Re: "How do Eurasian rats fare in the South? - Just Great

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Posted by Ray Loraine on April 09, 2000 at 12:31:22:

In Reply to: "How do Eurasian rats fare in the South?"........more posted by Terry Cox on April 08, 2000 at 08:00:55:

In captivity the Eurasian Elaphe are like any other taxa. If you provide the correct conditions, they should thrive.

I've been keeping situla for nearly a decade in Florida. For the past couple of years, I've lived in westcentral Florida at about elevation 25 and successly bred and raised the snakes. I'm also working w/ longissima & q. quartolineata. Time will tell if they adapt as well as the situla do.

I keep mine set up much the way I do other colubrids - corns, kingsnakes, etc. Situla do like it a little cooler (not much above 80). This is little problem except during the very hottest part of the year. While living in north Florida I successfully cooled my animals in the garage by keeping them in a 100 percent dark box & manipulating doors and windows when night temperatures fell. Night temperatures in the 40's and rarely into the 30's were perfect for the animals. Day time highs were in the 50's & 60's but by keeping the garage closed up and the rack well insulated the temperature would remain in the 40's or 50's. In south Florida I use a "hibernaculum" that is a well insulated box about 4 foot square by 6-8 feet long that has an air conditioner running in it. For the last two years I've keep the animals down from about Thanksgiving to mid-March (with temps rarely below the low-50's) and have successfully bred every female I've tried. This also works for my corns & I've gotten courtship behavior from Eryx miliarus treated this way. The longissima & quartolineata are next.

If one is creative, you can meet your animals' needs.

On refrigerators - Be careful. Temperature control in some is not very accurate & I've known several who have killed valuable animals in refrigerators.

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: In captivity the Eurasian Elaphe are like any other taxa. If you provide the correct conditions, they should thrive. : I've been keeping situla for nearly a decade in Florida. For the past couple of years, I've lived in westcentral Florida at about elevation 25 and successly bred and raised the snakes. I'm also working w/ longissima & q. quartolineata. Time will tell if they adapt as well as the situla do. : I keep mine set up much the way I do other colubrids - corns, kingsnakes, etc. Situla do like it a little cooler (not much above 80). This is little problem except during the very hottest part of the year. While living in north Florida I successfully cooled my animals in the garage by keeping them in a 100 percent dark box & manipulating doors and windows when night temperatures fell. Night temperatures in the 40's and rarely into the 30's were perfect for the animals. Day time highs were in the 50's & 60's but by keeping the garage closed up and the rack well insulated the temperature would remain in the 40's or 50's. In south Florida I use a "hibernaculum" that is a well insulated box about 4 foot square by 6-8 feet long that has an air conditioner running in it. For the last two years I've keep the animals down from about Thanksgiving to mid-March (with temps rarely below the low-50's) and have successfully bred every female I've tried. This also works for my corns & I've gotten courtship behavior from Eryx miliarus treated this way. The longissima & quartolineata are next. : If one is creative, you can meet your animals' needs. : On refrigerators - Be careful. Temperature control in some is not very accurate & I've known several who have killed valuable animals in refrigerators.

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