her cage, so I used an amateur hook (coat hanger unbent, lol!) to take her out so I didn't need to put on gloves. She did not bite. However, she didn't really calm down for a while. After a bit, I could actually put her on my lap, or just handle her and she wouldn't be acting like a hyperactive ratsnake :).
Fourth. A 6 ft or so black ratsnake, pics are below. The few minutes that I had him, he was NOT happy. I grabbed him and he bit me, I slid my hand up to his neck so he didn't bite me. But he was writhing, and his tail was constantly curling and uncurling, trying to find a secure hold so he could escape. He also rattled briefly, I was entranced, said "oooh, you're rattling! Silly!"

Basically, the older the rats are and the longer they've been in the wild, the more evil they get, lol. It also seems, from what I've heard, that yellow rats are similar.

Question: someone told me they changed Elaphe obsoleta. Apparently black rats are now E. alleghensis, or something like that, and grey rats are no longer a subspecies? Ah!

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: I think mainly it depends on age and how long it's been in captivity. My first black ratsnake I caught (all four that I'm talkiing about have been wild caught, either by me or by my dad), bit me 3 times and was a baby, it also rattled at me. Then it was perfectly fine, incredibly sweet, won my heart over for black rats. : The second was also a baby. Kadin constantly bit my dad, but calmed down pretty quickly. She acted more like a boid, just sat there and was happy. The only time she bit me was when my finger got in the way of a pinky. : Third was a 3 1/2 footer. She was fairly posessive of her cage, so I used an amateur hook (coat hanger unbent, lol!) to take her out so I didn't need to put on gloves. She did not bite. However, she didn't really calm down for a while. After a bit, I could actually put her on my lap, or just handle her and she wouldn't be acting like a hyperactive ratsnake :). : Fourth. A 6 ft or so black ratsnake, pics are below. The few minutes that I had him, he was NOT happy. I grabbed him and he bit me, I slid my hand up to his neck so he didn't bite me. But he was writhing, and his tail was constantly curling and uncurling, trying to find a secure hold so he could escape. He also rattled briefly, I was entranced, said "oooh, you're rattling! Silly!" : Basically, the older the rats are and the longer they've been in the wild, the more evil they get, lol. It also seems, from what I've heard, that yellow rats are similar. : Question: someone told me they changed Elaphe obsoleta. Apparently black rats are now E. alleghensis, or something like that, and grey rats are no longer a subspecies? Ah!

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