# leucistic texas rat snake? What are they like?



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

Here's a snake I haven't come across very often here, but they seem to have an aggressive reputation among reptile owners. I've heard two sides of this species that really vary from each other.

One owner said they are great snakes because they are active and while they tend to bite when they're young, they tend to grow out of it. They are also interesting to look at and grow at a much faster rate than corn snakes and are much better eaters than most snakes.

Another owner said they are very aggressive and harder to care for and very, very messy snakes. I found someone who is disowning his for 75 and it comes with the enclosure and everything in it. I've come across a lot of corn snakes and ball pythons, but this one kinda caught my eye as well. What do you think?


----------



## Daniel1 (Mar 28, 2013)

Were both of these snakes captive born? Wild caught ones can be very nasty snakes. While cbb ones may be more calmer. I don't have much experience with this species though.


----------



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

Daniel1 said:


> Were both of these snakes captive born? Wild caught ones can be very nasty snakes. While cbb ones may be more calmer. I don't have much experience with this species though.


Thanks for pointing me that out, I just emailed him to see if the snake was caught from the wild or born in captivity. Something tells me it might be wild caught though, as he supplied an image, but he's holding the snake closer to it's neck area, which kinda tells me that the snake cannot be that friendly if you have to hold him like that haha.

Very nice looking snake though, it's a shame they have this reputation for being an aggressive species. At least they're good eaters.... xD


----------



## 3skulls (Mar 28, 2013)

Might be holding him like that to get a good shot. 

I have read the Texas Rats have more attitude but every snake is different. 
I have 2 Texas x Grays CBB and they seem about the same as my wild caught Black Rats. 

All colubrids are more of a messy snake compared to a Ball Python or Boa. Metabolism is a bit different.


----------



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

3skulls said:


> Might be holding him like that to get a good shot.
> 
> I have read the Texas Rats have more attitude but every snake is different.
> I have 2 Texas x Grays CBB and they seem about the same as my wild caught Black Rats.
> ...


Would you say they are a good choice for someone who is looking for something outside of corn snakes and ball pythons? Can they tolerate handling okay? How often do you feed these snakes since the metabolism is different?


----------



## 3skulls (Mar 28, 2013)

Tarantuloid said:


> Would you say they are a good choice for someone who is looking for something outside of corn snakes and ball pythons? Can they tolerate handling okay? How often do you feed these snakes since the metabolism is different?


All my snakes are fed every 7 days, besides the Boas. 

I have never had a Corn but I would think they are pretty close. 
They are a more active snake. My Rats and Cal Kings like to come out and watch when I'm in the room. 
You can handle them without problems. But they are always on the move. 
They also get to a pretty good size but are slimmer. 


One of my WC Black Rats. 



Texas x Gray 



Mine are still very young. 

You might want to look into King snakes as well. 






My oldest, got him back in the early 90s 



I'm no expert but Im really into snakes too, any other questions and ill try to help. 

Pics if you pick it up!!


----------



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

3skulls said:


> All my snakes are fed every 7 days, besides the Boas.
> 
> I have never had a Corn but I would think they are pretty close.
> They are a more active snake. My Rats and Cal Kings like to come out and watch when I'm in the room.
> ...


Wow those are some nice looking snakes! Yeah I heard about the king snakes as well, what I've been doing is looking to rescue a snake that is being disowned rather than buying one from the pet store and I'm weighing my options. I might be getting this ball python too because he was sliced really bad with a knife before he was rescued. They treated him and he's been doing a lot better now, I think he just has this really bad scar where someone tried to kill him with a knife.


----------



## 3skulls (Mar 28, 2013)

Ah ok. 
Good on you!  I have some rescues in my collection 

Keep us updated.

Edit*
And thanks!!


----------



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

Unfortunately, the guy had just sold the rat snake while I posted this board D:


----------



## Niffarious (Mar 28, 2013)

For future reference, you aren't likely to find wild leucistic texas rats - these are captive bred animals. (Leucism is a colour morph where the animal is solid white, a detriment in the wild but popular in captivity.) And leucistic animals tend to be more aggressive than even normal texas rats. I have never met a nice one, and I have been bitten by several of different ages. 

They are beautiful but I do concur with your source who said they were both aggressive and messy.

There are a lot of species of colubrids with extremely striking morphs that have far better temperaments, if that is a concern for you.


----------



## Tarantuloid (Mar 28, 2013)

Niffarious said:


> For future reference, you aren't likely to find wild leucistic texas rats - these are captive bred animals. (Leucism is a colour morph where the animal is solid white, a detriment in the wild but popular in captivity.) And leucistic animals tend to be more aggressive than even normal texas rats. I have never met a nice one, and I have been bitten by several of different ages.
> 
> They are beautiful but I do concur with your source who said they were both aggressive and messy.
> 
> There are a lot of species of colubrids with extremely striking morphs that have far better temperaments, if that is a concern for you.


I appreciate the information, perhaps I should consider a less aggressive snake.


----------



## Niffarious (Mar 28, 2013)

That is 100% up to you! I know that some people have leucistic texas rats that tame down, but it's of course not a guarantee. And if you don't care about handling, then it doesn't matter so much anyway.  The other option is trying to find an older animal for sale that is known to be docile.


----------



## zonbonzovi (Mar 28, 2013)

I had one of the rare, docile males for several years, raised by a breeder after being purchased as a young'n and worked with often.  No "bug eyes" on that one, either  As has been stated, that is atypical.  I agree on the messy part.  They are not shy about dropping a deuce whenever, wherever.  I got the occasional tail rattle but usually only just before a shed.  Never was bitten.  Great snakes, simple to care for and keep an eye out, esp. if you have a chance to see its temperament in person.


----------



## Aviara (Mar 31, 2013)

I wanted to point out first - if he was selling a leucistic Texas ratsnake, there is no question it was captive-born. The leucistic gene is a trait we (humans) have selected for that does not occur in the wild population. 

With that said, I have a leucistic Texas ratsnake and can tell you my experience. I've had him since he was about a foot and a half long. He is not a "bug eye" either - some breeders use non-leucistic stock to keep the bug eyed trait out of their lines, as is the case with my guy. "Bug eyed" leucistics are believed to be a defect caused by excessive inbreeding/line breeding. Anyway, he is an extremely angry guy when he's in his enclosure or on the ground. He will "S-coil", hiss, flatten his head, rattle his tail (even though his rattlesnake impression is pretty poor!), and move to biting very quickly. However, once picked up he is very calm around me. As long as I handle him frequently he stays very calm, but he will go back to this wild state if I fail to handle him for awhile. My leucy Texas ratsnake isn't what you'd consider a "one-person" snake, which is a plus. He's been on a few outings with me and handles meeting strangers pretty well - unlike my Borneo blood python who ONLY lets me handle him. Overall if you're okay with getting bitten and dealing with the bad attitude, they're fun snakes to own and their unique coloring is beautiful.


----------

