Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my boyfriend just got his snake from a large petstore.. the snake is 22" long and was wondering how old he is.. he is well fed and he also wants to know how long he is going to get in a yr.. thank you

It is difficult or impossible to judge a snakes age by size, but, knowing what kind of snake it is is a good start. Even assuming it is a kingsnake, since this is the kingsnake forum, different kingsnake species vary greatly in their length from 20 to 60 inches adult size.

As in.....exactly what kind?,.........THEN we can help out determining the age.

~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

oh im sorry its a albino californig kingsnake..

At that size, that would be a snake that hatched last year, and would be nearing it's yearling mark.
~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

he also wants to know at that age how much and often he needs to feed him or her..

Two fuzzies slightly larger than it's diameter at mid-body twice a week would be sufficient for optimal growth. And as it grows, the meal size should of course follow accordingly.

Just make sure the temps at substrate level are in the low-mid 80's on one side of cage with a hide box at both ends. This will ensure the meals are able to digest properly, otherwise regurgitation problems could occur.

The snake below is the same age as yours, so meals of similar size, or slightly larger would be fine.

~Doug

-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Doug, every time I see that snake I think how cool it would be to see that one and mine together...


-----
1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

Yours is big enough to gobble this girl down if it wanted to, is that an '06?,.........this ones an '07 female, and weighs 125 grams, she's VERY healthy though, and chows every 3-4 days.

Looks like yours has a constant buffet laid out for it!..LOL!

~Doug

Here's a pick of her when she was very young(around late Sept)

And a recent one taken the other day....

-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Agreed. Maybe they aren't ready to meet eachother just yet...

Well, her cage is the closest one to the kitchen. Maybe she's making late night runs for leftover pizza. Do you think she's fat?

She doesn't even fit into any of her clothes anymore...

-----
1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

No, she's not fat, just pleasantly plump!..LOL!

She's still young('06 hatchling was she?), but when she gets to be full grown however, unless she's being fed real well for egg production, I'd probably keep an eye on how much she eats though, since obesity isn't real healthy for a snake either.

~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

For the past several months she's been on a 7-day schedule (formerly 5-day) and it seems to be working well for her. She eats two jumbo mice once a week.
-----
1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

Okay, that sounds about right,.....but you still didn't say how old she is yet????..IS SHE an '06?

~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I didn't say because I'm not sure. I think that's right. Actually, no.

this picture was taken in 07. I think we've had her for a little over a year. That's right because Bluerosy told me she'd be 30" by the end of August and I thought he was crazy. But he was right. Now she's about 40"!

-----
1.1 Florida Kingsnake
1.0 Kisatchie Cornsnake

At 22 inches I feed mine f/t hoppers.
-----
I decided my old sig was too big.

My male Chatsworth Cal's about that size and he also eats 2-3 hoppers a week.

reako45

Assuming it is a California Kingsnake - at 22 inches it is probably an '07 though it could be an '06 that was only maintenance fed.
-----
I decided my old sig was too big.