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DRBSTER   Reptilefreak23   Cornsnake chris   DRBSTER   Reptilefreak23   Cornsnake chris  
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 #2064678


DRBSTER
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 Does this look like a rat snake?

Just found him in my apartment. He ate a pinky right away. Somewhat aggressive, raised his head up, rattled his tail a bit, and struck a few times. He’s not so bad once handled. A few have told me he looks like a Texas Rat Snake, but I can’t really tell.

http://www.repticzone.net/images/66504/NewGuy.jpg
08/28/09  01:49pm

 #2064769


Reptilefreak23
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   Message To: DRBSTER   In reference to Message Id: 2064678


 Does this look like a rat snake?


Yes this is a rat snake. Looks like a Texas to me. Where do you live? Sometimes black and Texas rats can have identical looking young though. So it would depend on what state/ area you live.
Your not keeping him are you? It being released and you getting a nicer healthier captive bred snake is much more beneficial to you and the snake.
08/28/09  06:21pm

 #2065004


Cornsnake chris
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   Message To: Reptilefreak23   In reference to Message Id: 2064769


 Does this look like a rat snake?

yes
08/29/09  11:11am

 #2065594


DRBSTER
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   Message To: Reptilefreak23   In reference to Message Id: 2064769


 Does this look like a rat snake?

I would have released him right away had he not eaten that night. My first impression was that he was an escaped pet, so I didn’t want to release him without researching first. I have never had a wild caught pet, but have been under the impression that they generally take some time to begin eating when placed in captivity. I’m sure this varies from species to species, but that’s my general understanding. I don’t know how popular they are as pets because I deal with larger snakes such as pythons. I live in the Dallas / Fort Worth area of Texas, where rat snakes are common, so maybe it just crawled into my apartment. I also found it strange, however, that he was just sitting in the middle of my apartment floor rather than hiding under a couch or in a corner somewhere. He didn’t seem too aggressive when I first picked him up, either. He did become aggressive once caged.

How often would a wild caught rat snake accept a meal right away? I hope this isn’t too vague a question, but like I said, I deal with captive born pythons. Rat snakes are a bit new to me. When I offered the pinky to him, he ate it without striking or wrapping it up. Just opened his mouth and at it head first. Some of my captive borns do this, but the ones that I switched from live to frozen will generally still strike and wrap dead prey (out of habit, maybe?). Again, this makes me think maybe he was previously captive. Are rat snakes common pets? When I think of colubrids in the pet industry I think of corns and kings, not rats.



08/30/09  08:01pm

 #2065657


Reptilefreak23
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   Message To: DRBSTER   In reference to Message Id: 2065594


 Does this look like a rat snake?

I can almost assure you its not captive. Some will eat right away (because of hunger in wild) and others may not eat because they are stressed. The chances of it being captive are to slim to keep it by. But if you feel you need to, you could post some signs around your area, to see if anyone lost a Texas ratsnake. I live in Texas too, and when there is a Texas rat around, theres lots of Texas rats around. They seem to be most commonly found wandering into peoples houses, through crevices and what not, to get away from the heat. Having a Texas ratsnake in your house is not that uncommon at all.

Texas rat snakes are common in the pet trade but mostly in "Lucy" form.
I’m sorry I can’t help much with the advice. Its your decision really, if you have a strong sense that its captive, then you may want to keep it.
08/30/09  11:00pm

 #2077411


Cornsnake chris
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   Message To: Reptilefreak23   In reference to Message Id: 2065657


 Does this look like a rat snake?

Correct.good snake for a pet.
09/27/09  09:28pm


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