The Black Rat Snake is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake native to the USA and parts of Southern Canada.
This is an interesting species of snake that goes through a drastic color change as the snake matures. Although they are referred to as a Black Rat Snake, babies are much lighter in color and usually have a lot of patterning.
These snakes have been found to share underground burrows with both the Timber Rattlesnake and the Copperhead. The three species are often found brumating together throughout the winter months.
Taxonomy
The Black Rat Snake belongs to the colubrid family of snakes. This is the largest family of snakes in the world with roughly 250 different recognised genera.
It is classified under the genus Pantherophis and its scientific name is Pantherophis obsoletus. Other species in the Pantherophis genus include the Eastern Rat Snake, Baird’s Rat Snake, Great Plains Rat Snake and the Corn Snake.
Black Rat Snake Description
An adult Black Rat Snake has a shiny black coloration while their underbellies and chins are white. The white of their chin extends up to their mouth, giving the appearance of white lips, similar to the White Lipped Python.
Juveniles look very different to adults as they go through a drastic color change to get to their typical adult coloration. They are much lighter in color, typically grey or tan with a lot of brown blotching and patterning.
The patterning will often disappear entirely in adults but some adults keep remnants of this patterning. It can usually be seen between their scales or when their body is stretched after a large meal. As a result, they are not jet black like the Mexican Black Kingsnake.
They are an average sized colubrid snake with adults typically reaching lengths of around 4-5 feet. Babies are quite small and are usually around 12 inches when they hatch.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Black Rat Snake can be found throughout much of the Eastern United States. Their range extends from Eastern Texas across to the coastline of Nothern Florida.
In the North, their range extends from Wisconsin across to the Southern parts of New York. They can also be found in parts of Southern Canada.
The Black Rat Snake prefers to live in heavily wooded areas and is known for being an excellent climber. They are also very good swimmers but usually avoid the water.
Feeding a Black Rat Snake
In the wild, the Black Rat Snake will eat a varied diet of rodents, frogs, lizards, chipmunks, juvenile rabbits, juvenile opossums, and even the occasional bird egg.
It isn’t really possible to replicate this diet in captivity but the snakes do perfectly well on a rodent diet. It is better to feed your snake rats over mice as they will provide your snake with more nutrients.
You should feed a juvenile an appropriately sized meal every 5-7 days. An appropriate size is a rodent that is slightly smaller than the girth of rhe snake, at the snake’s largest point.
As the snake starts to reach adult size, you can reduce feeding down to every 7-10 days. You can even offer them a meal every 14 days providing the meals are on the larger size.
You can supplement your Black Rat Snakes diet with the occasional baby chick or quail if you want. You can also offer an adult the occasional juvenile rabbit if you want.
Black Rat Snake Housing
A baby Black Rat Snake is a very small snake so they do not require large enclosures. You can house them in a small glass vivarium or an appropriately sized tub with adequate ventilation.
A baby snake will find their way out of the smallest of spaces so make sure that the enclosure is escape proof. It is important to remember that your snake will quickly outgrow this enclosure and will need to be upgraded.
An adult Black Rat Snake will be very comfortable in an enclosure measuring 3ft x 2ft x 2ft. This will provide your snake with plenty of surface area to move around as well as some height to climb. You might want a 4ft enclosure if you have an exceptionally large snake.
You should include at least two hides in the enclosure, one at either end so you snake can feel secure while thermoregulating. You can offer even more hides for juveniles if you want.
Light and Heat
A Black Rat Snake can be kept in an enclosure with an ambient temperature of around 80F. Their hot spot should be kept at around 85-88F. The ambient temperature can drop to around 75F at night.
These snakes don’t like it excessively hot so it is important that your heat source is connected to a good thermostat. This will ensure that the snake is kept at the correct temperature.
You also don’t want the temperature in the enclosure to drop too low. This can cause the snake to go into brumation. This is natural for the snake to do in much of their native range.
You don’t need to provide a Black Rat Snake with any special kind of lighting such as UVB. However, they should be exposed to an adequate day/night cycle.
Substrate
A Black Rat Snake does well when humidity levels are kept at around 60%. This should be taken into consideration when choosing a substrate for your snake.
You want a substrate that will hold humidity well without moulding. A large water bowl will also help keep the humidity up in the enclosure.
If you love in an environment with high humidity, you will be able to use aspen bedding or a similar substrate along with a large water bowl.
However, if you live in an area with low humidity levels you might want to go for a substrate that holds humidity a bit better. Cypress mulch is a good option here. A light misting every day will help keep the humidity at an optimal level.
Handling a Black Rat Snake
A Black Rat Snake is typically a fairly docile snake. They are generally fine to handle once they get used to it although there are always exceptions.
It is important to handle your snake regularly to help them get accustomed to you. This will allow them to build up an element of trust and understand that you are not a threat.
You should pay attention to your snakes’ behaviour in order to prevent getting bit. While a Black Rat Snake will generally try to flee, they will often also stand their ground and this is when a bite can occur.
Their initial line of defence is to hold to vibrate their tail against the cage floor. This will make a sound like a Rattlesnake and it is intended to scare off intruders. This is an indication that they are feeling threatened.
If your snake leans back and takes up an S-Shaped stance, they are preparing to strike. You should remove your snake from their enclosure with hook when this happens. It is often just the snake being ‘cage defensive’.