Kunasir island (kunashir?) japanese rat snake care

[Dorgrim]

Today at a herp show i picked up a BEAUTIFUL and cheap Kunasir (kunashir?) rat snake. He was super cheap because it was breeding male that turned out to produce bad offspring, So! lucky me! i dont plan on breeding him just putting him on display!

My question is, anyone had experience owning one of the dudes? there isnt a lot of info on these guys and I would love to know from people what they thought?

He has a great temperament, eats slightly smaller than average prey items (which i hear is not too far from normal)

Are there any good pages or tips on these guys? I heard they like to be a bit cooler than corns at 75, 80 tops? But again, i have also heard people keep them just like their corns giving them an 85 hot spot.

Any help for this dude would be greatly appreciated, tips or clues from people have owned them before.

The only consistent info i have found is to provide them with a humid hide at all times, give them climbing space and maybe a few extra hides than I would a normal colubrid, for extra security.

Hes a beautiful snake and lets home QT goes well for the next 60-90 days!
Then I can take some good pictures of the boy!

 

[Chip]

I worked with them many years back. To memory, I kept them like corns, but a tad cooler. Not black milk cooler, just off heat in the reptile room. Females had a much better feeding response than males, and *generally* a more nervous temperament. You won't deal with this aspect, but most babies didn't eat the first year. I always brumated them with my adults, and they were great by spring.

They are beautiful snakes, some almost blue in color. I'll dig for some pictures...

 

[Dorgrim]

thanks! and over all you found that to work just fine? About how long do they live? im kinda going off what other corns and rats like lol

Why is it so hard to find info on these cool looking creatures!
The male i picked up is 3 and he has an amazing powder blue face and really black skin, his scales look like glazed pottery!

the guy (Robert (bob) McIvor) said this guy should eat pretty readily, but that i should try smaller prey for a little to get him started.
Are they Diurnal? Nocturnal? this guy is out a lot right now, basking in the sun, looking around, seems to really enjoy climbing and sitting up high.

Again thanks for any info! i wanna give this guy the best i can

 

[dionythicus]

I had a nice female years ago and she ate great for me. I didn't get into breeding with that species. They are similar to the Russian rats in that room temp is seems enough.

 

[Chip]

Are they Diurnal? Nocturnal? this guy is out a lot right now, basking in the sun, looking around, seems to really enjoy climbing and sitting up high.

I kept mine in big vision cages. They seemed very alert, so I'm guessing diurnal. Unless in their hides, they would check me out every time I'd walk into the reptile room. Seemed to be climbers, so some branches will be appreciated. As for life span, I'd say along the lines of most colubrids, 15+ years in captivity. I kept mine for about 4 or 5 and traded them. They bred readily, but the babies were slow starters and I always had very high male ratios. I really liked the species, but there didn't seem to be much demand. :shrugs: