I've seen rat snakes 7 feet up the wall of my front porch and along the top ridge of my back porch. In both cases, going after swallow eggs. I once watched a 6+ foot rat snake climb along my grooming pen fence and then rise up in mid-air over half its length to reach the limb of an oak tree, then proceed to climb it. I was spellbound watching it. However, when they get over 5 feet I start to worry for the safety of my birds and they have to be relocated. Smaller ones are fine-they eat mice and well.. rats *duh* and even baby rattlers and copperheads.
