Animal Biographies
Tier One- Intermediate
Yellow Rat Snake (Apollo)
Animal Facts:
Sex
Date of Birth
Scientific Name
Life Expectancy
Apollo
Female
1991
Elaphe obsolete quadrivittata
Up to 20 years
Normal behavior:
Apollo is active and has some jerky movements. Sometimes when startled, she rattles her tail.
Signs of stress or discomfort:
If any of these occur during handling you should stop handling the animal and complete an incident
report:
Hissing and striking, if this behavior occurs, return or leave snake in enclosure and inform a
keeper. Fill out an animal incident report and turn in to correct employee by following the
reporting procedures.
Over-Heating, especially in snakes that are very active as they can overheat more quickly.
Warning signs of becoming overheated can include becoming abnormally active, striking, or
becoming very lethargic/ limp.
o Over activity can be interpreted as a snake trying to get out of your hands to find a
place to cool down. If you see these behaviors, immediately move snake to a cool place
and place back in carrier. Fill out an animal incident report and turn in to correct
employee by following the reporting procedures.
o Lethargy or limpness is very abnormal. If the snake becomes overheated they might
loose their grip, become dead weight or even completely limp. If an individual exhibits
these behaviors, immediately return to animal holding but don’t remove the snake from
the cooler. Inform a keeper, fill out animal incident report and turn in following
reporting procedures.
o Striking and/or hissing is very abnormal when being held. If this occurs while
handling it’s possible you may be holding the snake too tightly. Do not restrain a snake.
Fill out an animal incident report and turn in to correct employee by following the
reporting procedures.
When snakes become too cold they will be inactive. They may not be alert or respond to your
touch if they remain too cold for a long period of time. As long as snake is not exposed to
temperatures below stated guidelines, you should not see these behaviors.
Abnormalities: None at this time. Things to look for include bumps along the spine, lumps along the
belly, abnormal scales, scars, etc. If you notice an abnormality, contact a keeper and fill out animal
incident report and turn in following reporting procedures.
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Animal Biographies
Medical issues: None at this time. This will include nasal discharge, drooling, wounds,
exposed skin or any other medical issues. If you notice a medical issue, contact a keeper
and fill out animal incident report and turn in following reporting procedures.
Temperate guidelines:
Outside conditions
Sunny
Partial sun/overcast
Overcast/shady
Temperature range
65 - 82
70 - 85
70 - 87
Length of exposure
15 minutes* see below
unlimited** see below
unlimited** see below
*The length of exposure in sunny conditions is the maximum amount of time allowed in direct sunlight.
You can keep the animal out longer if move into shade.
**Unlimited length of exposure allows an animal to be handled for the full duration of a program or
encounter without time restrictions, barring any stress signals.
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