Reptile & Amphibian Forums

baby kingsnake(not sure how old, he is around 13 inches long) I have heard to feed him one pinky every 5 days...I was wondering how I can tell if this is enough food for him? the Pinky is about as wide as his belly, maybe even alittle wider, so I dont want to go bigger then pinky at this point, but how would I know if one is enough? do you offer a 2nd one? and if he refuses then thats it? I hate to do that, and have him refuse it, then im wasting a whole pinky...what is the general feeding guidline? like quanity and how often? thank you, Pete

you can offer 2 if he is anything like my king he will eat both if not no worries he may just need a little time with 1 just to allow his stomach to stretch maybe 2 weeks then move up to 2. IMO I think that at that size he will take 2 no problem I only have 6 mnths at this myself so wait for some other responses but i think with what i have said he will be just fine. i have a bullsnake from hatchling and on 2 pinky from only 6 weeks or so.

Can you post up any pics?
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Cheesemonkey

sure thing...will get some pics tonight and post...I really wish i knew how old he/she is....I purchased last week from petco...I know i know, not the best place...but he was the neatest looking king I saw around......and they said he was still a baby.......he is around 12-15 inches long, and no thicker then my pinky...actually thinner then my pinky...like i said a pinky mouse is alittle wider then his belly(so that gives idea how small he is

Regarding Petco, I sometimes see some very nice snakes there. The pic shows one such snake. He was there, kind of thin and somewhat dehydrated, but alive and eager. They only fed it once per week. Not enough IMO.

If you want to play it safe until you get more in tune with the snake's habits and needs, you can feed 2 pinks per week, either at the same time or spread out over the week. The snake should be able to handle that just fine and minimize any wasted food.

Except when they are close to or in a shed cycle, baby kings will usually feed and feed if offered. Make sure it has a basking area.

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Mark

I thought Bullsnakes, Pinesnakes, and Gophers hatched out large enough to start on fuzzies?
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1.0.0 Lampropeltis getula holbrooki
0.1.0 Lampropeltis getula californae
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getula nigra
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri
2.3.0 Eublapharis macularius macularius
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
0.1.0 Gerrhosaurus major major

Hmm..not sure..I have a desert Kingsnake

Not sure if most do but mine was small when hatched smaller than the rest of the clutch cant say the same now mind coming on well
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Cheesemonkey

Buying from petco in the early winter is a great way to get stunted snakes. I can almost garantee that he hatched last summer and should be MUCH bigger than he is.

With that said, if you provide good husbandry he will grow like a weed and probably be perfectly healthy.

Give him a good temperature gradient, several dark tight hides, and feed him as much as he feels like eating. 2 pinks at a time should be no problem every 3-5 days. The exact amount will depend on the indiviual snake and the temps it has available. And yes, you may have to waste a pinky occasionally. Thats life.

I'd feed it a fuzzie or hopper, more bang for your buck. Pinkies are snack food.

I agree 100%. Heck pinkies are mostly made up of water and have almost no nutrition. You are starving a snake on pinkies unless it is the first 2-3 feedings. After that you need to go large,
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Signature edited

i thaught i read that the mouse cant be bigger then the largest part of the snake, cause the pinky is the same size as the snake...

I have seen kingsnakes and other colubrids take on prey that are close to 1.5X as large as the widest part of their body.

I generally try to offer the biggest meal they can stretch their jaws around.....for kingsnakes this is usually about 1.25 X-1.5X the widest part of the snake.

As far as mice are concerned, if the snake can swallow it, then it can digest it (usually)if allowed proper temps and little disturbance.
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1.0.0 Lampropeltis getula holbrooki
0.1.0 Lampropeltis getula californae
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getula nigra
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri
2.3.0 Eublapharis macularius macularius
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
0.1.0 Gerrhosaurus major major

what type of snake is that? can you post a full-body pic?

~ZF