Re: Looking for someone knowledgable on the subject...

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Posted by Dwight Good on August 07, 2002 at 16:06:16:

In Reply to: Looking for someone knowledgable on the subject... posted by Kat on August 07, 2002 at 15:16:24:

Can anyone give me some basic info on them and/or point me to some websites or other reading materials? Do they have any other common names besides 'yellow ratsnakes'?

Hmmm, not exactly sure what you mean by basic info... but their care requirements are exactly the same as corns. Here is snippet from my now 'defunct' web page (Elaphe obsoleta)......

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General description: The yellow rat snake is a large, fairly common constrictor that typically preys upon small mammals and birds. They are generally bright or straw yellow with distinct brownish or black stripes. Juveniles are greyish or brownish and are blotched rather than striped. As they mature, they develop the adult "yellow" coloration and the blotches turn to stripes.

Size: Adults average 5-6 feet, can reach lengths of 7 feet

Distribution: Coastal North and South Carolina, southward throughout peninsular Florida. Yellow rats from the southern tip of their range tend to be more golden butter yellow overall and have lots of yellow highlights on the belly and under the chin, compared to the tannish, straw yellow colored yellow rats from central and northern Florida.

Color and pattern morphs: Albino and 'anerythristic' morphs are established in herpetoculture. Other anomolies have been reported but are not currently offered in the pet trade.
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How does their care/temperment/requirements/other attributes differ from those of say... a cornsnake?

As mentioned above, yellows tend to require the same care as corns. Temperment varies among yellows, most adults I have owned, caught, or handled have been tame. But the mean ones I have come across have been just that... MEAN as in pure satan spawn. Babies are usually spunky, but most tame down quickly. Hatchlings will often take pinkie mice as first meals. However, it is not uncommon for yellow rat hatchlings to prefer lizards at first. But they can be tricked into eating pinkies by teasefeeding. After a few meals this way, they get the idea and will eat them voluntarily. A lot of the captive born yellows in the pet trade come from WC adult snakes. As more and more breeders begin to work with captive bred bloodlines, this tendency to prefer lizards should subside. There are a few breeders out there (including myself) that are working with exclusively captive bred bloodlines.

If I have missed any of your questions, just ask.

Hope this helped,
dg

Here is a photo of a yearling yellow rat female from captive bred bloodlines...

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