Mandarin Ratsnake Care Sheet by Robert Seib Important: Do not attempt to feed your new snake until at least 48 hours after delivery. Allow your snake time to acclimate to its new home. Mandarin Ratsnakes are shy, secretive snakes. Especially as babies, they do not like to be held. They prefer to hide in a place where they feel secure. Avoid setups using bright lights, or those that completely expose the snake to view. As babies and well into their first year, I keep mandarins in plastic shoeboxes on a substrate of dust-free pine shavings (never cedar) with a water dish, and another dish covered by a paper towel. I always place the pinky mouse inside the second dish where they consume it. They often rest either in that dish, or on the shavings underneath the paper towel. I believe temperature and rate of feeding are the most important variables to control once you have purchased a captive born mandarin ratsnake that is already proven to be feeding well and on schedule. First, temperature. My entire collection of mandarins from neonates to adults have never been exposed to temperatures as high as 80 degrees. During the non brumation period, from say, March to September or so, they can be at the room temperature of your colubrid or other room. That may start out in the low 60's following brumation and work up to the mid to high 70's. If the room is warmer than that, you can keep them on the floor. But they do well at about 75 degrees. When it gets cool in the room as you approach brumation, many of the animals will continue to feed, even at lower temperatures. Do not over feed your mandarins. I offer neonates and yearlings food every 5 to 7 days, then once a week throughout their life (except for gravid females-they will need more). If they pass up a meal, they are offered another meal in another 5 to 7 days with the rest of the mandarins. Males may not eat very much during the breeding season.. They grow relatively slowly, live at relatively low temperatures, and do not require a lot of food. Do not feed your mandarins large meals. They cannot digest a large rodent the way a kingsnake can. There should not be a large lump in your mandarin after it feeds. A kingsnake can go to its heat source to digest a large meal, but a mandarin does not have a heat source. It gets smaller meals. When it gets cold, or it's about late September or early October, most mandarins start to slow down and will soon brumate. At about that time I have ceased feeding, and I open the window to my colubrid room. Temperatures average in the 50's and 60's mostly, but they occasionally get down into the low 40's. On March 1st I close the window. In a couple of weeks my other colubrids are warming up with heat sources and the temperature in the room gradually builds up to the 70's. The annual cycle repeats. Substrate seems less important. I have used a variety of shavings and paper products with equal results. Humidity might be important. But I just keep a moist and a dry hide box in each tray. The animal can move around and choose the appropriate humidity for that moment. Enclosure size does not seem too important. Mandarins are relatively small snakes. I use shoe boxes for babies, and 5" high bus trays for adults. You can go larger and use aquaria. Keep in mind that mandarins are often secretive snakes that tend to avoid the limelight. So ensure that they have a place to hide where they may feel secure. For babies that are still feeding during the brumation period, I move them to my python room where the background temperature in the winter is 75 degrees. It is critical to monitor temperature throughout the year. Whereas cold temperatures are OK, 80 degrees is not OK. I would consider it an emergency and find another place in the house to move the snakes. The best way to monitor temperature is with a reliable laser temperature gun. I believe mandarin ratsnakes are one of the easiest snakes to keep as both pets and as breeders. They often breed in 18 months, many of them double clutch, and they live for a long time. Since they do not require a heat source, their care is even easier than that of kingsnakes. They do not require large cages, and cleaning is relatively easy.