Texas Rat Snake?

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TheOneThatGotAway

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 7, 2007
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NJ, USA
So the 15 gal tank I bought turned out to be a lot bigger. The lid that came with it says it's for a 29 gal standard or a 20 gal long, though I'm not sure which it actually is. I also found out that there's a decent chance of me getting a snake, so wooh. I've done a little shopping around online, and have narrowed it down to a snow corn, or a leucistic Texas rat snake, which is my current first pick.

So I have a few questions.
1. Will the snake do well in a tank of that size? I've heard they can do well in 10 gal (which I find hard to believe) and I've heard they need something 2/3 longer than their body. The consensus seems to be a 20 - 30 gal is good, but....
2. I know these guys are considerably bigger and faster than my ball python. He eats once a week. How often should I feed a ratsnake?
3. I've heard rat snakes are pretty aggressive, especially leucistic. I've also heard that that's a rumor and they're sweethearts. I'm generally inclined to believe that it's totally dependent on how often they're handled, but I figured it's better to know now.

Thanks in advance!
 
they can get 5 feet or bigger, i would say you would need something bigger.

as far as temper, captive bred are generally quite calm, they're basically like an oversized corn snake. the wild ones will bite, but are still not super aggressive. the ones i've caught didn't try to bite until i pinned the head down to grab it.
leucistic should not be more aggressive than regular, it's a color morph, not a different species.
 
If you want something handeable defenetly go with the corn, lots of people here keep leuci texans and they are defenetly on the agressive side and also very jumpy. They as well get kind of big.
 
coura;4265376; said:
If you want something handeable defenetly go with the corn, lots of people here keep leuci texans and they are defenetly on the agressive side and also very jumpy. They as well get kind of big.
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But see, I've also heard a lot of people say their leucis are sweethearts and that they've never been bitten. I don't mind the size, though.
 
Its up to you, the ones I had to deal with so far were very jumpy, hissy and even bitey. Surprisingly a snake that has a bad reputation, the Elaphe taeniura friesi, the taiwanese beauty snake Ive handled a few and all were very gentle animals, even on the cage, I didnt even had to use the hook.
 
See? I've heard the same thing about these guys.

I actually looked into Taiwans and Vietnamese Blues, but I don't have the space for one. Sometime in the future, probably.
 
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