Re: Temperament of grey rats?

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Posted by Jean Lobel on November 08, 1999 at 14:00:42:

In Reply to: Temperament of grey rats? posted by Cas on November 07, 1999 at 18:34:00:

: What kind of temperament do grey rats have? Anything anyone can tell me about their behaviour, etc, would be appreciated.

I like my gray rat.The snake was wc,collected by myself as it moved across my property,across my driveway by the house.Now, I live in secluded acreage about three miles from a river,about a mile from the river flats in south Alabama.We are surrounded(a mile or so out our county road)by timber owned by various paper companies,and commercial cattlemen(permanent pasture and hay barns),so our local gray rat snakes,many of them,have spent some time around people.We are used to big rat snakes that hang around hay barns;my snake is almost 6',and has the calm,and watchful demeanor characteristic of these snakes.We used to see them at night around the hay barn even quite late into cool weather;they would come out of the stored baled hay on warmer nights,and be moving up high in the rafters,hunting rats and mice.My snake has never given me any problems,it learned very quick to come for frozen,thawed mice dangled before it on forceps.It is large,and heavy-bodied enough to be weighed for the various meds,and has been very enjoyable to keep.Being an adult snake,its behavior when presented with a chick also suggests some prior experience raiding cavity nesters such as woodpeckers.I do not regret collecting this snake,as we have a resident pair of Pileated Woodpeckers.
I very much recomend gray rats as keepers if they are healthy when you acquire them;the only other rat I want very much to acquire right now is a black rat snake.

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: : What kind of temperament do grey rats have? Anything anyone can tell me about their behaviour, etc, would be appreciated. : I like my gray rat.The snake was wc,collected by myself as it moved across my property,across my driveway by the house.Now, I live in secluded acreage about three miles from a river,about a mile from the river flats in south Alabama.We are surrounded(a mile or so out our county road)by timber owned by various paper companies,and commercial cattlemen(permanent pasture and hay barns),so our local gray rat snakes,many of them,have spent some time around people.We are used to big rat snakes that hang around hay barns;my snake is almost 6',and has the calm,and watchful demeanor characteristic of these snakes.We used to see them at night around the hay barn even quite late into cool weather;they would come out of the stored baled hay on warmer nights,and be moving up high in the rafters,hunting rats and mice.My snake has never given me any problems,it learned very quick to come for frozen,thawed mice dangled before it on forceps.It is large,and heavy-bodied enough to be weighed for the various meds,and has been very enjoyable to keep.Being an adult snake,its behavior when presented with a chick also suggests some prior experience raiding cavity nesters such as woodpeckers.I do not regret collecting this snake,as we have a resident pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. : I very much recomend gray rats as keepers if they are healthy when you acquire them;the only other rat I want very much to acquire right now is a black rat snake.

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