Species Notes based on experiences:

The Taiwan Beauty Snake is the longest species covered on this website without exception. Do not let that be the only thing considered. Taiwan Beauty Snakes make fantastic pets. The Beauty Snakes are also known as the Stripe Tailed Tat Snakes. The pattern of this genus of snakes is stunning and easily one of the most captivating of the Beginner snakes, regardless of the species chosen. The head is elongate and a lovely dark smudge radiates out from the back of the eye. The neck is patternless. This patternless section may be longer or shorter depending upon species. Taiwan Beauty Snakes have a series of parallel blotches running down the spine that may be connecting by a thin bridge of black. As we move back towards the tail flank striping becomes more prominent and both the cross bars and the blotches begin to fade out. The base colour alternates from a yellow/green/olive to very dark brown or black with varying amounts of white flecking. The dorsal base colours if anything intensifies into a stunning yolk yellow. The tail is extremely elongate and whip like giving these snakes more an appearance of being a racer (very fast diurnal snakes) than a Rat Snake

Score analysis:

When considering temperament, Taiwan Beauty snakes usually make fantastic if outsized pets. Babies may be defensive in the hand with a lot of darting, tail rattling and emptying of the cloaca. This is based out of fear. Only through handling session will the snake adapt to being a pet. The other option is to not hold it but then you most certainly will not have a pet and these snakes do have the tendency if left to become very belligerent indeed in older life. You get out what you put in with this snake.

Territory issues are nearly always more prevalent than true temperament issues. This is an alert snake that can be easily startled. Once startled they may dart away from your hand or rattle their tail in frustration. Biting and the rearing may be seen early on but this is usually fleeting. Behaviours this extreme are actually uncommon. More than likely the snake will just try to escape from the human that has disturbed it. Once out of the enclosure in many instances that defensive behaviour ceases.

Taiwan Beauty snakes have a good track record for being not particularly problematic snake to maintain. They enjoy more humidity than many of the other Rat snakes covered here and shedding may be an issue if kept too dry. The use of a damp hide the animal can use for refuge will be a god send in this department. As long as you are getting good sheds this snake should do just fine. By comparison to some of it’s northern cousins the Taiwan Beauty Snake has a somewhat easy life on the sub-tropical island of Taiwan.

This is a big snake, regardless of how big this snake gets it will remain both active and agile. For this reason it makes on of the very best display snakes listed on the entire site. As they grow they grow in confidence too meaning they often lay basking out in the open. Many smaller species struggle with this confidence and quite often it can seem like you are maintaining an empty vivarium. This snake readily and easily exceeds 7ft in length. 8ft specimens are relatively common place and some people even report animals up to 9ft in length (2.7m). This species would therefore be best being reserved for older teens or adults. This snake would be too much of a physical specimen for younger keepers.    

Initially babies may be nervous and flee from food offered on tongs. Within 2-3 months these snakes will be snatching food with gusto. They have a prodigious appetite and will grow at a rate of knots. Larger animals will accept a range of prey including Chicks, Quail, Hens eggs, small guinea pigs and even pigeons. There are very few snakes listed on the site that can hold a torch to the appetite of a Taiwan Beauty snake.

Tub:
not appropriate long term and may only be a stop gap solution to grow the baby snake on in.

Vivarium:
180cm x 90cm x 60cm

Budget rig: -
    75cm x 30cm heat pad
    On / off thermostat
    Digital thermometer to monitor thermostat performance
    Warm hide
    Cool hide
    Water bowl
    substrate

Recommended rig (vivarium only): -
    250w ceramic heat emitter
    Ceramic lamp holder and bracket
    Bulb guard
    Day night thermostat
    Digital thermometer to monitor thermostat performance
    Various logs and caves along the thermal gradient
    Damp hide
    Climbing and exercise branches
    Plants and foliage (live or artificial – your choice)
   Water bowl
    Substrate
    UVB light (8w T5 shade dweller 7% kit from Arcadia or equivalent) (optional)
   

Climate analysis:

Taiwan Island is a clement island. A winter slow down may be expected but it is doubtful that activity would have to cease completely. Day time highs in winter will still hover around 20°c which is ample to be able to hunt and move around. Night time Lows in winter rarely drop below 14°c. In summer the climate is positively tropical with mid 30° days and mid 20°c nights. Ample rainfall during these periods will ensure high humidity levels also.

 
Conclusion:

A particular favourite genus of the author’s. This can be absolutely fabulous pet snakes. That said their eventual adult size will preclude many keepers from taking that step with them. This can be an intimidating species especially if caught on a bad day. Realistically this is best suited to adults who are confident people anyway. 

Photograph by Candice Perkins @ Welsh Morphology Photography