Description:
Scientific name: Orthriophis taeniurus
Life span: 15-25 years
The beauty rat snake, sometimes known as the beauty snake, or the cave racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It was formerly a member of the Orthriophis complex. The ground is an overall shade of yellowish-brown to olive that darkens towards the tail end. The skin is uniformly colored on the backs of the neck and head, and two pairs of overlapping spherical black spots often mark the rear. Each mouth corner, which is pale cream around the upper labial region, has a black stripe running from the rear corner of each eye to the corner of each mouth.
Native Region/Habitat
With the exception of western and northeastern China, the species’ distribution includes much of southern and southeastern Asia. These snakes are often found in the caves and rain forests of these nations.
Behavior:
These snakes have developed climbing skills as a result of their love for caves, and they are known to walk up cave walls. When it comes to hunting, they can really benefit from this ability. Also, due to their propensity for living in caves, beauty rat snakes are cathemeral, which means they are active at random times during the course of a 24-hour day, regardless of whether it is day or night outside.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
- A terrarium with a capacity of 10 gallons can temporarily host one or two infants. A terrarium with a capacity of 50 to 125 gallons should be utilized to host a pair of adults.
- Rodents, such as rats and mice, are the beauty rat snake’s primary food source. They will also use their climbing abilities to reach bats if given the chance. Instead of live rodents, some pet owners feed their snakes newborn chicks.
- The use of a ceramic night light produces an ambient air temperature of about 84 °F.
- From 50 to 60 percent humidity is ideal for these snakes. You might not have to do much to obtain these humidity levels, depending on where you reside. It is typically sufficient to place a sizable water dish in the enclosure and lightly sprinkle the substrate.
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