I assume you mean, Elaphe moellendorffi.......more (longish)

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Rat Snake Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Terry on March 06, 2000 at 18:52:48:

In Reply to: Anyone working with Redheaded rat snakes? posted by Willis M. on March 05, 2000 at 15:05:13:

Moellendorff's rats are beautiful and rewarding to work with, but they are not for everyone. Twice I've raised captive born young, which are much different than trying to keep a wild-caught snake. Even the babies seem to appreciate a cool down time. The males seem to eat much better than the females. Sometimes they won't eat for several weeks during the winter, maybe only take one or two pinks between sheds. Adults can be cooled down for a good three months. Sometimes they eat voraciously. A trick is to not worry so much when they don't eat and feed them a lot when they will. My first male reached four feet by his second birthday.

Red-headed rats can be kept the same way you would keep a corn snake. Maybe a larger cage is needed and the corn might be kept warmer, but the setup is nearly the same. I put in a large hide box filled with paper wadded up and also a large water receptacle, like a gal. jug. Moellendorffi like to soak occasionally, plus it adds humidity to the cage. Red-headed rats like humidity even more than most rats, and they can have some shedding problems if it's not humid enough. I sometimes put extra jugs of water in the setup, and I usaully spray the bedding down just before the shedding.

They don't like it too warm. My snake room gets up to about 82*F. in the summer, which they can handle pretty well, but they like to be cooled down at night. They usually become active when it starts to cool down or just before it starts to warm up in the morning. I even use a little overhead lamp in the cool autumn sometimes to warm them a little.

Although these ratsnakes are pretty secretive and can be a little difficult to feed compared to other rats, they are one of my favorites and I can't wait to try my hand at breeding them. They are gorgeous animals which get quite large, over six feet, and they have a very interesting biology. They are very much like other ratsnakes in many ways, and yet they have some intriguing differences. If you're up for a challenge, this animal should keep your interest and test your skills.

Much luck and good wishes for anyone wanting to get into the Moellendorffi Club. It always nice to see more people on board. TC.

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Moellendorff's rats are beautiful and rewarding to work with, but they are not for everyone. Twice I've raised captive born young, which are much different than trying to keep a wild-caught snake. Even the babies seem to appreciate a cool down time. The males seem to eat much better than the females. Sometimes they won't eat for several weeks during the winter, maybe only take one or two pinks between sheds. Adults can be cooled down for a good three months. Sometimes they eat voraciously. A trick is to not worry so much when they don't eat and feed them a lot when they will. My first male reached four feet by his second birthday. : Red-headed rats can be kept the same way you would keep a corn snake. Maybe a larger cage is needed and the corn might be kept warmer, but the setup is nearly the same. I put in a large hide box filled with paper wadded up and also a large water receptacle, like a gal. jug. Moellendorffi like to soak occasionally, plus it adds humidity to the cage. Red-headed rats like humidity even more than most rats, and they can have some shedding problems if it's not humid enough. I sometimes put extra jugs of water in the setup, and I usaully spray the bedding down just before the shedding. : They don't like it too warm. My snake room gets up to about 82*F. in the summer, which they can handle pretty well, but they like to be cooled down at night. They usually become active when it starts to cool down or just before it starts to warm up in the morning. I even use a little overhead lamp in the cool autumn sometimes to warm them a little. : Although these ratsnakes are pretty secretive and can be a little difficult to feed compared to other rats, they are one of my favorites and I can't wait to try my hand at breeding them. They are gorgeous animals which get quite large, over six feet, and they have a very interesting biology. They are very much like other ratsnakes in many ways, and yet they have some intriguing differences. If you're up for a challenge, this animal should keep your interest and test your skills. : Much luck and good wishes for anyone wanting to get into the Moellendorffi Club. It always nice to see more people on board. TC.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Rat Snake Forum ] [ FAQ ]