S'N'A Introducing Series: Episode 44 - Black Rat Snakes (Pantherophis obsoletus)
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Snakes ‘N’ Adders
Introducing Series
Episode 44 - Black Rat Snake
(Pantherophis obsoletus)
This is an impressive species of Rat Snake that has been a mainstay of our hobby pretty much since its inception. Black Rat Snakes occupy much of the Northern Central and North Eastern United States.
Well they used to. Once again they have been reviewed by scientists and now Black Rat Snakes are restricted to West of the Mississippi River.
Previously Black Rat Snakes were the nominate form of the Pantherophis obsoletus complex. Their trinomial name was Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus. The other subspecies were lindheimeri, spiloides, quadrivittatus & rossalini with the occasional inclusion of williamsi and deckerti.
The Black Rat Snake as described by Klaus Dieter Schultz in The monograph of genus elaphe was the Northernmost of the subspecies and spanned from the East coast right across to Western Nebraska and central Kansas. The Northern extreme of their range continues into Canada and the state of Ontario around Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Burbrink studied DNA and decided that there was just three species rather than the 5 (sometimes 7) subspecies. An Eastern, Central and Western Race. The Eastern Race including the Yellow and Everglades Rat Snake and all of the Northern Region of the Black Rat Snake would become Alleghaniensis. The central race would take the supspecies name given to the Grey Rat Snake spiloides. Again the central range of the Black Rat Snake would be included here. Then the Texas Rat Snake would no longer exist to science and would be rolled in with the Black Rat Snake to become Pantherophis obsoletus.
Shoot. me. now.
The hobby still recognises all the subspecies that have been lost or renamed thank god. Of course some like to keep up with the Joneses and use the latest and greatest classification but in truth if people have been breeding a certain group of really nice text book everglades for 20 years TRY telling them they don’t exist. Wholesalers in the UK until recently occasionally brought in animals marked as deckert’s Rat Snakes (Florida Keys Rat Snake). We should continue to breed for type and colour palette that we attribute to the species or subspecies.
Black Rat Snakes like Grey and Texas Rat Snakes are born saddled but over time the black pigment increases and takes over making the snake black overall with faint patches and lattices of white interstitial skin roughly indicating where the saddles were. Some are blacker than others. They retain an off white to cream underbelly and chin. So in essence they remain saddled you just can see them. The Yellow and Everglades Rat Snakes both stripe out in adulthood.
The record size of a Black Rat Snake is 256cm (8ft 4.5in)!!! - an incredibly length recorded by Ernst & Barbour in 1989. Thankfully the vast majority of Black Rat snakes remain between 5.5-6.5ft. Anything in excess of 7ft would be considered exceptional.
The occupy regions from Sea level to 1200m in height and quite obviously can adapt to a number of regions. Lowland deciduous woodland seems to their biome of choice.
In captivity Black Rat Snakes are essentially super size Corn Snakes to care for. Their temperature requirements are much the same with a hot end of around 28-30°c. Because of their larger size a minimum vivarium size measuring 48x24x24 will be required. Many keepers may prefer to go larger. Realistically once the snake starts to exceed the size of a Corn Snake heat pads become redundant and a switch to a ceramic heat emitter will be needed. This of course should be controlled by a reliable thermostat preferably with day night control. day time highs for summer months should be 30°c with a night time low of 22-24°c.
Substrate can be a number of options including beech or orchid barks, lignocel, aspen or a particulate mix with soil and sands for a more naturalistic feel. Numerous hides and caves should be used along the thermal gradient as well as climbing opportunities. Some keepers will utilise sky cave strapped to the roof of the enclosure to add further enrichment. Just make sure these hides and the logs are over towards the cool side so the snake cannot access temperature in excess of what is recommended. Various pieces of foliage etc can be used to further offer security and investigating opportunities. This is a snake that will use its tank and makes a superb display animal. By using a Shade dweller UVB tube at the basking site it may also encourage the animal out to bath in the rays. This of course is optional.
Feeding is rarely if ever an issue and the only time there may be a problem is with males slowing down in winter, in the main they are even more reliable than corn snakes. They will accept mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, multis, chicks, small quail and quail and hens eggs.
Blacks Rat Snakes will usually benefit from Brumation to ensure fertile eggs
Thanks for this excellent video on one of my very favorite snakes! It’s always seemed a shame to me that they are not more popular: I grew up in Virginia where black rat snakes (I guess they are technically Easterns now, but no one I know calls them that) are native and common and I never met one with a bad temperament, and every one I ever met was wild. They were always welcome in our barns as they ate voles, mice, and rats and were even known to occasionally eat other snakes-most notably copperheads (which is interesting considering that they sometimes share the same winter dens). I personally have witnessed them eating small birds (sparrows) and they love eggs up to the size of chicken eggs. They may not be the most exciting color-wise (though you can’t deny how sleek a nice jet black specimen looks), but I’ve always loved their adorable, derpy little faces! They are indeed amazing climbers: the rule of thumb is if you see a snake and you wonder how it got there, it’s a rat snake. I hope to be able to have one someday since I now live in Europe and no longer get to watch them in the wild. Thanks again for the incredible info vid: you got yourself a subscriber!
So someone from the UK has one of the most informative American ratsnake videos? Hey, why not. Nice job.
I recently got a baby "gray" ratsnake, "White Oak" phase. I wanted something easy, and this type of snake was one of the ones I had as a kid that I fondly remember as being a pleasure to keep. I have mostly given away my more specialized snakes that require me to jump thru hoops to keep. My eventual goal after 3 decades of keeping is to get down to just a few snakes that are as simple as it gets. It is time. This gray ratsnake is one of those. It eats thawed pinks w/o any problem. It will eat in the cage, out of the cage, during the day or night, with me walking around or even vacuuming around the cages - it just does not care. I don't have to scent, I don't have to have the thawed rodent warmed to 98 deg F. The snake even eats quail sausages (Reptilinks) w/o any fuss. Easy easy easy. It will eat on a branch, or on the ground, or in a hide, or .. I guess I have made my point. Anyway, your video, thumbs up.
I'm in Oklahoma. 2 of my snakes are black Ratsnakes, look just like yours. The female is captive breed, the male wild caught as a baby in an outdoor shed in 40° weather. He was a snake-cicle (so he thought). Both are gentle, tame, curious & completely adorable. Margarite & Mango, love them so much ❤
Been raising one of these guys for 6 years now. Very intelligent and calm snake. He's at least 6 feet at this point. If anyone is considering getting one as a pet, I say go for it. Just be aware that when you go to handle them they have limitless energy. They're not going to just sit on your lap like a ball python. And in all that time he's only bitten me once, as a baby. Hurt less than getting a splinter.
Where to find such cuties?
My friend has a deep black rat snake and has gotten about 10 feet or so...really friendly
I was planning on getting one too
north america rat snakes are one of the best pet snakes in my personal opinion
I have a hell of a lot of love for them
One of my all time favorites. An absolute treasure and pleasure to raise. I’ve personally had normal and albinos make it to 18 years of age and 7 feet long.
What a fabulous snake! It was fun seeing how inquisitive about the space and active he is. I love how much you've covered the different sorts of rat snakes.
they are firmly in my wheelhouse. Adore Rat Snakes of all shapes and sizes. You have always got to love a plucky underdog
I live in Virginia in the Roanoke area. Apparently our "black rat snakes" are now "eastern rat snakes". Had no idea. Ours are way better looking than the one in this video. Ours by that size are really a nice glossy black on top without a pattern. They get really big too- up to 8' on record, but many adults exceed 6 feet. They should have kept the black name for ours and renamed the mid-westerner shown in this video to something else. Wild ones here are sometimes tame when you pick one up, if not they tame with just a few minutes of handling- they are not aggressive the way you mentioned and many farmers have a wild "pet" that lives around the barn- they love to eat chicken eggs and young chickens though, so are not as loved by those who keep birds. They also are great climbers. I've seen one high up on a telephone line going along, and they can climb right up the side of an old barn. Hibernation here is probably closer to 5 months. You don't see them from about the end of october until the middle of april. In spring and fall they are often seen on the roads warming in the evening. They are diurnal spring and fall and nocturnal when it gets hot. They hibernate sometimes with rattlesnakes in the same den. I have kept a few exotic species like boas over the years- the black ratsnake I caught and kept for a couple of years in high school as a kid has been my favorite. Ball pythons in comparison are very boring as far as personality.
They were renamed because Western ratsnakes and Midland ratsnakes can look exactly like Eastern ratsnakes. I have an Eastern ratsnake and in the wild we have Midland ratsnakes. They were renamed based on geographical location, and any "black rat snake" no matter how black it is, cannot be identified solely by coloration.
That being said this taxonomy is a lot and it's hard to know what snake you're trying to buy in captivity. Makes me wish they were just one species with 5 subspecies like the old taxonomy, but it is what it is.
I live in Virginia also ( Near Fredericksburg) and indeed the rat snake living in my basement was jet black and 8ft long. His eyes were grey because of molting, even so I must say this was the best behaved snake I’ve ever run into. We simply got a broom stick, put it to the ceiling between the insulation and it kindly curled around it as we dropped it into a trash can (outside release). In retrospect if I could get past me paranoia I wish I’d left him there. Later on I found the hole in the house siding where he crept it (some shed skin present) and sealed it up. It’s a shame Virginians aren’t taught to respect this snake in grade school, but then again nobody living here anymore (northern Va folk) seem to know even what a rat black or copperhead looks like.
Yeah there were a ton of black rat snakes around Leesburg Va where I lived for a couple years they were so docile i would simply scoop one up and it would not mind one bit
@@stereoscopicx5083 I want to get past my “phobia”, it’s on my bucket list ! As such I’ve bought a snake stick figuring I’ll slowly try to earn the trust of the next one I find. Although I have no problem identifying a good snake vs a venomous snake, I’m a little concerned I may mistake the next “black rat snake” with a much more aggressive “black racer”. Oh well guess that’s what the pole is for….
@@jethrotull5847 black racers are fast ive never managed to catch one but when backed into a corner ive seen them shake their tails like a rattlesnake. But black rat snakes ive never encountered an aggressive one personally
I live in PA. In Somerset County. I find these guys all summer long. I love them. I usually find them sunbathing on the roads and I get out and move them to a safer location so they don't get run over. I have one named Sonny that I rescued from the road. He was living behind my shed last year. Hoping he's still around.
Nice one mate. We are so limited with natural herpetofauna
Superb content about as in-depth as it gets!
I rescued one here in Kentucky from a sticky trap back in September and I named him Finn. He loves chilling in the hood of my hoodies
i want a captive bred baby black rat snake they seem like perfect pets for someone like me who wants a medium sized snake
.< trying to recover him but it's just a matter of patience. Great video, I love your co-host; so active, curious, and social!
I am glad they reclassified the different rat snakes because it now means I no longer need to permit or PIT certain rats previously classed as native to my state.
Never considered that.
When I was a youngster, back in ‘91 I collected a small “Texas rat snake” from the wild (in south east Texas). That was my favorite pet snake (I’ve kept boas pythons, kingsnakes, gophers and may others). Even though they are now “western rat snakes” the Texas locality will always hold a place in my heart. I’ve encountered several wild specimens in the 6-7 ft range. So cool! They are totally under appreciated in the states.
With regular handling do Black Rats have the potential to become as docile as Russian Rats?
Never had a Russian but both my black Ratsnakes are docile x10!
We have pantherophis east of the Mississippi in great abundance! They are pantherophis allegheniensis (sp?) very nice snakes
Thanks for all the content!
How do they compare to Brazilian rainbow boas and and ball pythons will they take jumbos rats , guinea pigs , baby 🐇, adult pigeons ang squirrel? Will black rats eat lizards like tokays, bearded dragons, chameleon's? Will black rat snake eat fish ?
Any sexual dimorphism?
The snake around your neck is not a solid black snake.
Will a 75 gallon tank be perfect for adult black rat snakes ?
One of my favourite Snakes. I kept and bred them years ago but I haven't seen any for quite a long time except for the Liquorice stick or white sided morphs. One pair I had were completely black with the white chin and underside. They were incredibly handsome Snakes and easily handled and cared for. I also kept and bred Everglades at the same time (1990s) and they were real beauties as well and just as easily cared for as the Black. Eastern Fox Snakes, which I have a pair of hatchlings are very tough species from North Eastern United States and Southern Canada around the Great Lakes area.
I love this video. I probably watch it about once every few months just because I like it so much lol
Good lord! I've JUST started researching these guys and, lo and behold, this video has popped up! A happy coincidence and a much appreciated one. Another fabulous video, thanks so much!
you are very welcome.
They are amazing pets
I find it very confusing that the western rat snake, isn’t found in the western United States, it’s found west of the Mississippi and into the central USA
great vdeo and well timed as i have just obtained a pair of hatchlings ,this species has always been at the top of my list since i can remember and i had to grab the opputunity as soon a i saw them , agree with what you saying about diversity if we are not carefull we are going to lose out on so much. keep up the good work guys
The risk is people will stay asleep and then who knows what will happen? San Francisco Garters are now so chronically inbred people wont touch them. Are we destined for the same when pantherophis are totally banned from collection because we didnt keep the interest in them alive?
The ones that live where im from usually have a beautiful jet black coloring with a white bottom lip and belly. my favorite local snake!
I call the rat snakes i see in NC “black rat snakes”….. little to zero pattern…. Jet black….
There are still wild black snakes in ohio
Il y a encore quelques semaines je ne connaissais pas ces serpents. Ils sont vraiment sages!❤
Hello what basking temp and cage size would you recommend for an adult ? Great video I’m really looking into getting one of these guys.
Rats are awesome.
Honestly I prefer grey rats, more prevalent here in south Alabama.
Very friendly, non bitey and easy to handle.
i want a baby black rat snake
Good.
Can you offer any information on humidity? I've tended to keep my BRS in a basically completely dry enclosure; aspen being my bedding of choice, as I use it for all my colubrids. However, I've encountered some shedding issues with her so I've switched to a combination substrate of CocoBlox and cypress mulch, and managed to handily keep the humidity at around 45% +/-. Shedding issues have disappeared, but I'm now concerned about the long-term effects of said humidity level. I'm originally from an area where BRSs proliferated, and the summers normally featured extremely high humidity; 85-100% being common. I've tried using a humid hiding box, but this snake has been particularly resistant to using it. Thanks.
What a great temperament that one has!
a true pleasure to work with
that is a such a beautiful animal didn't think they where that thick
they can get bigger still. You just dont see big big examples like you used to anymore. Once upon a time 7ft wasnt exceptional. It is now.
Michigan bans owning black ratsnakes which are a protected species due to habitat loss, but allows gray ratsnakes (pantherophis spiloides), now the black ratsnakes in Michigan are considered pantherophis spiloides (which are technically now legal to own? Despite being a protected species??) ahhh!
In Texas they are everywhere, I caught a hatchling outside and I’m keeping it ( it’s currently 12 degrees in Texas!)
@@_shibatrash_8386 how’s the snake doin
Heh... You have to pay good money for what I have running around outside my door.
In fact, I just had to escort a black rat snake out of my house just last week, when it snuck in to get out of the rain. ( and probably chase any mice that had done the same. )
It wasn't very big - about 4 feet long, and just finishing up a shed. ( still had patches of dead skin, and one eye covered. )
Anyway, if you ever make it to Tennessee, USA, take a walk out in the woods.
You'll no doubt find black racers, rat snakes of several colors, pine snakes, corn snakes... and quite likely a copperhead or two.
And if you're in the right ( or wrong ) spot, maybe even a rattler of some kind as well.
We also have plenty of cottonmouths around any body of water you may encounter.
P.S. Try that chin-rubbing business with a black racer, and you'll draw back a bloody stump.
Those things are irritable as hell, and DO NOT like being handled.
...and I have the scars to prove it. lol
Wow. Thank you for your information. I have an olive green rat snake similar to the one you are holding. Beautiful. Trying to get mine out but won't let me and been striking out at me. Help where abouts are you. I'm in the UK
Even if some subspecies no longer exist they are still at the very least localities. Like in Carpet Pythons, there's an argument that Darwin and Papuan (and perhaps even Jungle) are the same subspecies, doesn't change the fact they're completely different looking snakes.
I live in NY and we have what's called western rat snakes. Never understood that.. so ur saying they r called eastern now ?? Even tho it's the same snake?? So confused?
i love this snake!
It sure is a cool example.
Would say. They are a wonderful snake love being handle as soon as i open the tank she comes right out on to my hand. And chills so any won ho
Is it a MUST to hibernate these snakes even if not breeding them?
In the process of begging my mom☺️😂
Large corns snakes can eat medium rats, large rats . So if a black rat is just larger will they eat jumbo rats , pigeon, dove, cockatoo, large tokay lizard 🦎, large bearded dragon 🐲, adult squirrel 🐿️, small guinea pig , collasal rats, Norwegian rats? And large corns will be perfect in 55 gallon tank ,75 gallons at max . So can I get 125 gallon tank for black rat ?