Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Getting back into kings lately. I just wanted to share some pics.

Multicinta, Green Horn locality

San Jacinto Mountains local.

Jason

Laguna Mountains

jason

Unreal just lovely. I imagine very difficult to feed?

I used to think zonata must be so difficult. I think that is what we learn somehow.

When I finally raised up some babies, I realized that these snakes can feed and grow like gangbusters. But you can't keep them at 80.5 deg F and expect great results necessarily.

One thing is they need access to moisture, or better put, kept such that they avoid getting too dry.

Temps: After struggling and struggling, I finally stumbled on a better approach when I got frustrated and cooled them down while still leaving a small heat pad on one end. Then they started feeding and growing.

The problem is in Summer where I live. Stays warm all the time. These snakes just want to seek cool temps. That is the challenge in captivity for many of us. Then I figured out a way in my previous house (North-facing room, tile floor, slab foundation) where they had access to cool temps. Makes a big difference. Then they grew during Summer instead of going off feed so early. Mine still went off feed, just later than before.

If you keep these things in a "typical" sweater box setup with a temp range of 75 to 82, you can't guarantee great results. Some may be fine with it, but just fine, not great.

FR always preaches this stuff, and the reason I believe him is because I found out myself how well these animals do with a range of temps. Then they grow like any other kingsnake, eat mice with much more enthusiasm, etc.

Bottom line: constant temps are not a good approach for these snakes.
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Mark

Thanks

Accually they are not to difficult to get started feeding. You can tease feed Zonata. Just rub a pinkie on there nose, while holding the snake. They get mad and bite the pinkie and next thing you know they are eating they are eating.

Jason

hey Jason,

that technique works SOME of the time, but not all of the time. Getting baby zonata started can be quite an arduous task more often than not requiring varied techniques ranging from the aforementioned tease feeding, to force-feeding small mouse tails or small pinky heads, to lizard scenting, to taking a swatch of lizard skin and pasting it onto the head of a pinky, as well as a few other techniques. Each one is an individual. Then you have the occasional one that just likes a live/thawed out pinky (those are the best...lol).

So yes, tease feeding is one of many great ways to go, BUT, sometimes they snap down and then just let that pinky go and want nothing to do with it. Good discussion material.

This baby 2008 pulchra is probably one of my most interesting scenarios -- I tease fed her a number of times, and one night she got spooked and spit the pinky out. I closed the box and left her alone. Came back 15 minutes later and the pinky was consumed. She's done this three consecutive times recently. Next feeding I will not employ the tease feeding but rather leave a thawed pink for her and see what happens. (Robert, if you're reading this, this is your long-awaited baby I'm talking about....lol...)

and then some, like this Martir agalma, readily took to the piece of lizard skin pasted on the pinky head.....

and then there's that infrequent, cooperative one that just likes their pinky without all the frills -- straight up . . .

But one thing is for sure, once they get going strong, they feed like troopers.
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Jerry Kruse

"One often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it". - Master Oogway

Jerry, that Martir is SMOKING ! Not sure I have seen that one. Of course the one with the "spider" on the head is crazy too! Robert, you lucky dog--- probably getting that beauty before I get mine. ENVY.

you are too kind with all those warm and fuzzy words. Now man up and go spit or chug a beer or somethin'.....
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Jerry Kruse

"One often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it". - Master Oogway

>>Laguna Mountains
>>
>>jason
>>
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

Thanks.

I use to have some in the late 90's. I missed them and finally got some again.

jason

Nice lookin snake!
And it looks like you're up here in Utah too.

I picked up this little female San Jacinto parvirubra the other day.
Really nice colors, and almost no crossovers. I can hardly believe its a parvirubra.

-Josh Dustin

Image

Thanks Josh

Hey your picture isn't working? Were did you get yours from?

Jason

Odd, I wonder what I am doing wrong with the picture....

I got her from Ric Blair. Unless I'm crazy, I think you got her parents from him recently?? If so, I am really curious about whether the parents are as nice looking as this baby.

Here are some links to the pictures. (I hope its okay to post links to pictures here)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DYr6iwcrWf0/SV0vV-8iArI/AAAAAAAAACw/bN3bDLcgi34/s1600-h/zonataFace2.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DYr6iwcrWf0/SV0uxl4bm8I/AAAAAAAAACg/hzjo_sXykrg/s1600-h/zonata3.jpg

Josh Dustin

Nice snake Josh. Very clean indeed.

The Laguna pulchra are interesting......i had one come out with the same aberrancy as the Laguna in the upper left in your pic. Good stuff Jason.

2008 Laguna

Santa Ana

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Jerry Kruse

"Yesterday is history.....tomorrow is a mystery.........but today is a gift -- that is why it is called the present". - Master Oogway

Oh, the mountain kings. In my opinion--most beautiful snakes on the planet.

Oh, the mountain kings. In my opinion--most beautiful snakes on the planet.

They were for me to. But then in the 70's I was living in Calif so I saw lots of Mountain Kings. Everybody had Mtn Kings. But then I saw my first Sinaloan milk and after that nothing compared. It is only because they are so cheap and avaliable today that they have less interest.

Mountain kings were common back in the 70-80's and the Sinaloans were not. Today it is the exact opposite. Everything has a way of coming back around. But the California Mountain kings are still my second favorite tricolor.

HI Jerry

Wow that Santa Ana is smoking, very nice.

Jason

Great looking animals! It seems that a lot of guys are getting back into the zonata game. Did you get them from Ric? Hard to resist so many awesome locals being offered all at once.

I love the Greenhorn! I assume you have a pair, any more pics?

Thanks bro

Yeah I got them from Ric. I am lucky enough to live pretty close to Ric. Its nice to hand pick animals.

yeah I got a pair of Green Horns. I will have to get some better pics some day.

jason

Nice! I found some good looking spots last fall in the Greenhorns that I'm planning on hitting in the spring.
Can't wait.

Jeff

Hi Jeff

I never looked for Zonata. Sounds fun.

Thansk jason