Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering what species of king snake matches the colors of a coral snake? Is it the Arizona mountain King? I see lots of pics of kings that look just like the red white and black of the coral, but not positive if they are usually the above mentioned king snake, or if they are a milk snake. I know this question can have a million answers, as im sure that some milk snakes look just like the arizona mountain kingsnake, so i appolgize in advance. Its just that sometime within the next year, i would like to purchase one of these snakes as im fascinated with those color bands. I do not, and mean do not want to purchase one yet, as I want to take a few months and research the breed, find out all the care on this particular snake.. I am not one to purchase a snake because i like it, and then try to read care sheets after.. so i want to make sure i know as much as i can upfront before I make the plunge into the purchase. and i have not decided if its gonna be the mountain king, or the same looking milk snake(not sure which snake is hardier, better eaters..etc...)thanks again..Pete

Start by getting a few books, I found the best one for the money is definately Applegate's milksnake manual. Go to the commercial pages and look him up, he will even autograph it for you. Its functional, there is another for kings out there. I wouldnt't recommend either care sheets(not enough info) or picture books(too $$)for a beginner. I would recommend thinking about caging more than anything. Keep it simple and functional. The livestock is almost all readily available online at any time. I would recommend not skimping, its very common to try and save a couple $$ especially in these hard times. Making a purchase directly from a good breeder can eliminate not only potential problems but buy you good faith and the time to answer the more difficult questions that will surely arrise. Know that most people last in the hobby 3-4 years, plan accordingly.

Hey Pete, certain milks and mountain kings do look quite similar. Its a matter of taste and finding what you like most. I think the mountain kings are a bit less squirmy and jumpy, but that just my opinion with keeping a limited number of both mountains and milks. However, some milks like pueblans and sinaloans can be quite calm as adults.

I noticed a conflict between this post, and your previous post looking for breeders of milks and mountain kings in your area. Arent you are struggling with a non-feeding cal king right now? Also, you posted about getting another corn soon. No offense, but SLOW DOWN LOL!! I no its hard and snakes are fascinating. However, one bad experience early on can ruin the hobby for you. You need to work with the animals you have and learn the little nuances of keeping snakes first before building a bigger collection. Get comfortable with the two or three you have now and make sure they are all doing great before adding more burden.

I also agree wholeheartedly with Jeff about reading, reading, and reading some more about snakes in general. It goes along way deciding on the next one to get, and helps you maintain what you have even better.

thanks...I am currently having troubles w/a desert king, who I put in a dark closet and is cooling down for a couple months. I did write that I was looking into doing this within the next year. I want to wait till everything with my current king is all taking care of first. but I do believe that I should start doing the researching now, rather then later when I get the new snake, but yes, I am waiting for my current king to come out of cooling first and is back to established eating before I get another.. As far as posting on the Corn board, My 15 yo was interested in one point in getting a corn snake for his room, he is very responsible for his age, and i was just helping him look around.. I do currently have a one year old corn myself who is doing great..
with all that said, I do think im leaning towards the az mtn king snake.. I have always loved the coral snake colors, and i see that some milks have this color also, but agree, that I heard they take handeling worse then a king..thanks again, Pete

Hi Pete, sorry if I sounded condescending. Its just my best advice is to not overload too quickly. I am glad you are taking your time and getting your cal king going and doing research prior to purchase. IMO, mtn. kings and milks are probably not as good "pet" snakes compared to say a corn or the various subspecies of common kings. However, I have seen some very calm mtn kings and milks. I think it boils down to how much time you spend with them. The babies of most snakes are kind of spastic and flighty, but milks and even mtn. kings seem a bit worse. As far as cleaness and eveness of banding with good color, something like a pueblan or mexican milk are probably the best. However, there is something about the mtn. kings that are just cooler IMO than milks LOL!! Both mtn. king and milk babies can be picky or non-feeders moreso than say a corn. I would also say Mtn. Kings are a bit worse than milks with this situation. Make sure you get a reliably feeding baby regardless of what you choose. Another option is to buy and adult animal. You can ususally find males up for sale on the ads at good prices. These animals can be relatively young, already feeding on f/t, and may even be very tame and accustomed to handling. Just extra males the breeders dont need.

Good luck
KevinM

And I couldn't really add too much more to any of it!

Certainly look into an establiched feeder no matter which type you settle on, and the rest with your reading will take care of the rest.

Good luck with whichever you choose, and I could NOT agree more with how you are going about this and waiting until you know a bit more about their particular husbandry. They are both very easy to maintain, but you certainly MUST know a the basic needs first as you are working on. Too many times people have an impulse to get a snake(or snakes) without knowing the first thing about them, and this means the snake suffers the consequences.

Good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I agree get a AZ Mt King but ask here in the room before you buy from anyone.Make sure you get one that eats well or you will have problems beyond what you can handle
Dont spend a ton of money.Go to the white plains show and have the guy feed a pink to the snake in front of you.Don't take anyones word it has eaten unless you have known the guy or he can back it up with a return.

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wake me when its april

Doug L

Pete, I don't know much about the mountain kings...yet, lol, but I do know a little about the milks, and you can't go wrong with an established Mexican milk, imo. I will be back out in Arizona next year giving the pyros another chance to be my friends, but I would highly recommend a Mexican milk if you choose a milk, they are the easiest of all the milks I have had. And we will see you over the hump with those splendidas too! it's been 6 weeks since I put the splendies here off feed, so they are still okay, and will probably go another 2-3 weeks before I even give it another thought, but clean water is a must. Oh yeah, consider a thayeri king, some of the Milk Snake Phase (MSP)animals are quite attractive as well.

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Todd Hughes