Are all rat snakes aggressive?

[Bogertophis]

You need to consider the vast number of different kinds of rat snakes there are...some are far more feisty than others. I've known many kinds for over 3 decades
and bred some kinds too...still have 16 snakes, of which most are "rat snakes". I love their inquisitive nature, their beauty & activity, ease of care, & overall sizes.

You asked about Chinese Beauty rat snakes: in the past I kept & bred a few of those. They get quite large and are very active...more like a "racer" type snake,
so yes, they're going to be a real challenge to hold. I handled mine from the time they were hatchlings & I wouldn't call them mean at all...much depends on you.

If you want my opinion as to the most beautiful yet laid-back rat snakes, it's the Trans Pecos and Bairds rat snakes you might look into. TPs stay smaller, about
4', while the Bairds are more like 6' but just as docile. One of my Bairds lived to age 26, & both of these are fun to "meet & greet" people who are afraid of snakes.

If you want some screaming color (besides corn snakes), check out Everglades rat snakes. When you raise them from hatchlings, they make great pets, about 6' too.
Others in the same family- grey, black, yellow rat snakes are great pets as well, assuming you aren't dealing with wild caughts...that's why so many rat snake species
have a bad reputation in the first place- originally the pet-trade was selling terrified wild-caught specimens with attitudes & parasites. Go figure why that doesn't work?

Rat snakes, overall, are not "pet rocks" like BPs are...that's why I love them most. They are easy to feed, not too huge to handle, & they're full of personality.
I currently have 5 corn snakes, 3 Trans Pecos rat snakes (which eat f/t mice, btw, NOT rats! "rat snake" is the generic category name), 4 Florida rat snakes that
are likely a cross of yellow-gulf hammock-& a dash of Everglades? -they were captive bred & FL owner had to sell/move- the males are HUGE, about 7', while the
females are smaller, about 5', because every year they insist on laying over 2 dozen infertile eggs.

And I have one more rat snake, the only kind I wouldn't recommend: a Korean rat snake. I had wanted a Russian rat snake but found these, assumed they'd be
similar. They aren't. Super shy, flighty, can be nippy if you persist in holding...more like a racer, like a coachwhip, than a typical rat snake. They can be hard to
feed too, because of their shyness. Hope some are working with the breeding, they'd be attractive pets if mellower like the Russians have the reputation of being.
(they are dark green as adults, with yellow underneath)

Rat snakes do best with good ventilation and space to move, taller cages (glass tanks) with branches...and I like watching my snakes, so that works for me. If you
have no space & want to keep them in bins/racks, stick with beepers. Rat snakes have the intelligence to watch the world around them, don't take that away from
them...it helps them to "know" us & be calm about handling. I have mostly worked with U.S. species, so hopefully other members can add more about those
from other lands?