Bulgarian rat snake update

The Bulgarian rat snake, Elaphe (quatuorlineata) sauromates, is also known as the Eastern European rat snake and the European blotched snake.

Once considered the easternmore of the two subspecies of E. quatuorlineata, it is now most often considered a full species designated by the binomial of E. sauromates. Although lengths of more than 8 feet have been verified, most examples range between 4 and 6 feet in length.

Unlike the westernmore E. quatuorlineata that undergoes extensive ontogenetic (age related) color and pattern changes, the Bulgarian rat snake retains its juvenile blotched pattern throughout its life.

My pair of Bulgarian rat snakes are both about three-and-a-half feet in length. After a long hibernation they bred in 2014 at three-and-a-half years of age. Of the seven eggs, five were fertile and began hatching after 51 days of variable room temperature incubation. The last one hatched after 56 days. The hatchlings will be going to friends who, like me, are interested in perpetuating the various European Elaphe in the American pet hobby.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.