Black Rat snake as a pet??

[infernalis]

They seem like a really cool species, anyone here ever keep one?

Sid??

Are they an aggressive snake? I'd worry about a six foot critter in need of anger management

[Topaz]

I'd like to know more about them as a pet, too. Def. something I'd be interested in.

[Stefan-A]

According to what I've read, being snappish is pretty much the norm.

[infernalis]

It would not take much extra to make chompers "condo" a two story duplex.

I just think a menacing looking 6 foot black snake that can climb would be interesting.

[Lori P]

I'm partial to the leucistic rats... I really want a pure white snake one day. I've been reading on them and yes, everything I read says they are snippy... but then, every black rat I've ever touched in the wild has been very mellow. So... not sure what to think about that!!

[Zephyr]

They can't be much different then corns... I've never heard of /held one who's been bitey. :O

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Wayne... Black rat snakes make AMAZING pets... IMO. I have had my female white-sided since she was a baby... she was actually sold to me as a male, but she ended up laying eggs one day.... and yes she used to be nippy and she used to musk... but now... no more of that. She's a puppy dog. Shes a bit over 4 feet now. I also recently got my male white-sided.. and he's fantastic. He's still young and flighty, but he is calming down. What I love about them is the fact that they are very inquisitive and they ALWAYS eat!

Even the nippiest species of snake can be tamed... some species just require more work than others, and the black rat snake is one of them. Many people never put forth the effort to work with the snakes consistently, they just give up and decide that they are simply naturally mean animals.

I know you will probably end up getting a normal.... but here is my pair, and I am shooting to breed them this upcoming season. let me know if you will be interested when babies arrive:

female: Tightie Whitie







male: Undies:


hope this helps some!

[Sid]

Wayne, with very little handling the Black Rats become very docile. At least this has been my experience with them. I currently have an adult male and a young JV that was rescued from a neighbors yard.

[Loren]

I currently just have a young everglades rat(turning brighter orange with each shed), I need to start handling it more often- nippy as heck. I would like to get a black rat and a yellow rat yet, but want to hand pick the yellow for good color.
Shannon, yours are very pretty.

[snakeman]

I've caught tons of black rats in jersey and never had one strike at me.