Hatching Black Racers??????

[Mom2Four]

Ok, it has been a while since I was here last, chalk it up to four human kids, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, snake eggs, etc.. and a computer that is on again, off again.. but anyway, I wanted to update ya'll on what's happening with the Black Racer eggs we have been so **patiently** :p incubating..

So the eggs are starting to get small pin holes in them, all have developed and I think we are soon to have baby snakes.. YAY http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1151151072748_1646760190_41904.jpg

See the goo, and the small hole, I have 4 eggs doing this.. We had one do this almost 2 weeks ago, then the egg shrank down, so we opened it up and the snake was still a bit translucent and not completely developed. I figured it was dead since the egg had been leaking goo and had shrank down so much.. unfortunately it was not..you could see it's tiny heart beating through it's skin... but it died shortly after... I really hated that.. lesson learned I suppose, that just because all the goo leaks out and the egg shrivels a bit, does NOT mean there is not still a viable baby in there.. :( There are 20 eggs left all looking really really good.. So I am keeping my fingers crossed for 20 black racer babies soon.

So honestly does this mean the babies are close, because I wrote this yesterday, and posted in the wrong place, so moving it today.. but the eggs are exactly the same.. I am about to go insane, I am checking these eggs about 45 times a day, even in the middle of the night, I see movement in some of them, but the holes get no bigger they just ooooozzz.. LOL

Thanks.........

[tspuckler]

That does not sound very good. I've hatched thousands of colubrid eggs over the years. Generally speaking, the snakes will make a slit (and often times more than one slit) in the egg. Sometimes the snake will stick it's head out of the egg and you'll see bubbles. But it there's liquid oozing from an egg, it usually means the egg is bad (or has gone bad).

The "pin hole" thing is weird, though it could be weakness in the shell where the eggs contents are coming out of (rather than a baby snake poking a hole). You did not mention if you were incubating the eggs, but I'd imagine they'd take 55-60 days to hatch if they were incubated at a set temperature in the low 80s (longer if they were not).

Here's a Black Racer I found back in April:
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/tspuckler/racer2.jpg

[jere000]

The ones that are oozing you should cut with a razor or nail scissors.

[Mom2Four]

Well the one that did that last week I cut and the snake came out, and well to say the least he was not ready.. very much alive but very translucent, as in you could see the beginnings of his patterning but also you could see his tiny heart beating.

I was watching some snake egg hatching videos in time lapse and some of them took over 48 hours from the time the first small holes appeared and the breeders said that was normal for them to make a small hole that would oooz for a few days... I will give them til tomorrow and if I see nothing then I will cut slits I suppose. I am just leery of that since the last one was not ready, and he could have survived with just that teeny oooz that was happening..

Keeping fingers crossed..

Thanks for the info..

[Mom2Four]

Also they were not incubated at a set temperature, they were incubated in nature so to speak.. In damp sand, in an almost identical setting to the way we found them.. and well we have had a mild and cool July here in the south, so maybe they are just a few days late.. the eggs are not shrinking or shriveling and the oooz is completely clear.. no signes of decay.. I have held them to the light and all eggs do contain embryos for sure. you can see them and their yolks

[gregmonsta]

Fingers crossed for them ;)

[Mom2Four]

Fingers crossed for them ;)

:DThanks, me tooo:D I am worse than the days before any of my children were born.. LoL

[Mom2Four]

That does not sound very good. I've hatched thousands of colubrid eggs over the years. Generally speaking, the snakes will make a slit (and often times more than one slit) in the egg. Sometimes the snake will stick it's head out of the egg and you'll see bubbles. But it there's liquid oozing from an egg, it usually means the egg is bad (or has gone bad).

The "pin hole" thing is weird, though it could be weakness in the shell where the eggs contents are coming out of (rather than a baby snake poking a hole). You did not mention if you were incubating the eggs, but I'd imagine they'd take 55-60 days to hatch if they were incubated at a set temperature in the low 80s (longer if they were not).

Here's a Black Racer I found back in April:
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/tspuckler/racer2.jpg


She's very nice.. looks a lot like the mama we found laying the eggs we have.. Here she is

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/racer.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/racer2.jpg

[tspuckler]

Actually yours is quite a bit nicer! I had to do some "creative posing" with mine, as one of her eyes was so badly damaged she couldn't see out of it and if you look closely, you can see her snout is "rough." Parts of her skin was that way as well. Yours looks good!

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/tspuckler/racer-1.jpg

[Didymus20X6]

I'm no psychiatrist, but I think my ophidiophobia comes from when I stepped on a huge black snake when I was a little kid. Although I wasn't certain of the species, I remember it looking a lot like your black racer. But don't worry. The 20 garters I've caught this summer are helping me on the road to recovery pretty good.

Cool looking snakes, though. Sounds like that one got ran through the wringer a couple of times. Any idea how she got those injuries?

[jere000]

I wanna catch a black racer so bad but i can't find any of them.

[Mom2Four]

ARRRGGG Waiting on beebeee snakies to hatch is almost as bad as waiting on your own to be born... we have a hole in one egg.. I can see movement in there but Mr. or Ms. Snakie has yet to emerge... I shall name this first slow poke .. Pokeypotomas

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1152079295953_1646760190_42259.jpg

[Mom2Four]

Actually yours is quite a bit nicer! I had to do some "creative posing" with mine, as one of her eyes was so badly damaged she couldn't see out of it and if you look closely, you can see her snout is "rough." Parts of her skin was that way as well. Yours looks good!

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii204/tspuckler/racer-1.jpg


She was quite the beauty... I hated to have to relocate her, but my neighbor HATES, make that HATE HATES snakes of all shapes forms and fashions.. so when we find them on his property we relocate them deep into the forest for him, as to save them. We also occasionally relocate the ones on our property, like the black rat snake that was in my chickens' nest boxes and has swallowed one egg and was working on number 2. Yeah I was NOT a happy person that day.. LoL, I mean I know they gotta eat, but he was 4.5ft long, he could have eaten any of the many ground squirrels, moles, rats, mice, baby bunnies, etc.. that roam my property.. but NOT my chicken eggs.. BAD SNAKE!!! MY FOOD!!:p;) He now happily resides in a cemetery far away with many vacant acres around it.. He seemed quite happy to slither off into the woods and make a new home.. LoL and I am sure the people there don't mind. :eek:

[Mom2Four]

I wanna catch a black racer so bad but i can't find any of them.


If you are anywhere near East TN, I would be more than happy to give you one, we don't have the acreage here to turn them all loose.. (also see post above about neighbor), that goes for anyone here close to TN that wants a racer.. I don't know anything about selling or shipping snakes but these must all find new homes, so if anyone has a home for one let me know.. :rolleyes:

[jere000]

If you are anywhere near East TN, I would be more than happy to give you one, we don't have the acreage here to turn them all loose.. (also see post above about neighbor), that goes for anyone here close to TN that wants a racer.. I don't know anything about selling or shipping snakes but these must all find new homes, so if anyone has a home for one let me know.. :rolleyes:Darn i live in new york and cant pay for the shipping.But if you want you can still send some to populate my yard lol.

[Mom2Four]

Darn i live in new york and cant pay for the shipping.But if you want you can still send some to populate my yard lol.


LoL, well shipping might be an issue, but when if my brother came in for leave during hatching time, I could send one back to Maryland with him. :p

[Mom2Four]

Ok, so here is the morning update. The one with the hole in the egg (picture above) is still alive and STILL in his egg. I made the hole a bit bigger without rupturing the membrane inside the egg, he moves, he wiggles, and he snuggles up and stays put, the yolk is still in amazing shape, so I am thinking they just aren't quite there yet. I had the privilege of seeing his cute little head through the membrane this morning though and OMGosh they are going to be sooo nicely marked.. Juvenile racers are quite handsome snakes anyway.. very patterned.

Mom2Four in TN **PATIENTLY WAITING*** :P

[Mommy2many]

Breathe, Mom, Breathe! Still in labor?:D

[Mom2Four]

Ok, so here is the quick update and then I will post pictures later. The egg in the picture above with the hole, Mr. Snakey poked his head out, but then died, he was still too young, skin still tacky and just a wee bit translucent from about cloaca down. The eggs that were leaking have sealed off and are still doing marvelously. Two days ago started noticing fruit flies getting all in the box, so changed the sand, and towels, etc.. Last night, noticed still flies, and foul smell, noticed one egg much smaller, upon exam noted it had a fairly large hole in it and the smell was coming from it. Decided whatever was inside was no longer alive, so I opened it up. Snake still in good shape, but his brain and kidneys were on the OUTSIDE of his body.. (will post pictures below) sooo anyway, from the two snakes I have seen they are just not ready to hatch yet, one obviously had birth defects, the other just needed another week or two in his egg... soooooooo here I am still waiting for the other 18 to hatch, which at this time, appear to be in AWESOME condition..

[Mom2Four]

Here is the first little guy that hatched to early.. (my fault, he was in a leaky egg, and like someone mentioned, I opened the egg a bit, for a few days we watched him wiggle through the membrane, and then he stuck his head out.. but he wasn't ready yet.. ) :(
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1152597068897_1646760190_42367.jpg

[Mom2Four]

Here are the pictures of the snake from the egg that was beginning to decay.. Bless his heart.. :(

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/cid__0816090307b.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/cid__downsized_0816090305.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/cid__0816090307.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/cid__0816090307a.jpg

Still 18 eggs though, and they all look good.. :)

[Mom2Four]

Found this skin in a tree in my yard yesterday. Appears to be from a black rat snake, I did not have the entire skin as part of it was out of my reach, but I had pretty much all of it, and scrunched up and everything it was 44 inches.. I hope he/she stays around and enjoys life in my tree. ;)

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1154168268176_1646760190_42800.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1154177988419_1646760190_42805.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1154179188449_1646760190_42805.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1154184108572_1646760190_42805.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1154183068546_1646760190_42805.jpg

[Mom2Four]

I found this poor fellar this morning when I went to get the paper, he was right beside my driveway, someone had went out of their way to hit him, from the looks of the spin out tire marks on the road and on his back end. Juvenile Black Rat Snake.. Very pretty fellar.. Sad that he was done so cruelly
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/cid__0816091030.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear about the losses.

[Mom2Four]

Thanks, still have 18 eggs though, so praying they all come out all right, all of them are fat and healthy looking. It is strange but they have actually gotten a LOT bigger in the 2 months we have had them. I didn't realize that snake eggs did that, we have chickens and their eggs don't grow. LoL

I was reading up on black racers last night on the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency page, and according to it, eggs laid in June hatch in August OR September, depending on weather conditions. I am guessing we are looking at another week or so because for the south we have had a really mild, cool, summer. (yes 85f with 70% humidity is mild and cool. LoL) Making up for it now though.
I have been letting the eggs incubate outside basically just like we found them, only in a rubbermaid box. So my guess is the weather has affected them.

[jitami]

So sorry that you lost the first two... and the youngster by the driveway :( Will keep everything crossed that the other 18 hatch out healthy and happy :)

[Mom2Four]

Ok, well here one comes anyway.. I have slits in an egg and one poking his nose out every now and again.. YAY GO SNAKES..

Here's the picture
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1156271320751_1646760190_43418.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

That is so cool. Keep the pictures coming.

[Snakers]

um ive never seen you on this forum but hello may i ask what kind they are for what i can see the one looks cute with his little eye

[Mom2Four]

um ive never seen you on this forum but hello may i ask what kind they are for what i can see the one looks cute with his little eye


Black racer eggs. My neighbor hates snakes, when he found this one hanging out of his rock wall a couple of months ago he was not happy. My hubby removed her, and before we released her down the road we noticed her cloaca was open, so we lifted some rocks off his wall and well there were 22 fresh laid eggs. I took them in, and have been incubating them so my kiddos could have that once in a lifetime opportunity to see snake eggs hatch. For the whole story you can look under my profile and look at my other 2 or 3 threads. I have lots of pics of eggs, and mama and all that in those.

He is adorable.. another pic is soon to follow, he is still in egg, but poking out more now.. :)

[Mom2Four]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1156317921916_1646760190_43422.jpg

Hmmmmmmmmm.. The world is sooooooooo big and my shell is so small and cozy.. maybe in a few more hours.. LoL

It has only taken him 4 hours to get this far. ARRRGGGG LoL my own births went faster than this.. ;)

[Mom2Four]

Oh, btw, found this half on my porch this morning about 9am, from my flowerbed (make that weed bed) up onto my step. 2nd one in about 3 days, that is my size 7.5 foot beside it, and I only had part of the skin, it had been shed in pieces.. Anyway, I find it rather cool that they are all shedding in my yard.. Guess they realize they are protected, or the chicken eggs, and mice and rats that come with chickens are keeping them well fed.. LoL

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1155873150797_1646760190_43313.jpg

[jitami]

Very cool :) How's the baby this morning?

[Mom2Four]

I know have 3 live babies, and 2 that never made it all the way out... with 14 eggs still hanging out.. :) Will post more pictures soon..

[Mom2Four]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1156685491105_1646760190_43534.jpg

The second peeper, just peeping this afternoon.. A third just peeped while I was uploading, will send his picture later..

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1156689691210_1646760190_43535.jpg

Hatch-ling #1 and Peeper #2

Two more eggs didn't make it, they slit, one even poked out his head, but then died before he came out, the other one was an egg I started smelling, and was leaking, so I opened it farther to find a decomposing snake carcass. ICKY!!

Still have 14 eggs looking good.. Keeping fingers crossed..

[Mom2Four]

Here are the 3 newest splitters and peepers.. and a picture of the first hatched (my children named him Uno) #'s 4, 5, & 6, are still just split, barely poking noses out.. But this is soooooooooooooooooo COOOOL!!!!! The kiddos are LOVING IT!!!!!


http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/get%20up/6480_1156738012418_1646760190_43553.jpg

#1

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/get%20up/6480_1156749412703_1646760190_43559.jpg

#4

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/get%20up/6480_1156770093220_1646760190_43567.jpg

#5

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/get%20up/6480_1156778133421_1646760190_43572.jpg

#6

[GarterGeek]

Wow! Thanks for sharing this. That's amazing.

[guidofatherof5]

That is great. They are beautiful.

[Mommy2many]

Awesome & so cute! Congratulations!

[jitami]

Very cool :)

[mustang]

awsome now heres your first job...name em all hahahahaha

[Mom2Four]

Ok, so this morning we have 5 out and about, (one that hatched from the wrong side of his egg.. His name shall be Snappy.. he crawls around mouth open striking at everything.. LoL) 2 more peepers.. and 7 eggs still just sitting.

Ok so here are my questions??

I have to keep them a few days because different teachers at the schools want a show and tell.. (I do this regularly with snakes we catch before we release them and frogs, toads, turtles, etc..) I give a little lecture, teach them snake facts about our local snakes, dispel some snake myths (like there are giant king cobras in east TN :D ) etc.. soooo

1. Should I separate them into individual containers or is one large container sufficient?

2. I placed some fresh caught baby crickets and earth worms in there but none seem interested? Should I keep trying? What should I try?

3. What should I put at the bottom of their container? Right now there is the sand the eggs were sitting on, BUT I realize that can grow bacteria and I don't want the snakes living on it...


Ok, I probably have more questions, I have to think about it..

[Brewster320]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/get%20up/6480_1156738012418_1646760190_43553.jpg



Thats the first picture I've seen of some one holding a racer without it trying to kill them!? Was that one just mellow or did we you just caught the picture at the right moment lol! Beautiful snakes any ways though! You planning on keeping any of them?

[Mom2Four]

Nope not keeping any, for one, black racers are kind of hateful and from what I have been told by park rangers that have tried, they are almost un-tamable. Also, in the state of TN it is illegal to keep wild caught snakes or any wild caught animal as a pet. I am not sure of the rest of the snake keeping laws in Tennessee, but my hubby was a Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences graduate and so we know the wildlife laws. LoL I did inform a TWRA officer of my intent to keep and hatch the eggs unless they wanted them and he told me they didn't want them because they were not endangered, just to be sure to release them after they hatched. I think part of the reason they didn't want them was because the didn't think the eggs would hatch. More than one told me they would be "biologically dead" .. Guess they didn't realize I had help from all you great folks here and that I knew enough to mark and place the eggs like we found them. (we also found them as Mama Snake was laying them so the embryos hadn't attached yet) . Anyway, we are talking about getting my daughter a corn snake for a beginner snake, we will see. I am studying up on different species and how hard they are to keep, etc...

This one in the picture is a very docile baby, most of them are. There are two that hatched from the wrong side of their eggs and they are HATEFUL.. they bite me every time I try to change the water or put worms or do anything with the box. LoL Of course they are so small the bite is rather humorous. I even talked the kiddos into letting the babies bite them just to get them over their fears. My 3 year old son has no fears, he LUBS DA NAKIES... He always has, he tried to take a 4.5ft black rat snake out of his Daddy's hands a few months ago..(caught that sucker eating my eggs so he got released a few miles down the road.. ;o) )

Anyway, I am taking the still pipping eggs, the snakes, a snake skin, a poster and some other info to the Elementary school today, to the middle school and high schools next week to do my famous snake lessons. I am trying to dispel myths among this generation so that they won't grow up saying "the only good snake is a dead snake", even though I am in East Tennessee and we only have 2 venomous snakes in this area, (copperhead and timber rattler) people around here still kill EVERY snake they see. I watched a man back up just to spin out over a baby black rat snake in the road the other day. Unfortunately I didn't realize what he was doing quick enough to make a save.

So anyway, that is our goal, to save a few good snakes if we can. We have established some habitats around our five acres of land, with decaying wood piles, pieces of tin, etc.. to try and keep them here. Praying that once our barn is finished a couple will decide it is a good place to live, and keep rodents out of our feeds.

These babies are absolutely beautiful. I have 3 pipping this morning.. one that pipped sometime last night but died, 7 out and about snaking around, and 3 eggs left still unhatched.. so over all I would say successful rescue. :) However, I would have said successful rescue if only 1 had survived, because if we hadn't been here to get the eggs at the neighbors house they would have ALL been destroyed. :(

[Mom2Four]

Thats the first picture I've seen of some one holding a racer without it trying to kill them!? Was that one just mellow or did we you just caught the picture at the right moment lol! Beautiful snakes any ways though! You planning on keeping any of them?


If their faces weren't in them I would post pictures of my 3 year old son and 7 year old daughter holding this one. :D One of my snake hating friends saw the pictures told me I wasn't playing fair because my 3 year old would make the devil look cute and my daughter would make godzilla look gentle. :p:eek:

But so far all but 2 have been very docile... We are not holding them much because I don't want to stress or contaminate them. We mainly just watch them through the box. :cool:

[Mom2Four]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6480_1160379583455_1646760190_44654.jpg


TWWISSSSSSTER ANYONE????????

[Mom2Four]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6200_1160811154244_1646760190_44-1.jpg

Soon to shed.. look at those eyes

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6200_1160812314273_1646760190_44-1.jpg

[Mom2Four]

DINNER!!!!!!!!!!

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6200_1160809354199_1646760190_44-1.jpg

[Mom2Four]

OUR MOST RECENT RESCUE.. SNAKES AND TURTLES TO BE RELEASED IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION LATER THIS WEEK....

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6200_1160562348024_1646760190_44-1.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/Mom2FourBlessings/6200_1160553947814_1646760190_44-1.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

very neat!

[jitami]

How fun :) I wanna come live at your house :)

[jamromhem]

technically if the were hatched in your house they aren't wild caught are they? seeing as they were born in captivity at that point.

[dlgambill]

Help! I found a nest of eggs in my compost pile, and I'm pretty sure they're black snakes (is that the same as black racers?). I want the eggs to hatch, but I don't want them to hatch and then live here at the farm. Can I move the eggs into a big box to let them hatch, then relocate them to the woods? My biggest worry is keeping the temperature right for them. Also, once they hatch, when and where can I release them?

[Mom2Four]

technically if the were hatched in your house they aren't wild caught are they? seeing as they were born in captivity at that point.


True but the TWRA officer I asked about hatching them, and the 2 that know I have them told me they would appreciate it if I let them all go.. LoL:rolleyes: Guess they have a don't ask don't tell policy... :p

[Mom2Four]

Help! I found a nest of eggs in my compost pile, and I'm pretty sure they're black snakes (is that the same as black racers?). I want the eggs to hatch, but I don't want them to hatch and then live here at the farm. Can I move the eggs into a big box to let them hatch, then relocate them to the woods? My biggest worry is keeping the temperature right for them. Also, once they hatch, when and where can I release them?


I left mine outside, covered just like they were when the Mama laid them, as I figured she knew what she was doing. Put some of the compost in a rubber maid container, drill itsy teeny holes in the top of it, ( I used the shoe box sized container) and then cover them with a damp paper towel, and a dark t-shirt piece of cloth or a little compost or something like that.. Make sure the box stays damp but not too damp, basically mimic where they were.. Also do not place the box in direct sunlight, mine was on the front porch on a table, it got a wee bit of sun in the afternoons, but never really direct sunlight..(then the inside of the box would get too hot if it did) They box will sweat and condensate and that is ok.. You won't have to re-dampen everything as often that way..
Also, when you move the eggs, make sure you mark the tops with a sharpie or something and leave them that side up in the box, turning them over will kill the embryo inside.
Mine leaked a week or so before they hatched.. I talked to a herpetologist and found out why. The pores open if they get to moist and that is the reason for the leakage, so don't do like me and cut a slip and try to help the little bugger out. :confused: I thought they were hatching.. actually the eggs were just weeping.. If left outside at the temperature they would be in nature they do not hatch as early as incubated eggs, mine took almost 75 days.. You don't know when yours were laid, but my guess is they will probably hatch within the month, since most snake eggs hatch in August and September in the wild. You can release them as soon as they are hatched if you want. Once they started hatching mine hatched over a 5 day period, and once they slit the egg it took some of them up to 48 hours to come all the way out into the world.

Good luck, have fun, it was really an amazing event to watch..

[Charis]

Anyway, we are talking about getting my daughter a corn snake for a beginner snake, we will see. I am studying up on different species and how hard they are to keep, etc...

I have 3 corns & am snake-sitting a ball python for my cousin at the moment. I like my corns a lot, but have to say temperament wise, the BP is the best snake I've owned up to & including the garters I've had in the past. There are a few care things about them I don't really like, for one thing they can be picky eaters, but overall I'd recommend one as a beginner's snake over a corn, for a child anyway. Just my two cents.

[Mom2Four]

I have 3 corns & am snake-sitting a ball python for my cousin at the moment. I like my corns a lot, but have to say temperament wise, the BP is the best snake I've owned up to & including the garters I've had in the past. There are a few care things about them I don't really like, for one thing they can be picky eaters, but overall I'd recommend one as a beginner's snake over a corn, for a child anyway. Just my two cents.


Thanks, I was looking at them too.. My hubby is not on the snake boat yet.. They don't offend him, but he doesn't want one loose in the house either.. His biggest rule is nothing that gets longer than he is tall....:p He says he couldn't sleep at night if there were a snake bigger than him in the house... :rolleyes:

[Lovok]

I remember reading in a library book when I was a teen that Black Racers are really nervous, aggressive critters, and aren't the best choice for a snakie pet. Yet, it sounds from the threads that this isn't necessarily true. I do remember a time when i was still in high school & living w/ my folks, there was a good sized Black Racer that used to hunt for mice and chipmunks around our house. I knew it was a Racer because it was shiny and jet black- no markings whatsoever, and an almost lily white belly. One evening it was in the yard, & of course Mom freaked out and told me to "do something with it". I went out to catch it, and it bolted at first, then it just stopped, turned around, and stood it's ground, striking out at me. It was so bizarre, because it wasn't cornered, it's eyes weren't clouded at all, and I wasn't that close to catching it. It was like it just suddenly thought "Well, that's enough of THIS sh*t!" and turned aggressive, which kinda reinforced what I had read.

Do you suppose what was meant, that wild caught Racers don't adjust unless you catch then real young, or breed them? I still still recall that the book said that they just always look for an escape, don't like to be handled and are "biters", and are tough to get to eat in captivity.

[Didymus20X6]

It may be they still won't make great pets. These haven't matured, and from what Mom2Four says, they're not planning on keeping them anyway.