Re: Russian Rat...or E. s. anomala?...(long).....(plus pic)

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Posted by Terry Cox on March 30, 2001 at 08:13:09:

In Reply to: Russian Rats (Schrenki anomala) posted by steve on March 30, 2001 at 02:47:50:

PIC:) A subadult "Russian" Amur ratsnake.

Steve,

First we need to clear up what it is you're going to be working with. There are two subspecies of the Schrenck's ratsnake, and they are quite different in behavior and appearance (when adult). The Amur ratsnake, E. s. schrencki, can be found in Russia (s.e. Siberia), and hence the name, Russian ratsnake, and they can also be found in n. China, and in n. Korea. Mostly, only the Russian form has been available, and the name Russian ratsnake has become quite common.

The other subspecies, anomala, comes from central and s. Korea, and from central China. Schulz ('96) called this form, the Southern Amur ratsnake, and others, the Faded Amur ratsnake. E. s. anomala is 'not' a Russian ratsnake. Usually, s. anomala has come from Korea, and has also garnered the common name of "Korean ratsnake".

I'm not sure if you're getting a "s. schrencki", or a "s. anomala". In either case, the requirements are similar. They both like water and humidity a lot, esp. the anomala. They will want to bathe occasionally.

I would keep normal temps, from about 68*F. to about 80*F, give or take a few degrees temporarily, and use a spot lamp occasionally.

The main difference in subspecies is that s. schrencki, the northern-most form, is capable of longer hibernations. In the wild they probably hibernate about 5 to 7 months. I usually brumate mine at a very cool 45-50*F, for at least four months (when fully adult).

As far as keeping these snakes together...sure, do what works for you. I typically house babies individually in shoeboxes the first winter, then switch a group to a ten gal. tank. I can keep three in this setup for about a year, but you must feed them separately. The are aggressive feeders and eat a lot. Koreans (anomala) sometimes are spurred to eat by misting, or by putting pinks in shallow water.

Adults get quite large, especially anomala. They should have at least a 15 gal. terrarium per adult, unless together briefly, for mating, etc. I actually prefer working with the smaller ones, because adults take up a lot of space. I don't work with the Koreans anymore though.

My Russian Amurs take about five years to reach maximum length under my captive conditions. So, I have a lot of fun raising them.

(Hope this helps:)

Follow Ups:

Re: Russian Rat...or E. s. anomala?...(long).....(plus pic) steve 03/30/01 (2)
- Re: E. s. anomala...different from s. schrencki?......> Terry 03/30/01 (0)
- Re: Russian Rat...or E. s. anomala?...(long).....(plus pic) Reptiles 03/30/01 (0)

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: PIC:) A subadult "Russian" Amur ratsnake. : : Steve, : First we need to clear up what it is you're going to be working with. There are two subspecies of the Schrenck's ratsnake, and they are quite different in behavior and appearance (when adult). The Amur ratsnake, E. s. schrencki, can be found in Russia (s.e. Siberia), and hence the name, Russian ratsnake, and they can also be found in n. China, and in n. Korea. Mostly, only the Russian form has been available, and the name Russian ratsnake has become quite common. : The other subspecies, anomala, comes from central and s. Korea, and from central China. Schulz ('96) called this form, the Southern Amur ratsnake, and others, the Faded Amur ratsnake. E. s. anomala is 'not' a Russian ratsnake. Usually, s. anomala has come from Korea, and has also garnered the common name of "Korean ratsnake". : I'm not sure if you're getting a "s. schrencki", or a "s. anomala". In either case, the requirements are similar. They both like water and humidity a lot, esp. the anomala. They will want to bathe occasionally. : I would keep normal temps, from about 68*F. to about 80*F, give or take a few degrees temporarily, and use a spot lamp occasionally. : The main difference in subspecies is that s. schrencki, the northern-most form, is capable of longer hibernations. In the wild they probably hibernate about 5 to 7 months. I usually brumate mine at a very cool 45-50*F, for at least four months (when fully adult). : As far as keeping these snakes together...sure, do what works for you. I typically house babies individually in shoeboxes the first winter, then switch a group to a ten gal. tank. I can keep three in this setup for about a year, but you must feed them separately. The are aggressive feeders and eat a lot. Koreans (anomala) sometimes are spurred to eat by misting, or by putting pinks in shallow water. : Adults get quite large, especially anomala. They should have at least a 15 gal. terrarium per adult, unless together briefly, for mating, etc. I actually prefer working with the smaller ones, because adults take up a lot of space. I don't work with the Koreans anymore though. : My Russian Amurs take about five years to reach maximum length under my captive conditions. So, I have a lot of fun raising them. : (Hope this helps:) : TC

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