Taiwanese Beauty Rat Snake care sheet

Taiwanese rat snakes require a wooden vivarium as their enclosure. This is because wood is an excellent insulator of heat and so a wooden vivarium will make it easier to control the crucial temperatures required inside the habitat. Other enclosures such as glass terrariums are far too efficient at releasing heat. The wooden vivarium should have good ventilation to allow air flow in and out of the enclosure.

The rat snakes vivarium should be at least 1200mm (48") in length and 900mm (36'') in height. There are 2 main reasons for this; firstly taiwanese rat snakes are not small reptiles and can easily grow to 2700mm in length. They require a proportionate amount of space to live happily. Secondly, the vivarium needs to have a sufficient length to allow for the creation of a temperature gradient. The enclosure needs to be warm at one end, but have enough distance for the temperature to drop at the cool end.

Taiwanese beauty rat snakes require a warm basking area but a near constant air temperature. The ambient air temperature want to be around 84oF is created by using a ceramic night bulb. These radiate heat but produce no light. This bulb should be protected with a bulb guard and controlled by a good quality thermostat. This temperature can remain constant day and night.

To up the basking temperature a little during the day you would also use a basking bulb. This needs to be protected using a bulb guard and should only be on for 10-12 hours. Temperatures should be monitored daily using a thermometer

Taiwanese beauty rat snakes should be kept on a fairly dry substrate so the humidity inside the vivarium doesn't get too high. Whilst many substrates are available we have found beech woodchips to be a great substrate and that is what we keep our Taiwanese rat snakes on. It is also very easy to clean.

Taiwanese rat snakes are semi-arboreal snakes so they do like to climb on top of things to survey their surroundings. The vivarium should be decorated with various pieces of wood to enable them to do this.

The snakes vivarium can be decorated with artificial plants for a more natural look. A hiding spot at each end of the enclosure will allow the snake to move freely and thermoregulate without feeling insecure.

As hatchlings, Taiwanese rat snakes should be fed weekly on defrosted pinky mice, as the snake grows the food size should be increased. Adult rat snakes can be fed once every two weeks as they can become overweight if fed weekly.

A water bowl large enough for the snake to get in to should be used providing it does not raise the vivarium humidity too much.

If you keep a male and female together, they may breed. You do not need to do anything to encourage this, providing they are healthy and the conditions are good, it will happen naturally. You need to consider whether you want this to happen. What will you do with the babies if you incubate the eggs?

A gravid female should have access to a nesting box to lay her eggs. The box should be large enough that she can fully turn-around inside it. We use moss to keep the box moist and humid.

The eggs should be incubated in an incubator at 84oF. We incubate our eggs in sealed boxes on a moisture rich substrate (such as Hatchrite) to trap the humidity around the eggs. After approximately 60 days the eggs will start to hatch, the first babies to emerge will encourage the rest of the eggs to hatch.