Although they were long considered a subspecies of the European four-lined rat snake, the Bulgariian rat snake is now considered a full species.

My Bulgarian rat snakes are just about three years old now, and three-and-a-half feet in length. I expect they will eventually attain a length of five feet.



I haven’t tried to push the growth of these rather heavy bodied snakes and they are, apparently, a normally slow growing taxon. Of the twospecies of the genus Elaphe, in Europe, the Bulgarian (also called the Eastern European or blotched rat snake E. sauromates) is the less colorful and undergoes the fewest ontogenetic color and pattern changes. In fact, when discussed, it is often said that this species retains its juvenile color and pattern, this being numerous dark olive gray to charcoal blotches against a ground color of straw yellow to olive. The head bears a dark "V," point forward. It is an attractive snake but is in no way flamboyant.

They are nervous snakes (and were especially so as hatchlings), but in the time I have had them neither male nor female have made any effort to bite. Neither are they confident enough of my occasional overtures to accept thawed mice from my hands. But both eat readily when each is gently moved to its own five gallon bucket containing the proffered meal, this now consisting of two extra large mice given at seven to 10 day intervals.

Bulgarian rat snakes have a reputation for being difficult to breed in captivity even when offered a three to four month period of hibernation. Although I am not altogether sure the snakes are quite big enough, I hope next spring, that if they are sexually mature, to to prove this wrong. The hibernaculum is ready and waiting and the snakes seem suitably heavy and very healthy. Wish us luck with this.

More photos under the jump...