Tame Wild Black Rat Snake

My roommate was outside bracing the tomatoes and peppers before the thunderstorm that's covering the whole southeast hit when he saw this guy sitting on the patio, no more than 10 steps from the back door. The black rat snake head-bumped him when he tried to pick it(him?) up too close to the head, but was fine being picked up lower down the body.

My roommate brought him in and put him in a spare bin because the next few days' forecast is Bad Weather. He had no issues being put in a bin, and when I got home he tried to hide in the couch for a moment before curling up and enjoying my body heat. He's prolly not full grown. I'd put him at 4.5 feet long, but what a beauty.

We fed him because all good hotels offer room service, and he just daintily lifted his head, gently took two hoppers in turn, and swallowed them without even uncoiling. My roommate and I kept going, "This is a *wild* snake?"

We don't feel right keeping a wild snake, so we'll release him when the weather clears up. However, we're very much in love with black rat snakes now. If a wild one we literally picked out of the yard is this sweet, how much more so will a captive-born baby raised by hand be?

That's awesome! They aren't all that amenable to handling right out of the wild!

My girl that was hatched from wild parents can be a bit of a Sh*thead. Her mom was a wonderful snake what little time we had, basically just digging her the rest of the way up from her nest and getting all the fire ants off her. I imagine she'll grow out of her fussiness though. She's only about 2 feet currently and can be a turd to pick up, a little flighty sometimes when held too. But she's calming down with age.

It's so awesome that you got to experience such a nice black rat, they really do just make you fall in love the way that they can be so agreeable.

Actually most of the black rat snakes I have found in the wild were pretty mild mannered if you didn't scare the beejeezus out of them. Just free handle them without grabbing them around the neck and trying to restrain them and they are usually fine with the arrangement.

Wow, what a pretty snake! Perhaps he could feel the storm coming and decided a nice warm place indoors was worth being fussed over? The free meal is a bonus!

Really beautiful snake!

So cool!!! Every one I've found has been exactly like that.

so cool! we don't have black rat snakes here,only Texas rats & they aren't known for their mild nature..quite the opposite in fact lol

I can only remember one wild black rat, ever, that was not easy handled, and he was completely hateful. Beautiful snake guys, they are an awesome find

Originally Posted by hikisquid

Wow, what a pretty snake! Perhaps he could feel the storm coming and decided a nice warm place indoors was worth being fussed over? The free meal is a bonus!

I can see it now: word's going to get out, and before every storm I'll have black rat snakes lining up for their spot in Blue Sky Reptiles' Black Rat Bed & Bath...