I'm so lucky!!

I'm with Doolittle on this one. He's really cool I know as a Kid and a Young man I had my fair share of wild collected Rat and King snakes but I almost always kept them for a few days to a week and then released back where I got them. Not saying you should put him back in your rodent rack, LOL.

But really he was born in the Wild and deserves to stay in the wild. I totally condone hanging onto him for a couple days, see if he will eat for you, then find a nice woodpile( Away from your rodent shed) and release him.

All in all though it's a really cool story!!!

Yeah, let him be free and order you a nice captive born rat snake from BHB or another reputable breeder for cheap :-)

As far as the laws go, there is nothing wrong with it in the US, it varies some what by state, but usually it varies only in the requirements - hunting lisences needed, permits, etc. Most states limit the amount you can have in your collection as well of wild caught before you have to get a collectors permit, then a commercial permit after that...

The reason its under hunting regulations is because collecting wild snakes is the same as killing them, you are pulling them from the wild. Hope this helps.