Snakes kept in very poor conditions can develop mouth rot, scale rot or respiratory infection, but with this species it’s really hard to achieve. I can relate. It is an officially protected species in Russia and South Korea. Instead they often throw a coil over their prey, pin it down and eat it alive.

These snakes also occasionally soak, so provide a water bowl large enough for them to fit. Elaphe schrenckii is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. You wants to make it really escape proof, as they are farely strong even as babies.

Russian rat snakes often go off feed in late summer or early fall, which also may stem from their native origins. Being from cooler part of the world they do well in a room temperature between 21°C (70°F) to 28°C (82°F). The most realistic problem beside mites is that your snake will become overweight as they love to eat, so you should watch their weight closely. Remember to check on your snakes every few days to make sure they are doing well during brumation and spray gently with water if the humidity drops too low. Distribution : China, Korea, Russia, Mongolia. We always try to arrange the water area big enough to allow swimming, so the bigger the better! Being a diurnal snake Elaphe schrenckii will benefit from having a full spectrum fluorescent tube on 12h cycle and will often bask under it. Reportedly, pet snakes were released into the wild by someone who did not expect that they would survive the winter.

Subadults and adults are fed up to three food items at a time.

Russian rat snakes may very well be the ugly ducklings of the serpent world.

In nature they are eating rodents, fish and birds eggs.

You really don’t need to do anything special for them to shed properly. You can use normal tap water, and remember to change it frequently. Try browsing the Other Colubrids Index if you're looking for something specific. Distinctly Un-American.

Heat tape, a couple hide boxes, a water bowl and newspaper substrate are essential cage furnishings. The difference is more than just a Latin name. For their size, these Russian rat snakes rarely take large food items. Eggs hatch in 40 to 60 days. For juveniles and adults the two most popular substrates are shredded aspen bedding or coco-coir. As they are hardy species that thrive well in room temps they can be handled for a longer time than tropical snakes. In captivity there is no need for them to hunt for food or feel concerned about predators. Most of their time is spent in the safety of hide boxes or buried under substrate. The Common European Adder (Vipera berus) is a venomous snake native to a wide area ranging from Britain to central France in the west, and reaching as far east as the Russian Pacific Coast and the Korean Peninsula.

They do well in vertical cages too, as they love to climb and will use all the space that you can provide. Keep the ambient temperature around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the cool end between 70 and 72 degrees, and the warm end between 80 and 82 degrees. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. E. schrenckii is very similar to the Korean rat snake, E. anomala, which was once thought to be a subspecies of E. schrenckii and was classified as E. schrenckii anomala. Russian rat snakes have often been called the friendliest of large snakes. It is often found in wetlands, but also found in a wide variety of mainly moist environments such as scrub land, farmland, river banks, swamp land, gardens, stones, log piles, forests, and up in trees. Many snakekeepers would say they have personality. Russian rat snakes make fascinating display animals, especially when kept in a seminatural vivarium. [7], E. schrenckii can reach a total length (including tail) of 1.4–1.8 m (4.6–5.9 ft). Their preference for smaller food items also dictates a more frequent feeding regimen than corn snakes or kingsnakes. "Manchurian Black Water Snake" in World Heritage Encyclopedia.

We feed our snakes all this things, the base being frozen/thawed rodents, and the treat being quail eggs and fishes (that are thiamine free!) Besides its contrasting markings, the Russian rat snake’s size makes it an impressive animal to behold.

Rather than wrapping around my fingers and assuming a defensive stance like any self-respecting American rat snake, the young Russian slithered backward and never made any attempt to stand its ground.

You should brumate only adult individuals in good health in tubes with moss as a substrate (or other good material for burrows that will hold humidity well) in temperatures between 8-12°C (46-53°F) for around 2 to 3 months.

The Manchurian black water snake is an excellent swimmer (hence one common name) and is a very good climber, as it is semi-arboreal. They are calm and don’t stress easily, so most of the breeders are keeping them in big, communal tanks. Given their natural origins, it should come as no surprise that Russian rat snakes like fairly cool living conditions. Growing to a significant size, this subspecies has a strong inclination to climb. The common name, Russian rat snake, is misleading as only a small portion of the geographic range of E. schrenckii is in Russia.

This is my Russian Rat snake Levi. As they grow, their enclosure size must as well.

Juvenile Russian rat snakes are clad in brown or gray with light cross-bands. Russians are calm, but their active and curious attitude makes them perfect display snakes. We spot clean every time we see the need for it (after every feeding at least once), and when the enclocure starts to look messy we are doing the big cleaning with changing the whole substrate, cleaning the walls etc.

While growing this species go through drastic color change, and although there are only 3 confirmed color variations they compensate it with great personalities. It should be large enough to comfortably fit the eggs, which are half-buried in damp perlite. After brumation, six to 12 eggs are typically deposited.

We believe that as a really active species, they need big terrariums/vivariums.

They love to swim, and are really good swimmers, so you would like to provide a water bowl large enough for them to fit the whole body.

Although it can be unnerving to have a large snake enthusiastically approach you, I’ve never known a captive-bred specimen of this subspecies with any inclination to bite. Don’t feed Russian rat snakes for two to three weeks before brumation to ensure that their stomachs are empty. We prefer naturalistic looking vivariums, so we use tree trunks and fake plants for foliage.

They seem to thoroughly enjoy climbing all over their keepers. As an alternative, snakekeepers may want to consider the Russian rat snake (Elaphe schrencki schrencki). Males of this subspecies can breed at a younger age.

Endemic to Northeast Asia, E. schrenckii is found in China, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia.