HELP! IMPORTANT!!! issues...white sided rat snakes....

I am sorry about putting this here I know it's not exactly corn related but I need to know if a white sided rat snake is typically mean natured?

:shrugs: I know that Texas rat snakes are kind of tempermental but do the other species of ratsnakes usually act the same way...

The reason I am asking is because I purchased a trio of white sided ratsnakes and when I got them today the male charged out of the bag at me with mouth gaping... he really meant business--
they were a bit larger than I has expected, If they were smaller I could have dealt with it... I've never actually been afraid of a snake but these guys have me a bit un-nerved!

The people I got them from never said anything about them being aggressive and the photos they sent me showed them holding them in various poses...
can this just be caused by shipping stress???

I emailed the folks but they havent responded yet...

any ideas? PLEASE?!?!?!?!

LOL...mine definitely tend to be a bit more aggressive than corns. With regular handling, though, they calm down pretty good.

I sure hope so....sheeeesh this guy is horrible!
I haven't even given the two girls a chance yet...
I got a firm hold on them and stuck them straight in their tubs....
I just wasn't expecting a 2 1/2 foot snake and :eek1: much less one that was going to take a grab for my face!

guess Im gonna have to get me some elbo lenght gloves and just have at it with this fella and oke: show him who's boss

:sidestep:

Dont handle them roughly or restrain them (unless nessicary most often for health reasons). When you do that your giving them that negitive experiance of being handled and if anything is going to make their temprement when being handled even worse. What you do need to do though is be consistant and gentle. I wouldnt wear gloves (although I have heard that by wearing latex gloves you can help stop the habit of biting because they taste terrible), but you could get a snake hook to use to lift it out of the enclosure. When holding them try not to grab them, go from under them and lift as it may help reduce the amount of bites. Also remember that they just spent 12 hours in a dark contianer that was probably thrown around a bit; I've had a snake refuse to eat for a month after being shipped (a retic nontheless, if anyone knows about their monsterous appitites), so it can easily cause them to revert back to their instictual behavior untill they feel safe. Just take it gentle and make it consistant, they should do fine. What kind of white sided rats did you get? It could quite possible be white sided Texes rats, which would explain a lot about their behavior.

Thank You Guys...

I am going to be patient... Im like you, I hope it was the stress from shipping... although, that thing coming at my face like that really set me back.

I have them all settled in now and they are resting, Im not going to do anything with them for a few days (that was enough excitement for awhile)... I dont think latex gloves would deter this guy -- OMG, I opened that bag and all i seen was mouth charging me, it was all I could do to keep from dropping it on the floor. It is actually a bit funny now that I think about it but *whoa* thats not something i want to happen often!

Im not sure what kind they are -- The folks just called them Licorice rat snakes...
just my luck that means "TEXAS" rat snake.... LOL

anyways... i guess i will make do...
I can handle a 200lb dog but a 1b snake has me stumped -- go figure :eek1:

Black rats typically (note I said typically lol) are a bit more spirited than corn snakes. I have an adult female who can be very intimidating when she wants to be, but it's all bluff. She was a biter as a baby tho. We would call her "Thumbalina", due to her favorite target being whosever thumb was attached to the hand that held her.

A licorice is a black rat snake. They get quite a bit bigger than corns do, by the way. They are wonderful snakes, and like Chris said, most of their attitude is a bluff. I have a pair of adult black rats that I got from Carol and they intimidate me a bit. They are very food oriented and are looking for food every time I open their cages. I've gotten to where I simply reach in and pick them up very quickly so they don't have the chance to think I am food.

Here's my list of black rats:
1.1 whitesides, 1.1 albino whitesides, 0.1 "normal" het whiteside, 1.1 "normal" (They are from Dwight Good's dark line and do not have much white on them.), and 1.1 Brindles.

Other rat snakes I have:
1.1 albino yellow rats, 0.1 leucistic Texas rat, 1.1 White Oak phase gray rats.

I think that's all of them. I am at work and am trying to remember without looking at my list.

More then likely it was mainly just due to shipping; they due tend to be a little more opinionated then corns and often the first thing they see is your face. Most usually arnt a solid face striker though, and if it is at least right now your arm lentgh is greater then its strike so you shouldnt have to worry about that. You really cant judge a snake buy the first time you hold it, a lot of thoughts are going through their heads. I bet in a short time they will realise that it really isnt so bad and stop protesting, although I can see them doing things just to spite you.

CornCrazy said:

A licorice is a black rat snake.

Click to expand...

LeeAnn your's looks like a whitesided black rat to me also. The whitesided trait also turns up in Everglades rat snakes, where they are called "Ghost 'glades".

Whitesided black rats were first discovered (as the story goes) from a w/c black rat that was found in MD. I don't remember if was developed out of normal looking parents or an actual whitesided was found, but the man who first worked with them and introduced them into the hobby was George Miskimmon.

THANKS SOOOOO MUCH guys!

I can walk past his tub now without him musking and lunging so I am leaning more towards shipping stress than to evil-ness...

I will give him some time to get use to things and then try it again...

Terri that is quite a list of rats you have there...
I wish I would have known that *before*
-- I have 1.1 albino black rat... 1.2 leucistic Texas rat... and the 1.2 white sided... OHHH and a lt-wc black rat that was given to me about 8 months ago...

I am thinking of getting a pair of the albino whitesided, are yours of breeding age yet?

again THANKS for all the advice...
I soooooo hope they calm down soon !

MastersHaven said:

THANKS SOOOOO MUCH guys!

I can walk past his tub now without him musking and lunging so I am leaning more towards shipping stress than to evil-ness...

I will give him some time to get use to things and then try it again...

Terri that is quite a list of rats you have there...
I wish I would have known that *before*
-- I have 1.1 albino black rat... 1.2 leucistic Texas rat... and the 1.2 white sided... OHHH and a lt-wc black rat that was given to me about 8 months ago...

I am thinking of getting a pair of the albino whitesided, are yours of breeding age yet?

again THANKS for all the advice...
I soooooo hope they calm down soon !

Click to expand...

I am glad to hear that he is calming down some, at least!

LeeAnn, I really like the rat snakes! They get pretty big, but not TOO big! My albinos are babies, so unfortunately, I will not be producing any for 2-3 years (...unless my older "normal" female turns out to be het albino).

Ohhhhhhhhh !

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:eek1: I come home today to find that the beast is lose!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have torn my house apart and nothing ---

I know he is lurking and watching me and just waiting to slither his way out and latch on to my leg...


damn him!!!! :grin01:

Thats terrible, I hope he appears somewhere, even if it is attached to your leg. If it helps any your not alone; I have a corn on the loose for about a month now, and still no signs of her.

MastersHaven said:

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:eek1: I come home today to find that the beast is lose!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have torn my house apart and nothing ---

I know he is lurking and watching me and just waiting to slither his way out and latch on to my leg...


damn him!!!! :grin01:

Click to expand...

Just watch out when your in the shower and you hear the suspenceful music start up. :grin01:

I own 2 white sided licorce stick rat snakes. When I first got them in Sept of 2006, they were both already a year old. Not used to be handled. Male (Zeus) and female (Hera). The female was a little aggressive for about 1 month. But to this day I have not had any trouble with either of them biting or being the least bit aggressive. Best purchase I ever made. I do take them outside once a week during the summer and let them move around in the empty lot next to my house before I feed them. Maybe, your's just needs a fun time like that also. My vet said the out doors is a great plus for them. Not sure if my insight helps or not. But here it is.

This thread is nearly 3 years old, so I think the original poster has probably resolved the problems they were having by now

yeah it's an old post & untimely response, but some folks read through these years later (like me now) and might learn a few things even if the original poster is long gone. i'm pretty convinced i'd like to get one of these 'lil guys. i've got 3 corns.

I purchased some TransPecos ratsnakes - I think those are really pretty, and they are also known to be extremely docile. Well, the first two we got lived up to their reputation. But the 3rd one we got - a female - came flying out of her deli-cup like a jack-in-the-box and promptly inducted my daughter into the bite-club! I got one more female, and she was really stressed out after traveling, too. Just give them some time. I like the latex glove idea - I have a cloth garden glove that I'll wear if I think someone may bite me (it's probably no protection at all - just psychological) I'm a little freaky about being bit, too.