Congrats on the Japanese rat, Ray....I hope we get a nice strand.......

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Posted by Terry Cox on July 24, 2000 at 07:45:13:

In Reply to: Eurasian rats @ IRBA !!!..... posted by Ray Reyes on July 24, 2000 at 00:47:44:

...going. There's way too little info out there on these beauties. I know a lot of people won't try them for this reason, and also because they're afraid of them. In the past Japanese ratsnakes have earned the reputation of being nervous and hard to handle, and just generally disagreeable. I haven't found that with the Kunasir Is. rats though. They are pretty cool and fit in with the rest of my collection nicely,thanks. I would caution you on a few things though.

Kunasir Is. rats are from the northern most part of their range. They are adapted to long cold winters and fairly short, not too not summers. Mine have withstood 4 to 5 months brumation at 50-60*F. Be very cautious taking them out and don't warm them too quickly. I lost one by warming it up and feeding it a big meal. It promptly died on me. I wouldn't start feeding heavy until after the first shed, at least. They eat best in spring, then sparingly in summer. They may want to hibernate earlier than most other species depending on the individual, but I put mine down around the end of October, if I can keep them going that long.

As far as characteristics go, they are very adaptable. I keep mine in standard 10-15 gal. tanks with aspen bedding, large water jug, and plenty of hide space. They can be kept on paper too, but like some humidity. They are not nearly as big as ones from farther south, but have a long thin appearance. They are good climbers and have the typical Elaphe shape, but don't have to have climbing branches. They calm down with handling and make a pretty good pet. They grow slowly.

One more thing is, be careful with newly acquired animals. Quarantine! Even if they are captive raised they can still have mites or whatever. I hope yours do well for you, Ray. I'm sure I'll talk more to you in the future on these. Let me know if you need a pic.

Terry

: Today I went to the IRBA show in San Diego, where I saw
: creatures great and small, sweet and cunning! One really
: neat thing however, was that there were actually a few Eurasian ratsnakes! I saw two male Kunasir Is. ratsnakes,
: two female Korean ratsnakes, a two Leopard ratsnakes and an adult Russian ratsnake! I just couldn't resist and Brought home
: a beautiful male Kunishiri from High Sierra Reptiles! I was thinking of getting one of the Koreans but the buy who showed them to me handled them ruthlessly, ripping the deli cup of the tape that was holding them. One even raced out her cup and got stuck on the tape! He pulled it off not so gently. Anyways, I'd
: like anyone to respond who has worked with Kunishiri! I'll try to post a pic
: Thanks for Reading...
: As Ever

: Ray Reyes

Follow Ups:

Thanks Terry........ Ray Reyes 07/24/00 (2)
- You're welcome.........> Terry 07/25/00 (1)
  - Thanks, I do!!!....> Ray Reyes 07/25/00 (0)

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: ...going. There's way too little info out there on these beauties. I know a lot of people won't try them for this reason, and also because they're afraid of them. In the past Japanese ratsnakes have earned the reputation of being nervous and hard to handle, and just generally disagreeable. I haven't found that with the Kunasir Is. rats though. They are pretty cool and fit in with the rest of my collection nicely,thanks. I would caution you on a few things though. : Kunasir Is. rats are from the northern most part of their range. They are adapted to long cold winters and fairly short, not too not summers. Mine have withstood 4 to 5 months brumation at 50-60*F. Be very cautious taking them out and don't warm them too quickly. I lost one by warming it up and feeding it a big meal. It promptly died on me. I wouldn't start feeding heavy until after the first shed, at least. They eat best in spring, then sparingly in summer. They may want to hibernate earlier than most other species depending on the individual, but I put mine down around the end of October, if I can keep them going that long. : As far as characteristics go, they are very adaptable. I keep mine in standard 10-15 gal. tanks with aspen bedding, large water jug, and plenty of hide space. They can be kept on paper too, but like some humidity. They are not nearly as big as ones from farther south, but have a long thin appearance. They are good climbers and have the typical Elaphe shape, but don't have to have climbing branches. They calm down with handling and make a pretty good pet. They grow slowly. : One more thing is, be careful with newly acquired animals. Quarantine! Even if they are captive raised they can still have mites or whatever. I hope yours do well for you, Ray. I'm sure I'll talk more to you in the future on these. Let me know if you need a pic. : Terry : : Today I went to the IRBA show in San Diego, where I saw : : creatures great and small, sweet and cunning! One really : : neat thing however, was that there were actually a few Eurasian ratsnakes! I saw two male Kunasir Is. ratsnakes, : : two female Korean ratsnakes, a two Leopard ratsnakes and an adult Russian ratsnake! I just couldn't resist and Brought home : : a beautiful male Kunishiri from High Sierra Reptiles! I was thinking of getting one of the Koreans but the buy who showed them to me handled them ruthlessly, ripping the deli cup of the tape that was holding them. One even raced out her cup and got stuck on the tape! He pulled it off not so gently. Anyways, I'd : : like anyone to respond who has worked with Kunishiri! I'll try to post a pic : : Thanks for Reading... : : As Ever : : Ray Reyes

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