Are rat snakes poisonous?
NO snake is “poisonous”, since a poison is something that you have to swallow or breathe in for it to harm you. And no, Rat Snakes aren’t venomous, either, not if you’re referring to the North American Rat Snakes in the genus Elaphe, which includes the Black Rat Snake and the Corn Snake. Asian Rat Snakes, especially those in the genus Ptyas, which are NOT related to North American Rat Snakes at all, DO have very weak venomous components in their saliva, but this is nowhere near enough to cause any symptoms in humans, so they are regarded as harmless snakes.
