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Posted by Patrick Alexander on July 17, 2002 at 21:55:40:
In Reply to: I need some help deciding about N. American Rats... posted by Michael on July 17, 2002 at 15:26:05:
: I have posted occasionally in this forum. I currently have a Taiwan beauty snake and a corn snake(well...those are my colubrids, I have a few boas). I was always interested in the American rat snakes, but my friend got an everglades and its personailly deturred me away from them(IT was mean as HELL). But, I am getting over that fact, and every snake is differnt. What is a good american rat snake to get? I really like the black rats...do they have solid colored ones? What is everyones favorite?
Are you thinking about subspecies of Elaphe obsoleta (which is sometimes called `North American rat snake' for no good reason), or North American Elaphe generally? You already have an American rat snake, the `red rat snake' (Elaphe guttata), it's just a coincidence of common names that it's not usually called a rat snake... but it is one. : ) Anyways... of Elaphe obsoleta, if you're worried about defensiveness, probably best to avoid Texas rats... the black rats I've met have been pretty calm, and grey rats seem to be much the same... from what I've heard of yellow/Everglades rats, they're pretty variable... some like your friend's, some quite handlable. There aren't really any -totally- black black rat snakes, that I've seen, but some come pretty close. Other than Elaphe obsoleta, there are a couple of great North American rat snakes to consider... Baird's rat snakes (Elaphe bairdi), and fox snakes (Elaphe vulpina)... both of these are, I think, very under-rated, nifty snakes.
If I were getting another Elaphe obsoleta, I think I'd get a yellow rat (E. o. quadrivittata), one of the nice dark, muddy-colored ones no one else seems to like. Were I choosing from North American Elaphe generally, I think Baird's rats would win out...
Patrick Alexander
