do you have any recommended care guides for Japanese ratsnakes? :O your posts for them have definitely put them on my "want" list, but I prefer to research care for any unfamiliar species long before i actually commit to getting one.
Unfortunately, they're not really common pets in a lot of English-speaking countries, and I haven't been able to find a care guide that I like for them. I definitely recommend doing additional research, maybe talking to a breeder if you're looking into buying one, but I can tell you what I do for mine!
I recommend a 4x4x2 minimum enclosure for adults. They love to climb and are super active!
They do best at lower temperatures, and can overheat easily. I give mine a hotspot set to 85 Fahrenheit, and the enclosure can taper off to room temperature at the cool end.
Mid-high humidity is best! I recommend 50-60%.
They do great in plastic tubs when they're babies. A 20 gallon tub for babies and a 40 gallon for juveniles is my go-to. Heat mats are a good heating choice when they're in tubs since they don't need high ambient temperatures.
Lots and lots and lots of climbing branches! They'll use them.
Like most colubrids, they can be quite skittish as babies, but at about 6 months old or so they'll really become more outgoing if you've handled them consistently and patiently.
They're really good eaters! Make sure to stick to a consistent feeding schedule; they WILL beg you for more food and they WILL eat every single day if you let them. Don't let them.
Good luck as you decide if a Japanese ratsnake is right for you! I think they're amazing pets if you want a very active snake that gives you that awesome ratsnake look without as much of the ratsnake attitude. I've never met an adult that wasn't a sweetheart.
Like I said, they're tricky to find info for if you live outside of Japan, but they're not too expensive and there are a few breeders, and I see more and more hatchlings pop up every year! I think they'll hopefully be seeing a rise in popularity, they deserve it!
Hi!! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for corn snake morphs that are grey and yellow? The closest I’ve found is caramel but I’m not very well researched. Thank you so much!!
I'm sorry to tell you that this is a bit of a tough (but not impossible!) order, my friend, and I'll explain why:
Corn snakes have three main pigment types: melanin (black), erythrin (red/orange), and xanthin (yellow). Most of the known color morphs will affect one or more of these pigments but they tend to be interrelated, so masking or removing one will often affect the others to some degree, and xanthin seems to be the first to go in many cases.
Most morphs are going to reduce or eliminate melanin (Amel, Hypo, Lavender, etc.) and/or enhance erythrin (Strawberry, Lava, Sunkissed) so you're going to be hard-pressed to find a morph combo that retains melanin without washing to brown but also eliminates erythrin while maintaining xanthin.
The Anerythristic A morph (aka Anery) removes erythrin and masks xanthin. Grey snake, but no yellow. Some adults will get yellow in the neck area but it won't be full body.
The Caramel morph, which you've already found, enhances xanthin and reduces melanin and erythrin. Brown snake.
There are other morphs and a potential selectively-bred yellow enhancement that you might explore that could accomplish what you're hoping for, but you'll be at the whim of breeders who, quite frankly, aren't likely to be focusing on this particular color combo.
For possible morphs that might fit your aesthetic, you could look for high-yellow Caramels, selectively bred Miami or Okeetee Caramels, Caramel Kastanie, or a morph called Dark Yellow which is a combination of Scaleless, Caramel, and Anery. I've also heard of a yellow-enhancing trait called Yellow Coat but I've never seen it and I don't know if it was a fluke, a selectively-bred trait, or a genuine recessive gene that has just fallen off the radar due to lack of popularity.
I would advise to look at adult photos and disregard baby photos, as baby coloration almost never stays the same. You might find that a muddy brown or grey baby corn snake grows into a gorgeous yellow and dark grey adult.
I wish you the best of luck in your search and if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, perhaps you can work with a breeder to launch a project, or if you have the resources you can start one yourself!
Pillings Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear
my issue with the argument that "disliking ai art is inherently reactionary" is that it acts like pro-ai art people are somehow less reactionary on their views on art, when like the majority of defense's of ai art as like a higher form art are indistinguishable from the arguments people use to defend the art of like. hitler
This is one of the more ambitious pieces I've done for a bit, and I did it on an absurd deadline, but my trans dragon back patch is done! The project ended up taking 130 hours of working time to finish, using two strands of cotton floss for both fills and outlines. The base pattern was from my own collection and was originally from 1936.
do you know much about creating and maintaining an artificial biotope? More specifically, how does bacteria help in maintaining these ecosystems in the long term?
Hello, thank you for the marvellous question! Biotope is a very broad term but generally refers to an area where environmental conditions are the same/quite consistent, or a small ecosystem. Fish tanks are a good example of this.
I have not tried to create one and unfortunately cannot provide much information from my research, but it’s worth thinking about what bacteria normally do in ecosystems. Breaking down organic matter, nitrogen fixing, chilling out and getting me sick…they may also have symbiotic relationships with other organisms, like how humans have microbes that support our immune and digestive systems (I’m NOT explaining the complexities of the microbiome here, this is a huge simplification).
How you do it will also affect what you need to do — is it a butterfly garden interacting with the great outdoors? Is it an aquarium? Is it one of those sealed terrariums? (very cool, I want one). All these will have different things to consider.
Sorry I can’t be of more help! I hope you’re able to find some answers soon — and please let me know if you do! I’m also very interested in bacteria ecology.
Dress
c. 1807-1810
DAR Museum
do you guys know about the internet roadtrip? right now somewhere between 500 and 900 people are collectively 'driving' a car on google street view trying to make it to canada. it's fun i recommend it
“The snakes are very cute and the blog is super positive.”
“if you like seeing adorable little snakes on your dash, then this is the blog 4u!!”
“Inspired several commander decks”
Coperni Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear