Five stripe-tailed rat snakes hatch in Novgorod Zoo

In the local Zoo five new-born stripe-tailed rat snakes have appeared in the family of this rare species of snakes in the small hours of Sunday. They hatched in a special incubator. The eggs were placed in it on May 28, immediately after they were laid.

The length of the newborn snakes is about 35 centimetres. The specialists wait for their first shedding of skin, after which they will be able to eat.

According to a Zoo specialist, the newborn snakes have to be kept under a permanent temperature of plus 27 degrees Celsius and in conditions of heightened humidity, otherwise they may die.

This is already the second time that these rare snakes gave posterity. Approximately a year ago fifteen snakes hatched.

The young snakes were used by the Zoo as "an exchange fund" for receiving the snakes which the Zoo did not yet have.

At the present time the Zoo has thirty types of reptiles, including very rare ones - Cuban boa and Paraguayan anaconda.

Apart from reptiles, there are five species of birds and ten species of rodents.