Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This girl has 45 bands to the vent.Pretty high.I have been trying to get a female for a few years from this locale and I finnaly scored.
Its weird she is so small and looks gravid.Or she ate a snake cause she is thick and scales seperated from mid body to the vent.

L8r Shannon

Wow!,.....that really is one heck of a nice find there Shannon!.

If her mid-body bulge doesn't go down soon, I guess you're also the lucky recipient of several more,.....how lucky is THAT!........very cool!

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

Excellent find there brother. Awesome band count as well -- did you use like, like a hot poker or something to secure her? Lol. I'd be happy to adopt the orphans.

Jerry Kruse

I have always loved the high band count cal kings from the high desert area. We used to go near Califonia city and get them with 52 bands. I wish I could get today. I never see these high band count cal's for sale anywhere(?)

Also, that female is probably gravid. I have had small florida kings throw eggs for me that were small than that.

Anyways, good luck with that snake and great find.
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ÌÏËÙÍ ËÁÂE!

They are few and far between. I have been keeping my eye out for several years for 45 band count cal kings and have yet to find one available.

Congrats, Shannon

I have a question, don't you know how to palpate them. Because if you did, you could easily tell, how many ovum muchless if she is gravid or not. You can easily tell how far along she is by the size and placement of what you feel. String of pearls, is early on, large eggs that often push together so you cannot feel between them, late.

You can also tell what she has fed upon, to a lesser degree. For instance, lizards have a palpable head, front and read girdles. Snakes do not. Also you can tell what they ate from inspecting the feces, black indicates reptile, scale type tells what kind of reptile.

As a field herper, this is routinely practiced and very easy to do. Its harmless if you are not a real stone hand(there are some of those) You simply let the animal crawl between your fingers as if your fingers are a crack or hole. You do not pull or force them. They will do it all on their own. Cheers

Thanks Frank,

I haven't done much palpating in my days.Just never really felt the need. Anyway, I just went and felt her up pretty god and I think she has 4-5 eggs in her.They are pretty solid feeling.

L8r Shannon

I read that question here all the time, is my snake gravid or ready to breed. The answer is always with the snake and its right in front of you. And its easy, wasn't it? A little and I mean a little, practice and you no longer have to guess or wonder. And its just one more reason to touch our wonderful snakes. Just be gentle.

Remember last year about the breeding size of Calkings, where most here said they cannot or should not breed at small sizes? Wild ones somehow do not know how to read that stuff and have no problem. Cheers

Shannon I am not questioning your palpating skills or lack of like FR.

I was just wondering how you know it's 4-5 eggs?

Are you sure it's not possibly a mixture of lets say a skink, a sub adult kangaroo rat (this is imperative as an adult palpates differently), and a neonate rattlesnake.

Such a diverse mixture of fodder may through you off and you probably will fail unless you immediately send it to FR for a more precise evaluation.

Oh that would be impractical, guess you'll just have to wait and be surprised by the outcome.

Hope you get some eggs from that beauty!!!!

>>Thanks Frank,
>>
>>I haven't done much palpating in my days.Just never really felt the need. Anyway, I just went and felt her up pretty god and I think she has 4-5 eggs in her.They are pretty solid feeling.
>>
>>L8r Shannon

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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

What a gem of a find, how I envy you. For 18 years, I've been in the Pacific NW. We don't even start summer until July 4 weekend, and this year has been UNSEASINABLY cool.

We had 5 sunny days in May! For three of the days, temperatures jumped 35 degrees, from the 50s 60s to high 90s! One night was 75 degrees at midnight. Then a plummet back down 35 degrees. Today's high *might* get 65.

Gray gloom; somebody save me! Oh well. At least I can see Garter Snakes, the only reptiles common here.

Ironically, I lived in SoCal for 10 years, and hiked often, but never saw a Cal King.

Walk in the world for me, won't you?? (;

.

There's nothing like finding a Cal King, they just seem to light up when you spot them with headlights or a light.
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R.Bichlers Colubrids
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rbichler/index.html

Sweet! How big/long is she? Those are desert phase Cals out by you right? Most of the band counts onthe Kings around here run into the mid 30's. I've got 3 from different locales. This little one is my daughter's from south Kern Co.

reako45

Yes, desert phase out here. She is maybe 24 inches long MAX.
I would have never tried to breed her she is that small.

L8r

>>This girl has 45 bands to the vent.Pretty high.I have been trying to get a female for a few years from this locale and I finnaly scored.
>>Its weird she is so small and looks gravid.Or she ate a snake cause she is thick and scales seperated from mid body to the vent.
>>
>>L8r Shannon
>>
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=========================================================
Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
=========================================================
Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.