Odysseus and Penelope the Russian Rat Snakes

[SerpentineDream]

My first breeding pair of Russian rat snakes arrived yesterday. Both are from European stock and are unrelated to each other or American stock. It will be a long time before they are ready to make any babies of their own yet, so they will just be pets while they grow up. They look like they will have really nice, bold yellow markings. They are a lot of fun. Even though they are tiny hatchlings they seem to have missed the memo that they are supposed to be terrified of everything. They are super curious and super friendly. Usually I put new arrivals into their homes quickly and without much handling because they are stressed from their journey, but they each wrapped themselves around my hand and insisted on exploring me before they explored their houses. They have no fear at all. I already love them.

A couple of cruddy shots of Odysseus in his travel container. I'll get better ones, but my battery died on me in the middle of taking pictures.






Penelope is a little older and roughly double his size. She is starting to darken and yellow is creeping into the markings on her face.