Black Rat Snake

[MelissaFlipski]

This is one of our many Black Rat Snake friends that frequent our yard. I snapped these pictures in July of 2007.

Yes, their irridescence ROCKS. He still had some morning dew on him from the grass and that helped the irridescence show.
He was probably 5 feet. What a beauty.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...kratsnake3.JPG

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...kratsnake1.JPG

The stray cat that we take care of was not very observant! But the snake saw her!



I think he's the same snake that graced us with his presence on Easter morning. My husband went to move him away
from next to the kids' sandbox, and boy could that fella' hiss! I never heard anything like it. It was half between
a hiss and a rattle. Wild stuff!

[bonheki]

nice i like lol

[hoo-t]

Beautiful snake! I caught a big one at my uncle's cabin a few years ago. At first I was VERY cautious, so cautious that I thought the poor snake probably couldn't breathe. I relaxed my grip on its neck somewhat and noticed that he wasn't struggling. I eventually let go completely and let him crawl freely on my arm. Just as calm as could be. I let him go in some nearby woods. I often wish that I had kept him, which may in part explain why I still have the one I got at the grocery store!!!

Steve

[MelissaFlipski]

Beautiful snake! I caught a big one at my uncle's cabin a few years ago. At first I was VERY cautious, so cautious that I thought the poor snake probably couldn't breathe. I relaxed my grip on its neck somewhat and noticed that he wasn't struggling. I eventually let go completely and let him crawl freely on my arm. Just as calm as could be. I let him go in some nearby woods. I often wish that I had kept him, which may in part explain why I still have the one I got at the grocery store!!!
Steve

How long has it been now since you got the one from the grocery store? Can you post a pic? I'll post pics of a black rat snake (prbly the same one) that my husband put in the woods a few years ago (the one by the sand box).

I didn't know how friendly they were as adults. Do they attempt a strike when you pick them up? Did the one at the cabin hiss? I swear the sandbox one made an ungodly noise that I never knew could come from a snake.

[MelissaFlipski]

These are the pictures of the BRS we were graced with on Easter Sunday, 2005.

Black Rat Snake near sandbox:


"Are you gonna eat me?" "No, you gonna eat ME?"


Not the most flattering picture of Francois, but you can see the snake tasting the air as the dog looks on and Ryan is on the playset.


Francois says it was a different BRS that hissed at him, which he did not pick up but encouraged to go into the woods on the other side of the driveway behind the playset.

[MeMe]

I was at a cookout a Hybrid Garage a few weeks ago and someone said there was a snake so I ran over to look at it and when I picked it up and that suckra tried to eat my face off! lol Well...not really but the pics that were taken look like he was!

I am not sure what it was...looks kinda like the one your hubby found except WAY smaller.


here is one of the pics...DON'T LAUGH!

[hoo-t]

How long has it been now since you got the one from the grocery store? Can you post a pic? I'll post pics of a black rat snake (prbly the same one) that my husband put in the woods a few years ago (the one by the sand box).

I didn't know how friendly they were as adults. Do they attempt a strike when you pick them up? Did the one at the cabin hiss? I swear the sandbox one made an ungodly noise that I never knew could come from a snake.

I caught the one in the grocery store on July 10 of this year. There is a pic in the "Herping in the local grocery store" thread. I didn't get any pics of the one I caught at my uncle's cabin. I wish I had, he was impressive! Rat snakes are generally pretty defensive in the wild. They will put up a big show, posing to strike, hissing, rattling their tail, and generally won't hesitate to bite. The big one that I caught never did any of that. I even thought maybe he was an escaped pet, because he was so calm. The little one from the store, though, was a different story! He did (and still does) it all, tail rattling and hissing as loud as any of my bps! You probably already know this, but corn snakes are actually rat snakes, just a different subspecies. I've heard they can be pretty nasty in the wild, too. I had a corn snake for several years and was only bitten once, and that was a stupid feeding error. The other subspecies of rat snakes, from what I've heard, are more unpredictable in their behavior. I really haven't spent a whole lot of time trying to "tame" the grocery store snake, as I've always thought I'd return him to the wild.

Steve

[MelissaFlipski]

I was at a cookout a Hybrid Garage a few weeks ago and someone said there was a snake so I ran over to look at it and when I picked it up and that suckra tried to eat my face off! lol Well...not really but the pics that were taken look like he was!

I am not sure what it was...looks kinda like the one your hubby found except WAY smaller.

here is one of the pics...DON'T LAUGH!

Great pic, Meme! Too bad you can't see the snake too well, but you know he's in motion!

I caught the one in the grocery store on July 10 of this year. There is a pic in the "Herping in the local grocery store" thread. I didn't get any pics of the one I caught at my uncle's cabin. I wish I had, he was impressive! Rat snakes are generally pretty defensive in the wild. They will put up a big show, posing to strike, hissing, rattling their tail, and generally won't hesitate to bite. The big one that I caught never did any of that. I even thought maybe he was an escaped pet, because he was so calm. The little one from the store, though, was a different story! He did (and still does) it all, tail rattling and hissing as loud as any of my bps! You probably already know this, but corn snakes are actually rat snakes, just a different subspecies. I've heard they can be pretty nasty in the wild, too. I had a corn snake for several years and was only bitten once, and that was a stupid feeding error. The other subspecies of rat snakes, from what I've heard, are more unpredictable in their behavior. I really haven't spent a whole lot of time trying to "tame" the grocery store snake, as I've always thought I'd return him to the wild.

Steve

Yeah, I didn't know BRS'es could make all that racket. It blew my mind.

[MeMe]

Great pic, Meme! Too bad you can't see the snake too well, but you know he's in motion!

yea it was a pretty funky pic.

I wish Jeff would have gotten a better shot of it.

[MelissaFlipski]

Still a pretty good pic. The snake in motion and your expression is priceless!

How long did you hold him? Was he black with a white belly?