Gray Ratsnake Project

Hobbitstee volunteers are happy to assist the biologist from the Haldimand Stewardship Council with the Gray Ratsnake Research.

The Gray Ratsnake is Ontario's largest snake. This snake can grow up to 255 cm. The back of the Ratsnake is glossy black and the belly is creamy yellow. A juvenile dark blotchy over a grey background and darken with age.

The Gray Ratsnake likes to spent time in trees looking for eggs and hatchling birds. The Gray Ratsnake constricts it's prey and suffocates it and so the Gray Ratsnake is non-venomous.

Historically there are reports of Gray Ratsnake presence in Haldimand and we would like to learn if they still are. They tend to be loyal to their habitat and often return to the same nesting and hibernation sites. Gray Ratsnakes are listed as Endangered in our province, so you can see why this is an important study.

The volunteers at Hobbitstee made a dozen nestboxes which have been placed at strategic locations around the county to see if any Gray Ratsnake will make use of them, but so far our efforts have gone unrewarded.

Haldimand County Residents, we need your help! Please report any snake sightings to us. We would like to know the date, exact location, what the snake was doing and a picture would also be very helpful. We have 16 snake species in our province, let's see what variety we have in our county.

To report a snake sighting please send an email to: chantal@hobbitstee.com

(please don't publicly disclose locations of snakes due to potential snake poaching)