Various Rat snake temperments

Hi Guys,
I have a nice collection of corns going right now and was thinking of adding some black rat snakes or blue beauties this season. I was hoping anyone with experience with either of these could tell me a bit about their temperments. I know it's hard to compare anything to corns, them being so docile, but I've heard other types of rat snakes can get pretty nasty. Just want to be sure I know more about their personalities from people with some experience and I'd love any info you have!
Thanks!
Monica

Personally if I were looking to add some ratsnakes to my collection it would be some of the asian species, temperment be damned.
Some of them can be pretty ill natured, but as asians go blue beauties are not bad. Tawian beauties are probably the most docile (from my experience) but the blues are right behind them. Although I did have a 6 foot blue hit me in the face once

Asians are a different snake all around though. They are really nothing like our north american ratsnakes. They have a high metabolism, meaning a significantly larger food intake. They are larger snakes, in the case of Taiwans averaging 8 feet, so require comparatively larger enclosures. Most climb if given the opportunity, so extra height is used as well.
They also exhibit a significantly higher level of "intelligence" if you will than corns and such. Their level of alertness always amazed me. This also results in a wider range of individual personalities whereas for the most part a corn is a corn.

They are highly active when you have them out, not at all content to be held calmly. They are in constant motion, always either moving toward the floor or trying to climb you. This makes them a handful to keep up with at times.
Some of these points may seem negative, but they are really not. Asian ratsnakes are a fascinating group to work with. The commonly available species include the taiwans, blues, cave rats (ridleyi) and the radiated.
I found the taiwans to be more interesting than the blues, but I did enjoy keeping both species.
My radiateds were down right evil, but I have heard many reports of calm ones. I enjoyed them regardless.

Some may disagree, but in my opinion the asian species are superior snakes to our north american rats. Perhaps not from a pet standpoint, but from an overall biological view, they are many times more interesting.

Thanks so much for your opinion. I didn't realize that personality wise they were much more advanced. Thats interesting! It all sounds great however, I really want to get snakes that are abled to be handled easily. The asians are starting to sound like they can be a big handful and I've heard from more than just yourself that they will go for the face! I know that every snake is different, but I'm wondering if something like a blue beauty would ever tame down nicely. I still need to look into the Tawians. So hopefully I'll find some more info out here on the web. Thanks again for your response as well as your awesome website!!!

ms11779 said:

I know that every snake is different, but I'm wondering if something like a blue beauty would ever tame down nicely.

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With regular handling, yes it would. However, you probably won't change their inherent nature. What I mean is you can tame them down easily so that you can handle them without fear of being bitten, but you'll probably never get them to the point of sitting calmly in your hands.
They are explorers, and will always be on the move. With mine, even when I went ahead and let them climb around my shoulders, or up on my head, they still weren't satisfied. They would constantly extend their bodies to check out anything in close proximity.

Sounds good. Thats exactly what I was hoping to hear. I don't really want to spend the time with vicious snakes at this point in time. As long as they'd be handleable I'd be really happy. Thanks again!
-Monica

i have to agree with clayt. if i only ahad a few choices asian rat snbakes would be one of my picks... i personally have 1.1 adult pair of blues... sometimes with frewuesnt handling they can get used to it but they always on the go... my male blue is nastey but i love him worst thing i figure could happen is he bite me.. and he tries face everything LOL my famle for the most part is rather tolerable of handling but at times she can get grrumpy and she lets you know. if you are expecting something like a corn,king or milk they are NOTHING like them and as far has there movements temperments and attitudes i would compare them to certain "hot" species before any of the other colubrids... they are some of the most fascinating animals i have every kept and i enjoy them emensly.

Blues are definately a little more tempermental, but not as much as the radiateds for example.
I did want to mention further about the taiwans. I produced these for several years, and they are even reluctant to bite right from the egg from my experience. Of all the hatchlings I had, one bit me, and my adults never offered to.
You do have to respect feeding time however. You can tell when a snake is hunting, which is quite often with the asians, so you take precautions. I often hooked my large taiwans to remove them from the cage, because that action broke the feeding mode.

For someone with a small collection, and therefore more time to spend individually, taming down the blues or even radiateds, is much more likely.
I rarely handle most of my snakes, and as a result I have many that I consider unpredictable.
Just be sure to start with a hatchling of whatever species you decide upon, and work with it regularly. Fifteen minutes of handling every day or two when it's not digesting a meal will go a long way.

I plan to cut my colubrid collection this year back to a couple of core projects, and once I am finished with those, I plan to get back into the asians and they will be pretty much the only colubrids I work with.

What can anyone tell me about the temperments of the Mandarin and the Thai Bamboo/Red Mountain ratsnakes?

I am considering purchasing a couple of them CB, and would like to know what I am getting into. *s*

I keep Mandarins, both Captive Bred and a Wild Caught so I can answer your temperament question. SHY! These snakes really appreciate some quiet isolation. The WC Mandarin will tail rattle and strike when disturbed- he does not appreciate handling at all. He's a timid eater, always after dark and only when left totally alone (no peeking). The CB are much better, though my female will strike occasionally when annoyed (you may call that handling). She regurged once when I cleaned her cage and then fed her in the same night. She's pretty easily stressed so I let her be and keep her eating. The male CB is very calm, always eats and a pleasure to handle. I don't handle them every day or even once a week, other than cage cleaning, though I do peek at them in their hides every couple days when I check on them. To sum up, I find them timid, fossorial snakes that prefer to be left alone compared to the North American or larger Asian rat snakes.
They're beautiful, but not great "pets".
Wish I could tell you first hand about the Thai bamboos...

Here's a pic of the CB male Mandarin-

Here's a pic of the female Mandarin. She has a redder background color.