Care Sheet Great Plains Rat Snake

Scientific Name
Pantherophis emoryi
Other Common name
Emory's Rat Snake, Chicken snake
Range
Eastern two thirds of the United States, from New Jersey to Nebraska, to Colorado, south to Texas,
and into northern Mexico.
Size
90cm 150cm (36 60)
Life Expectancy
20 years.
Captive Variants
Wild Type, Albino, Albino Chocolate, Chocolate, Hypomelanistic, Reverse Striped
Habitat
They prefer open grassland or lightly forested habitats, but are also found on coastal plains, semiarid regions, as well as rocky, moderately mountainous regions. They can often be found on
farmland.
Housing
Vivarium or RUB (plastic tubs) of appropriate size.
Dcor

Suitably large water bowl for them to drink and bathe

A minimum of 2 hides (1 in the cool end and 1 in the warm end)

One of the hides should be a moist hide of vermiculite and/or moss.

Climbing branches are advantageous but not essential

Substrate
1

Aspen, Beech chippings, Forest bark, Coconut husk, Corn Cob, Newspaper.
Temperature/Humidity
22C (72F) to 27C (81F)
Heating
Viv - Guarded Ceramic heater or heat mat
Tub - Heat mat
Use an appropriate thermostat for any heat source. Also use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on
the temps.
For ceramic heaters pulse proportional thermostat
For incandescent bulbs spots and Infra red bulbs use a dimming thermostat.
For mats and heater cable you can use any vivarium thermostat we recommend the mat stat.
Feeding
In nature: Rodents, Birds, Lizards and Frogs
Captivity: Mice, Rats of appropriate size and chicks as a treat.
Comments
Can be nippy as youngsters but soon settle down with handling.
They are primarily a ground dwelling species which is active mainly at dawn and dusk.
The Great Plains Rat Snake is typically light gray or tan in color, with dark gray, brown, or greengray blotching down its back, and stripes on either side of the head which meet to form a point
between the eyes.
Great Plains are oviparous (egg laying), laying clutches of as many as 25 eggs in the late spring.
John Gamesby