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Posted by Patrick Alexander on January 14, 2001 at 08:34:53:
In Reply to: another spiloides pic, ;) posted by dg on January 13, 2001 at 23:14:45:
: :Ah, but I wasn't saying that the non-bug-eyed-ness established non-Texas-rat-ness. But it does make it more likely, compared to finding a snake in the wild that looks more like the `typical' leucistic Texas rat.
: But you did say "It was noticably different from a leucistic Texas rat," which is something that I have to disagree with.
How about `noticably different from the Texas rats I've seen'?
: The snake you are referring to, the supposed leucistic grey rat, was on display this past summer (July?) at the Dixie Reptile show in Birmingham, Alabama. I saw this specimen first hand at very close range, it was in a small aquarium with a wild caught Alabama grey. I stood there staring for the longest time (I am an obsoleta nut, by the way) trying to figure out what was so special about this 'normal' looking animal that was on display with a leucistic. Then someone had the decency to drop me a clue: I was looking at a bona fide leucistic grey rat! I don't recall my exact comments, but I probably laughed my way to the next table. Even if it was a true spiloides, there is no way to tell it from a leucistic TX rat, short of outcrossing with normals and seeing what the offspring look like. I am not attempting to discredit the owner of this animal. He (or she) may have actually caught it in the wild, or however the story goes. I am only suggesting that this doesnt prove without a doubt that it is pure spiloides and not an escaped pet. If the owner of the leucistic spiloides can sell them as such, then more power to em.
Of course there isn't absolute proof, but you'll have a hard time finding that anywhere... it seems, to me, that there's a good chance it is a leucistic spiloides.
: :especially given that Texas rats aren't particularly popular as pets, and thus seem less likely to be found as escapees.
: Huh?? I would think that the leucistic TX rat is hands down THE most popular obsoleta ssp/morph ever!
Well, I've actually never seen one for sale here in Indiana. Admittedly, that's just with local pet stores and a couple trips to the Indianapolis reptile show, but still... in that time I've seen quite a number of black rat snakes, and a couple of grey and yellow rats, for sale...
Besides, `the most popular obsoleta' isn't that impressive, 'cause obsoletas just aren't very popular...
: If there is any morph that is likely to be an escapee, its a leucistic, the most commonly bred morph of e. obsoleta subspecies.
I don't know, there are a lot of amel. black rats, too, though god knows why, given how they look...
Patrick Alexander
