Black Rat Snake Wrangling

[Brian S]

Found this nice looking snake yesterday.

It also give me a nice bite!!!

 

[Gigas]

OUCH!, no hat this time?

 

[Brian S]

Yeah I had the hat but it was trying to escape thru the weeds and I didnt see the head until it was too late

 

[Murziukas]

Very impresive Brian. Any sort of alergic reaction? What's the size of the snake?

 

[Brian S]

This was a smaller specimen about 3 1/2 to 4 ft long. No allergic reaction to the bite. In fact no pain either just a little blood is all.
I once got bit by a 6 1/2 footer that really got me good. In fact it left 3 teeth in my skin but not that big of a deal

 

[Brian F.]

I've been there. My black rat has actually never bitten me, but my Everglades rat has. Actually didn't hurt that bad, but I don't plan on making a habit of it!

Nice pic though.

 

[Crotalus]

Why would he get a allerigic reaction? Its not a venomous snake and few people get allergy from reptiles

 

[Gigas]

are you reffering to a dirty bite? they aint called rat snakes for nothing

 

[Crotalus]

Probably because they eat rodents hey?

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

I've been bitten many times by black rat snakes. never noticed anything in the way of a reaction. I can't imagine why anyone would be "allergic" to them, though I suppose anything is possible. The only thing I have ever noticed has been a slight puffiness in the immediate area of the punctures, which I am sure is a physiological reaction, because I've noticed the same exact effect from merely getting a good rip from a briar or a cat scratch.
In fact, whenever I describe what their bite is like to somebody, I liken it to getting scratched while berry picking. I've picked a few of their teeth out of my skin too.

They tame extremely quickly, in my experience. They often go from freshly caught and a bit furious to drape-around-your-neck docile after an hour or less of handling, though you still have to be a little cautious for a while. I don't think I've ever had one try to tag me after a day in captivity.They are great snakes, in my opinion.
The biggest I've ever had was about 5 foot-4 and 1/2 inches, but that was not fully stretched. It might have clocked in closer to 6 foot.
I don't keep them very long when I find them, a week at the most, because I have to house them outdoors. Unfortunately, snakes are one of the few things that are simply not welcome in this household by the other members of the family. Inverts? Fine. Amphibians? No problem! Lizards have been okay too, which makes little sense to me. But other than a few garter snakes in the distant past, snakes are taboo.
Someday, I'm gonna break that taboo, because I'd really like to keep a black rat full-time. I'd have to be able to train it to accept frozen meals, though. I've grown too soft to do the live rodent thing, not to mention the hazards involved.

 

[Beardo]

Why would he get a allerigic reaction? Its not a venomous snake and few people get allergy from reptiles

Venomous? Depending on who you talk to....Dr. Bryan Fry has done some very interesting work in regards to reptiles that many people never though possible to be "venomous"....he says he was able to extract a cobratoxin (a three-finger toxin) from a Rat Snake. I can say myself that I have had some really weird effects from North American (and Asian) Rat Snake bites....I noticed that compared to boid bites, the bites from NA colubrids, specifically the Rat Snakes, that itching, swelling and overall discomfort post-bite was more evident. Sure, a boid bite is going to do more mechanical damage, but the chemical reaction caused by most colubrid bites is unmistakable. Check out this link for more info...

http://www.venomdoc.com/colubrid.html

 

[Crotalus]

Venomous? Depending on who you talk to....Dr. Bryan Fry has done some very interesting work in regards to reptiles that many people never though possible to be "venomous"....he says he was able to extract a cobratoxin (a three-finger toxin) from a Rat Snake. I can say myself that I have had some really weird effects from North American (and Asian) Rat Snake bites....I noticed that compared to boid bites, the bites from NA colubrids, specifically the Rat Snakes, that itching, swelling and overall discomfort post-bite was more evident. Sure, a boid bite is going to do more mechanical damage, but the chemical reaction caused by most colubrid bites is unmistakable. Check out this link for more info...

http://www.venomdoc.com/colubrid.html

Im aware of that however the traces of toxins found in several colubrid species would not be enough to create a allergic reaction, the swelling are most likely due to mechanical damage of the bite

 

[Beardo]

I'd have to disagree....I know its not an allergic reaction, but a chemical one. Ask just about anyone who has been bit by a NA or Asian Rat Snake...they'll tell you it itched like all get out lol. Thats not a mechanical reaction IMO.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

I guess I'm going to have to pay closer attention to the bite the next time one nails me. I'd never heard that there was a possibility of envenomation before this. Don't think I'll be stocking up on E. obsoleta antivenin anytime in the forseeable future though.

 

[Beardo]

They are not venomous enough to cause any real harm...they only "technically" venomous, similar to a Hognose snake but to a lesser extent.

 

[Crotalus]

They are not venomous enough to cause any real harm...they only "technically" venomous, similar to a Hognose snake but to a lesser extent.

Hold your horses a bit. If you read what Bryan Fry is saying in his article, they are not venomous! And shouldnt be treated as such or refered to as such.

 

[Beardo]

OK, maybe calling them "officially" venomous is a bit much (at least in terms of snakes that have Duvernoy's glands and such), but I think you know what I meant.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

While we're on the subject of Black Rats, has anyone else here had to patiently explain to someone that there are no such thing as Black Rat/Copperhead hybrids? It's a prevalent myth in these parts, I reckon it stems from Black Rats showing some of their juvenile coloration pattern when they get riled up. Which almost guarantees their speedy execution. Sadly, they often get killed anyway, but let one show any kind of pattern and it's curtains if the wrong person encounters it. Of course, a true juvenile Black Rat does not even get the benefit of a doubt. It's a baby copperhead! Kill it first and ask questions later!

Milk snakes don't fare much better. I've never seen a live one. Every one I've seen has been after someone summons me to "look at the copperhead we killed!" And the one wild hognose snake I've ever seen was one that an acquaintance ran over, and then backed over to finish the job. I really gave 'em hell for that one, I have always wanted to encounter one in the wild.

 

[Gigas]

They are not venomous enough to cause any real harm...they only "technically" venomous, similar to a Hognose snake but to a lesser extent

what do you mean technically venomous, i thought hognose were venomous

 

[Beardo]

I mean that toxins have been found in their saliva, but they lack the delivery system that "real" venomous snakes have (Duvernoy's gland, hypodermic fangs,ducts, etc)...yes, Hognose Snakes are venomous but they are not a dangerous hot like say a Pit Viper or Elapid.