I only have experience with two Asian Elaphe species (Dione's and Russians), so I can't really compare them to the others, but from my experience with them I would say that they are both suitable as begginer species. Actually, in my opinion they are a little "easier" than corn snakes. They rarely refuse a meal, and prefer slightly cooler temps than corns.
Since there isn't a whole lot of information out there about them, I made up a brief care sheet for both of them for my website. Please keep in mind that my opinions delivered in the care sheets are based on my experiences with them. If you'd like to check out the care sheets, just click on the links below. (I hope I did this right...) Oh yeah, you'll need Acrobat to view them.
Russian Rat Snakes
Diones Rat Snakes
There are several different subspecies of Diones, with the most common being the "high-yellow" or "Chinese" variety. I think they're actually pretty cool looking snakes, with colors similar to some NA garter snakes. The Russians aren't a real flashy snake by any means, but they are incredibly inquisitive and have cool-shaped heads
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