did a good deed today...

we were late leaving to an appointment today & saw one of these beauties warming up on the road in our neighborhood.

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...ckratsnake.jpg

in the process of avoiding running over it my bf hit the curb & popped a tire. it was violent enough where i thought he'd jumped onto the curb & thought the drop in the front was him coming off the curb but the sudden drop was actually the tire busting! i got out & approached the snake cautiously until i was sure it was not venomous & managed to disturb the snake's sunbathing enough that it took off & ended up dropping down a rain gutter/drain. i just couldnt in good conscience, allow the snake to remain there where it'd surely be run over intentionally by someone else.
the thing was pretty big & the pics i put here really doesnt do its size any justice.

probly a good thing i didnt get the bright idea to pick that snake up, lol it was very much an adult & i just read that those black rat snakes musk all over "predators" who are dumb enough to pick them up & they dont just musk 'em, they spread it around...so i'm picturing the tail whipping around like an unheld hose on full blast...eeewwww.

Well I'm glad you didn't hurt him! Sorry about the car.

i'm just glad it wasnt some kind of venomous snake...it would've been alot more nerve-wracking & harder, i think, to get the thing to get off the road while trying to keep from getting bit at the same time. :weirdface:
with that rat snake though, once i was sure it wasnt venomous, i just touched it's tail with my shoe & it coiled up, spun around & faced me, sized me up for a minute then decided to book it, lol.
although we know the snake had no idea the fate it almost met that day, we are both glad that we were able to be the ones to come across it & send it off to safety (at the cost of a tire), rather then someone else.
being from california though, the only wild snakes i'd ever seen were rattlers & kings but upon moving here i took the time to visually educate myself (& my 10 yr old daughter) via computer of the snakes local to this state/area.

Care:
Temperature / Humidity: It is necessary to establish a temperature gradient for the snake thermoregulation. Place a UTH, heat tape or heat cable on one side of the container to create a warm look. This area should be between 80 to 85 degrees. The cold side should be around 75 degrees.

Lighting: No need for special lighting. You can use the house reagular keep the bulbs to give extra warmth and the need for light. You can also use a strip of fluorescent light if you want extra lighting for display.

Housing / Substrate: Babies can be kept in tanks of 10 gallons. Black adult rats should be housed in a tank atleast 30 or rubermaid conaitner of similar size. Bigger is always better, though. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid because RBs are notoriuos escape artists.
For substrates can use aspen shavings, newspaper or fresh attention. NEVER use pine or cedar shavings because the oils are toxic to reptiles.

Food / Food: Black rat snakes eat mice and rats. Black baby rats should be fed pinky mice once every 5 to 7 days. Move over the dam to grow. Adult black rat snakes can easily handle the young rats are fed once evey 7 days. Do not be surprised to see how aggressive to eat sometimes.

Management / Disposal: When handling any snake sure you always support the entire body. wrap around his left arm so that your back is not half hanging in the air. Black rat snake is a medium size, most are pretty quiet.


Conclusion: Black rat snakes are mostly pretty quiet, you may end up wityh an agile one everyonce in a while. They should all be very tame, but after some treatment. These snakes are great for beginners and experts alike. I would have to put these snakes in the same aspects of the calluses.
artificial flower arrangements

Lol someone replied without reading ^^

haha yup :P

:rofl: at the person who posted a care sheet without reading