Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I'm sure there is a link somewhere to a topic where this was covered by one of the numerous breeders here on how exactly how breed the cali kings. If not how difficult is it? Any advise would be terrific if possible. Thx

I find Barry Manilow gets them in mood.

Seriously - it's not hard.
I brumate but some have success without it.

Make sure both are healthy and the female is well fed - in spring, you can put the shed from the female in with the male, if he starts crawling all over it, like this male crawling inside of her shed:

Then the male is certainly willing.

Keep a bucket of water handy in case one tries to eat the other, but that's not common.

They mate for several hours - and in my personal experience, if they are going to, they do right away. If they don't - wait a few days and try again.

Offer the gal food while gravid, if she refuses try smaller prey items.

She will shed prior to her clutch, put in a suitable nesting box at that point - and hope for the best.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

What is considered a suitable nesting box? How can I tell if she is gravid? How long does she normally have to stay in this box? Do i need to heat it? what type of substrate do you recomend? etc....

I use moss that is moist but not wet.
There are a lot of different opinions on suitable nest box.

I use 12qt sterilite tubs with a hold cut in the side so they can enter.

She should not be confined to it as that can cause scale rot, it should be placed in her terrarium and made available to her when she is ready to lay.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Look on the top of the Kingsnake pages at the "tabs". Click the features tab and it then look for "Breeding Colubrid Snakes".

It is a pretty decent article and gives you a good idea of time frames and what to do.

Good Luck
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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"