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Posted by terryp on August 11, 2002 at 17:44:38:
In Reply to: First Colubrid posted by jmartin on August 10, 2002 at 18:57:15:
for first Colubrid. Now that's a gutsy move. Just kidding. I like that "I don't want a corn snake or kingsnake" for my first Colubrid. I have both of the rat snakes you're asking about in my collection. I like and enjoy both of them very much. The care should be about the same for either. The black rat will generally be the longer of the two. So you will have an armfull when handling. The Texas rat has the reputation (Travis Grasha says its a bad rap) of being more likely to strike. There's several color morphs available in both snakes. Most normal captive bred offspring from either will be het for one or two morphs. The black rat has a larger range than the Texas so more people probably feel comfortable with black rats from having grown up and seeing or collecting them. Both snakes are very hardy and great eaters givingthem a good rating for a first snake.
Not much, but hopefully some points to help you. So what will you have if you get a Texas rat or Black rat? You'll have a hardy and good eater so either will not be too hard to care for. The black rat can get large (approaching or even surpassing 7 feet). So size can become an issue owning one. Both snakes have attitudes and may strike when you first go to pick them up. They usually stop with handling and more important working and getting used to reaching in a picking them up in a way that doesn't give them that strike mode. I can pick up any of my Texas or Black rats with rarely a strike now, except for this large adult Texas rat wild caught recently. She may never striking.
