Oreocryptophis porphyraceus (Bamboo rat snake)

Origin: India, Assam, Mishmi hills
Length: 0.5 to 1 meter
Age: Up to 25 years
The Bamboo Rat Snake is a relatively small snake that has a shy existence. The species is known for its beautiful colors and various drawings. There are currently six recognized subspecies of the Oreocryptophis porphyraceus. Four of these subspecies are kept and bred extensively in captivity. These are the O.p. coxi, De O.p. vaillanti, O.p. laticincta and O.p. pulchra. They are relatively small rat snakes and are rightfully one of the nicer Asian rat snakes.

Grooming
Experience: Starting / Average snake keeper
Food: Live or dead prey (young mice and baby rats).
Feed adult: Every 7 to 10 days.
Feed young: Every 4 to 6 days
Water bowl: Yes
Change the water: 3 times a week

Nutrition
The Bamboo Rat Snake, like other rat snakes, is a real choke snake, so it can also eat prey larger than its head. Be careful not to breed too large prey. Often these are not accepted and if they are accepted they can be spit out after which an animal sometimes does not want to eat for weeks. Therefore, it is best to feed the snake with (multiple) small prey that is thicker than the thickest part of the snake's body. In the wild they usually eat small rodents. In captivity this diet can therefore be perfectly imitated. It is advisable to offer this death. This is more practical and prevents the food animals from injuring your snake. We recommend that you present the food animals with a pair of tongs and that you feed your snake outside the enclosure. This has the advantage that your hand is not associated with food.
If you are going for live food, you must supervise the feeding. If you keep the Bamboo Rat Snake together with other animals, you will have to take them apart before feeding, because it sometimes happens that the snakes injure each other during feeding. In captivity, bamboo rat snakes can become obese, so it is important that you regularly weigh your snake and adjust feeding accordingly. Obesity is associated with various other diseases and health problems.

Water
It is good to have water available for your Bamboo rat snake. Not only for drinking, but also for bathing. To allow this, the water bowl must be large enough for the snake to lie in it with its whole body and preferably a little bigger itself.

Cleaning
A hygienic living environment is important to keep your hose healthy. In order to achieve this, the accommodation will have to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning once a week is regular enough. In addition, to prevent the build-up of bacteria, the entire stay must be cleaned and disinfected a few times a year.

Handling
To feed the Bamboo Rat Snake and to clean the enclosure, it can be useful to handle your snake. Of course, this must be done properly so that the snake and you are safe. Handle the hose with a hose hook or lift it with both hands. Do not hang your snake around your neck, because if the snake falls it will soon clamp itself around your neck. In addition, there are some important things to pay attention to when handling a bamboo rat snake. First, make sure your snake realizes that you are going to handle it and move gently when you handle it. Also make sure your hands are washed and don't smell like food. Finally, do not handle your snake when it is shedding and do not handle it in the dark.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for 1 snake: 60 x 45 x 45
Laying area: 1m2.
Day temperature: 22-25C
Night temperature: minimum 15C
Hours of light: 12 hours
Humidity: 70-80% (90% at night)
Ground cover: Newspapers, coco peat, bark or peat litter

Design
The Bamboo Rat Snake does not need a huge enclosure. The water bowl should be large enough for the hose to bathe in. Also make sure that this water bowl is stable so that they cannot knock it over. Finally, the hose must be allowed to pull away. You can achieve this by offering the snake hiding options in the form of an inverted flower pot or an artificial cave.

Before the stay, there are some extra things that need to be taken into account. The Bamboo Rat Snake, for example, is quite good at escaping and it will have to be ensured that they cannot just open their door. You can do this by putting a lock on the accommodation. In addition, ventilation is required to keep the air fresh and it is advisable to place the accommodation out of the bright sun and as vibration-free as possible.
Behaviour
Hunting method: Strangler Snake
Lifestyle: Mostly nocturnal

Character
Most bamboo rat snakes will hide in their hiding place for most of the day. They like to hide, but when they are hungry they like to come out to actively search for food.
Points of attention
The Bamboo Rat Snake is able to eat prey larger than its head. For a large snake, these can even be other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. Therefore, never leave your snake alone with other pets.
Costs and Purchase
Legislation: The Mandarin rat snake falls not under CITES, to own this snake you need no CITES but only transfer papers. You should get this with the purchase.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for the accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl and decoration. All together this can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is several tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs have been incurred when your snake happens to get sick or your equipment breaks down.