hmm.......I think a rat snake would be perfect. I'm only now coming to like snakes, and out of all the ones I have handled my favorite is Tim's Everglades (Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni). Juveniles are a cream tone with orangish hues and have some small, slightly darker saddles along their backs. As they mature they devlope 4 indestinct lines head to tail and take on a ground color ranging from pale orange to a deep cooper-red color. Their temperment is much the same as corns, as they are extremely similar, and there is no lack of info on them. Another beautiful variety of rat snake is the Elaphe situla, the Leopard rat snake. While it is not very common, it is extremely beautiful. They get about 3.5' and are not to big in girth. At first glance it resembles a corn. It is spotted distictly from head to tail with what looks like two circles fused together that repeat along the back. The ground color is cream to orange and the saddles are usually reddish-orange outlined faintly with black. They like it hot and dry, temps around 81-83 with basking areas and at least a 12 hour photo period. They often fast but take mice and rats easily. They are hard to find but well worth the hard work it takes to acquire one.
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