Hello everyone. Sophie here with this month’s scaley neighbor, the red rat snake.
This is one of the prettiest reptiles in the world and is native to all of Florida. Rat snakes are non-venomous and totally harmless to people. You can probably guess from the name that their diet is mostly rats and other rodents, so this actually is a good snake to have around. They will also eat small birds and sometimes lizards or frogs.
Because a rat snake doesn’t carry venom, they kill their prey by constricting it just like a bigger python or boa. Then they swallow the whole animal head first.
They don’t have fangs but their mouth is full of sharp, rearward facing teeth to stop their prey from escaping. Even a baby rat snake’s bite will break your skin, trust me on this one. Just like every other snake, you should never try to handle a wild one unless you know exactly what you are dealing with first.
There are over 100 different species of rat snakes all over the world and a dozen of them are found in North America. The red rat snake is found from Canada all the way down to Mexico. In the northern part of the US, they are often called corn snakes.
Farmers gave them that name because they were usually found in cornfields and barns where they would eat the mice and other pests. Farmers loved them for that and would never let anyone harm these snakes.
Here in Florida the name rat snake is more commonly used because we don’t grow a lot of corn but we still have plenty of rodents.
Red rat snakes breed in the late spring and the females will lay up to 30 eggs in a clutch. Their babies will hatch about two months later.
They are only a few inches long when they are born and like all snakes, the parents don’t stick around to watch over them. Most baby rat snakes will get eaten by birds or other predators but the ones that do survive can grow up to 5 feet long.
Their red and orange pattens are actually pretty good camouflage and the brighter colors on the babies make them look venomous. The adult red rats are often mistaken for water moccasins, which can end up getting them killed by people.
They are commonly found around houses here in our part of Florida and sometimes they even get inside. My grandma on Matlacha had one under the hood of her car last year and was afraid to drive it for a few days after that. It was probably just under there getting warm after one of the cold mornings we had. That happens sometimes, but she never saw it again.
Rat snakes actually make great pets and are a terrific choice for a first reptile. They are easy to tame and handle when captive bred, which are the only kind that pet stores will sell.
A normal rat snake can cost as little as $50 but some breeders have produced amazing-colored versions called morphs that sell for several hundred dollars each. These guys will eat a thawed, frozen mouse once a week which makes them really affordable to keep. You’ll also need a 30-gallon enclosure with a secured lid and a few other features inside to keep them happy.
They don’t make any noise and even their poop doesn’t smell that bad. Rat snakes can live for up to 20 years in captivity so keep that in mind.
The one in the photo is a 3-year-old red rat that also came from Matlacha. There seem to be a lot of them out there and on Pine Island.
Our friend Andy found this one on his garage when it was just a baby and asked if I wanted to come get it. I named him Blake the Snake and he’s almost 4 feet long right now.
I plan on keeping him for a little while until he gets even bigger and then release him somewhere further out on the islands where there aren’t as many people. If you see one like this anywhere near your house, don’t freak out!
Rat snakes are your friends and they’ll keep the mice away. See you next month with another cold-blooded creature.
Sophie Mckee
Oasis High School, Cape Coral
