Trans Pecos Rat Snake Care...?
I know a little bit about most snakes, especially rat snakes. I've been prepping myself for a few more corn snakes in a king snake in a few months, but I have NOT been prepping myself for the Axanthic Blonde Trans Pecos Rat Snake by dad brought home. It was free from my cousin who has to get rid of his snakes.
I've got the snake in a 20 gallon tank, with some bedding, a PVC pipe and a water bowl. She doesn't have a heat pad or a proper lid (OR proper ventillation) however a trip to the pet store should clear that up. I need mice for my boa and royal anyway.
Can anyone give me some care tips? Don't tell me to sell it. This is a RARE snake and my cousin got it from my dad's friend who told him not to sell it. But my cousin already gave it to me. Selling this snake ever is out of question. I just need some care tips for when I go to the pet store. Thanks 
Comments
They aren't /THAT/ rare, you can buy them here for $95 http://www.vmsherp.com/4SaleRatsnakes.htm and that was just the first site I found without trying.
It's nice that you're excited about your new snake though, expanding is always a good feeling~
I'm not entirely sure what your question is, it needs pretty much the same care as other rat snakes and you say you already know how to take care of those. Googling "rat snake care" should pull up a lot of sites like this http://www.petstogo.net/info/rat_snake_care0706.pd...
http://www.boatips.com/ratsnakes/
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Ratsnakes.htm...
http://www.neherp.com/care-sheets/38-snake-care-sh...
My advice would first be to get a larger enclosure for it. 30 gallons would be much better. These snakes are active and like room to get around, plus they can get pretty long.
A heating pad/uth is a must, those care sheets I linked tells you the thermal gradient needed.
Also of course you'll need a lid, these snakes are escape artists and you don't want that.
You can use cardboard tubes such as the ones that come from paper towel rolls or printing presses instead of PVC since it's less slippery for them but both work. You want the "tunnels" to be nice and snug, not too airy.
Here's an article on those snakes in paticular, but it's not coming up for me because I'm not subscribed. http://www.ratsnakefoundation.org/index.php?option... Maybe you'll have more look, it looks like a nice site!
Trans Pecos Rat Snake
You found the right person! I'm the one who took subocularis out of Elaphe and placed it in Bogertophis. I've spent a few months in the Trans Pecos studying it. It's not a rat snake, not even cl;ose. it has more chromosomes than most snakes except rosaliae in Baja California, to which it is related. It is rare in captivity as Texas enforced some serious protection laws to keep it from being collected to death. it is actually one of the 2 most common snakes you'll encounter in the Trans Pecos., There are isolated populations of blonde ones, but I'd say only 1 in 50 is blonde.
As you can see from its eyes it's nocturnal with good vision, and one of the few snakes that practices double constriction. i've need lots of them qwrapped around 2 mice at once. It is easy to tame, usually never bites people, and requires a nice hot dry daylight a water bowl, a hidebox, and mice, which it will eat anytime but actually looks for at night, especially just after dark on warm Texas roads and across the Rio Grande in northern Mexico.
they are a remarkably easy snake to breed- just have a pair together in March or April and expect eggs in the summer. There used to be one guy in Colorado who made a living breeding them, especially the Blonde ones. Generalexotics.com sells them for about $100. It would be good to find out if was captive bred or wild caught- they wild caught ones have intestinal parasites which don't suddenly kill them, but you can tell the difference.