My 4 foot wild caught yellow rat . . .

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Posted by Scott Garrett on June 05, 2001 at 08:42:56:

In Reply to: Not anymore, but.....> posted by Terry Cox on June 05, 2001 at 00:29:39:

I have a 4 foot wild caught male elaphe obsoleta. I am pretty sure it is a yellow rat, but I found it on the shoulder of a road (alligator alley) in the everglades. It's not a full blooded rossalleni, that I know, but it might be an intergrade.

This snake is dog tame. I have had it for nearly a year, and not once, not even when I initially picked it up, has it ever tried to bite, or acted in a defensive manner. It has also never tried to climb. It is quite happy hiding in his hide box, or soaking in his large water bowl, or laying (basking?) next to his water bowl.

I can reach in and grab him, and he doesn't get huffy at all, but he does usually go for his hide box when I take the lid off and start moving things around. In the past he hit food items like a freight train, but lately he's been having problems keeping food down, and this past week for the first time he didn't eat. I don't know what the problem is, but I am very concerned and am planning on taking him to a vet. It will probably cost me many times what the snake is "worth" but his incredibly gentle disposition is priceless.

However, I have found lots of smaller specimens of quadrativa/rossalleni and they all have been fairly unappreciative of being moved off the road out of harms way. The smaller they are it seems the more bitey they are.

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: I have a 4 foot wild caught male elaphe obsoleta. I am pretty sure it is a yellow rat, but I found it on the shoulder of a road (alligator alley) in the everglades. It's not a full blooded rossalleni, that I know, but it might be an intergrade. : This snake is dog tame. I have had it for nearly a year, and not once, not even when I initially picked it up, has it ever tried to bite, or acted in a defensive manner. It has also never tried to climb. It is quite happy hiding in his hide box, or soaking in his large water bowl, or laying (basking?) next to his water bowl. : I can reach in and grab him, and he doesn't get huffy at all, but he does usually go for his hide box when I take the lid off and start moving things around. In the past he hit food items like a freight train, but lately he's been having problems keeping food down, and this past week for the first time he didn't eat. I don't know what the problem is, but I am very concerned and am planning on taking him to a vet. It will probably cost me many times what the snake is "worth" but his incredibly gentle disposition is priceless. : However, I have found lots of smaller specimens of quadrativa/rossalleni and they all have been fairly unappreciative of being moved off the road out of harms way. The smaller they are it seems the more bitey they are.

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