Russian Rat Questions

Mrr · 10-14-17, 12:04 PM

Hey there,

So I'm interested in learning more about Russian rat snakes and I'm hoping someone on here has some experience with them.

How are they to handle in general? I've heard that they're pretty active, does this translate to speedy/darty? I've owned a juvenile pueblan milk snake before and he was constantly trying to leap from my hands and darting around so I'd almost lose him. Are Russian rats similar? Also, do they musk?

I've heard that they're quite big, how do they compare in length and thickness to an adult corn?

How much would one expect to pay for one of these guys?

Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated!

TRD · 10-14-17, 12:10 PM

Hello Mrr,

This member has several, though I haven't seen a post from her in a while:
sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum - View Profile: Sylphie

I don't have any myself, but they are considered friendly snakes (whatever that may mean, though I read many times over they are really non-defensive). They are active, but not "darty" except probably for the youngsters.

Much much bigger than a corn mate

trailblazer295 · 10-14-17, 12:18 PM

I agree Sylphie would be the the best source.

pet_snake_78 · 10-14-17, 12:39 PM

I have a pair of Russians and I just obtained a male Korean. My Russians were CB and I obtained them as hatchlings. They are not a shy species when raised this way and watch me when I enter the room hoping for food. They are a good species to keep as they are attractive, easily cared for, and do not hide all the time like so many species do. I am not sure how they would hold up to high heat though and I keep my snake rooms air conditioned down to 78-82 year round.

SerpentineDream · 10-15-17, 12:49 AM

Agreed, my CB trio are very friendly and curious. They climb onto my hands on their own without having to be picked up and are active and nosy at first when handled, poking their noses up sleeves, through hair and into houseplants. Then they settle down and relax. One of the three was a bit snappy as a youngster but grew out of it. The others were sweet from the start. They move around in the enclosure a lot and like to people-watch so they're good display snakes. They are semi-arboreal and need a fair bit of room. They are roughly the same length as a corn snake, maybe a bit longer. They are considerably thicker though. They are cool climate snakes. I also find that they seem to prefer smaller prey than they could swallow if they wanted to. They'd rather have a couple of smaller rodents than a big fat one.

Mrr · 10-15-17, 04:39 PM

Thank you for the info guys! I've also gotten in touch with Sylphie and have been learning a bit from her.

Those of you that own them already, have they ever musked?

In terms of temperature, I've heard some people say that they don't use heat pads for them.. Are they really okay with that?

SerpentineDream · 10-16-17, 02:20 AM

Never been musked by one.

If you kept the room at a constant 78F they would not need supplemental heat.

Mine is a little cooler than that and I keep a heat pad set to 80F at one end for them. They usually don't bother with it though. Any hotter than that I think would be uncomfortable for them.