A seasoned veteran first mentioned them in a Kingsnake.com forum post months ago, and I became intrigued. I was researching Baird’s and Texas rat snakes at the time.

Recent research, however, has found very little about this species that ranges broadly. Neither Care Sheets nor many comments from herpers are to be found.

Some of you surely keep these snakes and know personalities. What have you experienced with:

1) Gender behavior differences. Are males more prone to be active and exploratory and less shy (like with most colubrids), or do both genders exhibit very similar behavior?

2) Shyness. I’ve heard contradictory comments. One man says that they are highly active snakes often seen moving about. Others state that they are quite shy. What have you seen?

3) Feeding. Is it consistent, or do they sometimes go off feed for weeks, like Milks and Kings?

4) Handling. Do they enjoy being handled, going for rides and exploring, or do they really prefer to not be handled much and remain mostly hidden.

Comments from experienced persons who have kept one or more of these gems for over 1 year are most appreciated.

Ameron
Portland/Vancouver

1.0 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Carlsbad Wide-banded)
0.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Los Angeles County Coastal Banded)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ameron08/

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