Any Mandarin Ratsnake keepers?

I'm finding a fair amount of differing info on the 'net for these. We actually have one new female hatchling that was a surprise find at the last reptile expo. Normally they aren't available locally and while one was on our wanted list, we weren't expecting to get one right then. I'd researched them a good bit over a year ago but had forgotten most of what I'd read. Anyway, I just read one care sheet to refresh my memory when setting up her tank. She is thriving, eating regular, shedding and growing like a weed. But my husband and I are wanting to get into breeding snakes, in a small way, with a few carefully chosen species. We've decided on a pair of Mandarins and a pair of Thai Bamboo, or p.coxi Ratsnakes so far for sure. But now I've been doing a bunch of reading on care and breeding of Mandarins and getting two different opinions on their care. Some say to treat them more like the coxi, room temp and very high humidity, others more like corns or kings, warm sides of 85-90 and just a humid hide. Incidentally, this is how our one Mandarin is setup. I was wondering what any keepers on here do for their Mandarins?

Mandarins prefer cooler temps than some other colubrids do, or can tolerate.

They do very well with ambient temps in the mid to high 70's and a small portion of their enclosure warmer in the low to mid 80's so they can thermoregulate as needed and help with proper digestion. They also prefer higher himidity just as it would be in the mountains of southern China, Burma, etc..., and slightly moist bark substrate and periodic mistings are important.

I owned a couple wild-caught imports back in the early 90's that did very well in the above conditions. They are somewhat shy and really like to be hidden and love to tunnel in humid cypress mulch.

Here is a piece written by Bill Gllingham who was the very first breeder to produce Mandarins in captivity many years ago. Good luck with them, they are a very interesting and gorgeous species of ratsnake!

~Doug


Mandarin Ratsnakes by Bill Gillingham

The Care and Maintenance of Mandarin ratsnakes (Elaphe mandarina)

Feeding: Captive born Mandarin Rat Snakes generally starting feeding on pinkie mice after their first shed. I have had babies feed before their first shed but most start after. Females seem to the ones which are the stubborn feeders in most cases. Keeping feeding records can be a valuable tool. For example, a stubborn feeder may prefer feeding on thawed pinkies only at night. If you place a thawed pinkie in it's container early in the day, it will be spoiled by evening when the snake may prefer to feed. I generally feed once a week offering 1-3 pinkies at a time. Most babies will eat 2-3 pinkies per week and will grow very quickly. They seem to prefer average to smaller size food items. As the Mandarins increase in size, about 18", many will begin taking pinkie rats. I also occasionally dust my pinkies with a good mineral powder.

Housing: I house my baby Mandarins in plastic or Rubber Maid shoe boxes or the next size up which is better. For a substrate, I use a commercial product known as CareFresh which is a grayish looking wood product resembling shredded egg cartons. I spray the substrate with water for moisture, which mountain snakes need. Usually only part of the box is sprayed. I keep a fresh water dish in it's box. A small hide box of some sort is good but not necessary because the babies will burrow in the substrate. Keep the level of the substrate at least two inches high. I generally just place the pinkies right on the substrate and I have never had any problems with substrate ingestion. I keep my baby Mandarins in the Nursery Room with all my other baby colubrids and boids. The room reaches temperatures up to 85*F (my heat tapes are turned off in the summer months). I keep the Mandarins on the lowest shelves and even on the cement floor where it is much cooler. They seem to handle the high temperature and continue to feed but I feel they prefer it cooler, the 70's *F being more ideal, similar to that of the mountain king snakes. They are very shy snakes and prefer to left alone in a quiet area.

Yearlings and Older: As the babies become yearlings and older, I increase the size of their housing and maintain them in large plastic tubs in a shelving unit or on the floor. I treat them as any other colubrid and, of course, meeting their special needs of a lower temperature, quiet area, moisture, etc. I hibernate the adults for 3 months in the same room under the same conditions as my other colubrids. However in the spring time I keep the Mandarins cooler which I think helps with better egg fertility. I usually use two males when breeding for combat purposes and guaranteed fertilization. 5-8 eggs are generally laid and hatch after a short incubation period of 45-49 days at temperatures of 83-84*F. I plan to use a lower temperature, 79-80*F in the future which might allow for more eggs to go full term and hatch. Give me a call if you have any questions and enjoy your new beauties!

Reviewing, my original female Mandarin Rat snake laid six fertile eggs on June 7, 1989 which hatched on July 26, 1989 (49 days). I also had a small wild import lay 2 fertile eggs on July 14, 1989 which hatched 54 days later on September 7, 1989. I had a total sex ratio of 3.5 (male/female). I raised the baby Mandarins in shoe boxes to sweater boxes to terrariums as they grew over the years.

On the third year I began breeding the larger females. Incidentally, the original female died the following year in the spring. The newly imported female which laid two eggs also died that same year. I have also lost several of the captive born over the years. Some of those deaths were attribute, I believe, to dehydration. They occurred while I was away on a collecting trip. Similar to the mountain kings of Arizona, the Mandarins seem to do much better with a damp thick substrate, available water at all times, secure hiding areas, and lower temperatures. Unfortunately, I was not able to keep the Mandarins cooler. They were in the same room with all of my other colubrids which had an air temperature in the low 80's. I still produced babies over the last four years. I think I would have had a higher egg fertility rate with cooler temperatures.

This year I place my Mandarins in a natural habitat display using western cedar mulch as a substrate (no odor, not incense cedar). It is periodically misted to prevent it from drying out. I also used large flat rocks, grape wood, and live plants. Once a week I would sprinkle pinkie mice and rats. The rodents usually disappear by the next day. It is also one of the cooler displays setting on the floor. A vitalite is the only heat source which is minimal. Air temperature reached about 80*F which would mean a cooler temperature existed beneath the rocks and substrate.

I was very fortunate to produce any Mandarins this year. My primary male had escaped and was never found. Late April I was able to purchase two beautiful and healthy males from Rick and Mary Stafford of Allston, Mass. In fact, one of the males was one of my first captive born that I had sold Rick years ago. Upon receiving the males, I introduced them to the females that same day. Time was running out and I didn't want to miss the females breeding cycle. Courtship and breeding followed immediately. One female this year (1995) laid 5 eggs, normally she lays four, all were fertile and hatched with a 2.3 sex ratio. Three of the five neonates fed on their first feeding of pinkie mice. Four of five fed on their second feeding a week later. I generally begin feeding about a week after their first molt. Another recently imported female laid infertile eggs. She should be ready for a better clutch next season.