I just now caught a large, beautiful black rat snake in my back yard that my dog was terrorizing and my question is, are there laws against keeping wild caught reptiles? I know people do it all the time, but I'm a very law abiding person. I know laws differ from state to state and city to city, so if it's any help I live in Oklahoma. I probably won't keep him permanently, but I have a reptile program to give at the library here in July and I don't own any native animals so I though he would make a good addition. Well, any thoughts? Thanks!

laws are different for every state... check your city/state ordinances and see if there are any limitations on collecting wildlife or keeping native species.

I personally suggest that you release the snake, but if you do keep him captive for even a short period of time, make sure to keep it quarantined away from any other animals you may have, since wild animals are often hosts to parasites (both internal and external) that can be harmful to other animals...

Believe me, I'm not letting him any where near my other snakes. I'm going to try feeding him today and if he takes it I'll keep him for a while, it'll only be a couple months, then I'll find a safe place to release him.

I never kept a rat snake, but I have kept garter snakes that have lived to a healthy age of almost 8 years! They were always getting run over by my father when he mowed the lawn...so one time I saved three of them, quarentined them in separate 15H fish tanks with paper towel (they were just hatchlings), eventually switched them to coconut husks and they lived a long time. They were so friendly too, never got bitten^^. Now I don't know about rat snakes, they can be nippy. But definitly check your state/city laws on wildlife, mine just says that we can't capture the endangered wildlife^^; Post some picks of the guy, i'd love to see them^^

Hey man.....I am in Oklahoma. I can give you the run down on the laws as I know the fish and game people.... go to my site and click on contact for my #.