Elaphe schrenckii FAQ

[Sylphie]

I love this thread. After seeing a few progress threads I've been interested in them. I have a couple questions. Would they be a good first snake or would some experience be needed? What kind of substrate do you recommended for them? How fast do they grow? I know you said a adult would not do good in a tub but how long does it take for them to get to adult size? For a hatchling or young adult, is there a gal size you recommended? I know with ball pythons it's better to have longer than taller but is that true for Russians?

Sorry if you answered any of these questions and I missed them when I was reading your post.

I'm glad you like it!


Q: Would they be a good first snake or would some experience be needed?

A: They are great begginer snakes! In fact my first snake was Russian ratsnake and it was a great choice. They are very hardy species, don't require any specific humidity, are okay with colder/warmer temperatures, will practically never refuse food. They aren't prone to stress too, so you can handle them without worrying that they will go off food.

Q: What kind of substrate do you recommended for them?

A: Anything that is safe for reptiles. Newspapers, paper towels, coco peat, lignocel, bark, eco earth, plain old dirt, aspen - anything you like!

Q: How fast do they grow?

A: For the first 2 years they grow rather slow and steady. Between 2 and 3 years old they grow like crazy, you'll need bigger prey items and enclosures every few months They are considered fully grown at 4 years old, but they will get a lot more bulkier with passing years. Below you can see our Artemis at 8months old, 1,5year old and 3 years old.



Q: I know you said a adult would not do good in a tub but how long does it take for them to get to adult size? For a hatchling or young adult, is there a gal size you recommended? I know with ball pythons it's better to have longer than taller but is that true for Russians?

A: They are fully grown at 3-4 years old lenght-wise, but they will gain a lot more in girth with passing years. Below you can see 9 years old female held by my husband and 4 years old female held by my sister. Maybe I'll try to do a new picture with my husband for better perspective...

Hatchlings can be kept in tubs without problems, similiar sizes to corn snakes for the first year or two. At two years old you should probably start thinking about bigger enclosure. "If you have only one adult snake then you can go a little smaller, like 4 x 1,5 x 1,5 feet (120 x 45 x 45cm)." - that being said I now keep my 4 years old pair in 2,6 x 1,6 x 1,9 feet (80x50x60xm) and they have plenty of space there. The recommended sizes in my opinion are more for 6-7 years old snakes that are a lot bulkier than the 3-4years old, so you don't need to worry about getting the full sized enclosure for quite a long time.

I would say that for example if you have a young hatchling that is less than 2 years old you can keep it in either a tub or small temporary glass/wood enclosure. From 2 to 5 years old something like I'm using now (3 x 1,5 x 1,5 feet or 2,5 x 1,5 x 2feet) will be perfect. If your snake grows really big then you'll probably need to think about adding that one feet in lenght to make it 4 x 1,5 x 1,5. I can't really recommend sizes for hatchlings as they grow at different rates.

The best would be horizontal (longer) enclosure, but I kept mine in vertical (tall) for 2 years and they were doing perfectly fine in it. It all really depends on decorations.

(Sorry for not answering in gallons but we don't use them in my country so I don't want to mess the dimensions with converting it )