Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Russian Rat snake.

The Russian Rat snake is a type of colubird. This snake is vary similar to the same rat snakes you would see all over the world even here in Florida. They are not uncommon in the pet trade, I myself even have a few for breeding. They get between 4 and 6 feet in length and have a fairly large range of tempatures they can survive in. they do Hibernate unlike most other snakes, though this is very common in colubrids. They are related to the corn snake and have even been breed to them to give interesting offspring like this snake it the picture below called a cream sickle corn snake which is a red rat snake and a Miami phase corn snake breed together. He is the large orange and white snake, not the grey, or ghost morph, smaller female.



These snakes like most others eat mice from birth. They lay between 8 and 30 eggs depending on the size and age of the female. Males reach breeding age as early as 6 months old while girls tend to be at least 2 years of age. In captivity they live to be around 20 years of age, though constantly breeding snakes tend to live a bit short of a life. Rat snakes have a fairly diverse set of colors they can show up in. In Russia the yellow, black, and red are the ones that occur naturally though the pet trade as allowed for many more morphs to come out including albinos, axnthic, and even leucistics. In the pet trade they range in prices from $10 to $200. There are still new morphs being discovered through breeding and seemingly endless possiblities.

This is another pic from my Stock its an Albino Black rat snake

2 comments:

FAN DEATH said...

i really like Russian rat snake. do you know of any where i can get them in the usa? email talktrahshtband@gmail.com
thanks and take care,
robbie

shotgunner.la said...

interestingly enough the albino black ratsnake image you post simply cannot be in your collection. The snake is for sale on my website! http://www.amazonreptilecenter.com/popup.php3?id=3395&description=Elaphe_obsoleta_ALBINO_BLACK_RAT_SNAKE_-__MALE_2C