Wow! Two times in a row!! Portland certainly has strong vibrations for Coincidence. I wonder if there is some type of vortex here.
In 2008, I walked into a local, funky pet store in the SE looking for a kingsnake. The Vietnamese owner is a man well known & liked in the community. He has quite a reptile & arachnid selection.
He sold me an adult banded, coastal phase male Cal King that he said had been sold to him from a prior owner who had tired of him. I later identified the snake to be a Carlsbad Wide-banded morph!
Time passed, and a few days ago I returned to the pet shop seeking another Cal King. The man showed me a beautiful, adult female who had also been sold to him from a prior owner. She handled like a charm.
Disclaimer: I've had bad luck with females, and many herpers have also found that they musk more often and are less active & curious. I had strong concerns that a male would be better suited for me. After handling her, however, her traits so impressed me that I took a chance and chose her.
I used the 2009 Common Kingsnakes book by Brian Hubbs to identify her. She's a Los Angeles County Coastal morph with mud-brown body & thin, crisp yellow bands.
I took her home to her naturalistic, 60-gallon vivarium. It has 3 major & 3 minor hide spots, a rock ledge, wood pile and real plant sprigs. She actively explored her new "Topanga Canyon" biome for over 5 hours!
Every day since, she is out basking & exploring. She could not be more charming when handled, and she ate her second day home! She is amazingly alert to any movement near her, and her stalking technique is eager & swift.
I have never had a snake that delighted me as much as she has in her first 1-2 days. She has all the traits I've been seeking, and is perhaps the most enjoyable snake I've ever had!
Below is my Flickr link with photos.
Ameron
1.0 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Carlsbad Wide-banded morph)
1.0 Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri (west Texas morph)
0.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Los Angeles County Coastal Banded morph)
Link
