How to Care for a Red-Tailed Rat Snake

Red-tailed rat snakes, which are native to the rainforests of central and southeast Asia, are arboreal snakes that can grow up to eight feet long. They have slim, bright green bodies with reddish tails. They are easy to care for in captivity, but they are often temperamental and unpredictable. Because of this, they should live alone and should not be kept by first-time snake owners.

Things You'll Need

  • Terrarium
  • Fake or real tree branches, plants
  • Flower pots, plastic bins
  • Dirt, crushed coconut fiber
  • Heat lamp
  • Thermometer
  • Water spritzer
  • Water dish
  • Frozen mice, chicks, rats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide the red-tailed rat snake with a large terrarium. A juvenile snake can live in a 20-gallon terrarium, but adults need one that is much larger. Measure the grown snake and give it a terrarium that is at least as tall as the snake is long and half as wide and deep as the snake is long. Stock the terrarium with a lot of real branches, leafy fake branches and plants so that the snake can climb on them. Give the snake some shelters, such as flower pots or plastic bins, so that it can hide. Cover the floor of the terrarium with some sort of substrate, such as dirt or crushed coconut fiber.

    • 2

      Provide the red-tailed rat snake with the proper temperature and humidity levels. Place a heat lamp in the terrarium that creates a basking spot of 85 degrees F and keeps the rest of the terrarium between 70 degrees F and 80 degrees F. Keep the terrarium cooler at night and warmer during the day by placing a thermometer in it and checking the temperature periodically. Spray the enclosure with water once or twice daily to keep the humidity level at around 80 to 90 percent.

    • 3

      Give the red-tailed rat snake food and water. Keep water in a shallow dish at all times. Feed the snake mice, chicks, or rats once or twice a week, depending on how large the prey is. In general, feed adult snakes once a week and feed juvenile snakes twice a week. Feed the snake frozen prey that is no larger than half its body diameter so that it can swallow the prey.