Cage Requirements for a Texas Rat Snake

Texas rat snakes are docile reptiles in captivity when housed in the correct environment, so it is important to ensure that their needs are met when choosing and setting up a vivarium. Adult rat snakes can grow to over 6 feet in length, so you must allow them ample room to develop. Provide a Texas rat snake with all its natural requirements and you will be rewarded with a happy and healthy exotic pet.

  1. Vivarium

    • An adult rat snake requires a wooden or glass vivarium 36 inches wide by 15 inches high and 15 inches deep. Rat snakes are natural climbers and a glass enclosure must have a mesh screen top that attaches securely to the vivarium to prevent your snake from escaping.

    Heating

    • A heat mat covering a third of the floor area will provide sufficient heat for an adult rat snake and the floor temperature should remain constant between 84 and 88 degrees. Install a separate basking heat bulb at one end of the tank to give your snake a hot spot--it must be connected to a dimming thermostat so that the vivarium cannot overheat. The ideal ambient daytime temperature is between 75 and 82 degrees, so install a digital thermometer that reads the internal vivarium temperature from a probe. Night temperatures can drop to a minimum of 65 degrees.

    Lighting

    • A UV strip light and starter unit provides light and contributes to the overall level of heat in the vivarium. Put a bulb cage on all light and heat sources so that your rat snake cannot climb around the bulbs and burn itself. Control the vivarium lights with a timer for a consistent day-to-night ratio of 12 hours on and 12 hours off. This provides a realistic nighttime environment and helps the vivarium temperature drop at night.

    Substrate

    • Pet stores sell a wide range of substrates for snake enclosures and experts offer an equally wide range of advice on their suitability. Cedar and pine are known to cause respiratory problems in rat snakes and so special reptile bark is a safe choice to use on the vivarium floor.

    Furnishing

    • Place a heavy water dish big enough for your rat snake to comfortably curl up inside at one end of the vivarium, and a hide at the other. The hide can be bought or improvised from a large piece of tree bark or lightweight wood. Keep the water meticulously clean at all times because rat snakes like to drink and bathe from the same dish. A wide branch in the vivarium allows your rat sake to indulge in its natural arboreal behavior and stay active.