Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I've kept a Corn snake, Hog nose snake, and now have a Columbian Boa, and I'm interested to add a King Snake. I want your opinions.

I love the look of Eastern King Snakes, but have noticed that few people sell them. California and Florida Kings are very popular, but Eastern's are rare.Why? Is there something I should know?

I have children who also like to handle my snakes. I want a non-boa species that tend to "wrap" around the hands rather than "dart" away from the hands. The Easter Kings on Youtube seem to be slow moving and "wrapping".

Will a different species of King Snake be a better option in view of what I wrote above?

Thanks,

Scott

While I love my Easterns, all kings can behave in the same way you state. Understand though that they dont want to be held alot and will naturally wrap around your hand for support- all snakes will do it, not just kings. I would recoomend a Cal King simply because they tend to stay smaller - 4' vs 5' and do well in a 20 gal long tank. My Cals tend to be more visible during the day vs my Easterns which hide alot more. So if you want a snake that you'll see more often, stays smaller, and can be well behaved- with careful working and holding- just like with ANY SNAKE, Id go with a Cal King. What you mostly see for sale are the black and white Cals, however, there are also the Coastal or Chocolate Cal King forms which tend to be brown and light yellow or cream colored that are Equally as pretty.

Thanks for your advice. Wow, that's a beautiful snake--is it an Eastern King?

First that is a Cal king He has in the pic. Second Scarlet kings are for more advanced keepers as they have very specific feeding needs, (usually skinks or lizards). They are also very small and can be quite jumpy. When I read your question I immediately thought of the Boa you now have. Boas vary greatly in disposition as do just about any snake. The same goes with most of the common kings also. Some can be pupy dog tame and others very nervous at best. As Rainer and Doug pointed out in an earlier thred, a lot depends on the disposition of the parents. So if you do decide to get a common King which includes the florida, Chain, Speckled, Desert, and Cal kings. Ask the breeder about the parents. Speckled Kings have a reputation as being very nervous and many are, yet I had a wild Caught beast that was super tame from the first day. Since you mentioned the scarlet king, if I may suggest one of the many Milk Snakes? They can be jittery as juveniles but tame down very nicely as they grow older and they are beautiful. I have some Nelsons/Sinaloans that have never tried to bite and are very calm after their first year with frequent handling most will be very enjoyable.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

By "speckled" do you mean "Brooks"?

The speckled king is Lampropeltis getula holbrooki. The Brooks king is actual L.g.floridana with the now defunct florida king considered a naturally occuring integrade of the florida/brooks king and eastern king.

I would say most of the common kings would make decent pets. As others have pointed out, there can be good and bad individuals in all the common king subspecies pet-wise. I have captured speckled kings calm from day one, and some that were fiesty to the bitter end!! It appears the common kings from the far east, or far west, make the better pets, with the speckled kings, desert kings, and north american black kings being iffy in that respect.

Based on what you are looking for, I would suggest a ball python, or even something like a spotted or childrens python. Much slower moving than a king or milk in general.

Lets see a top photo of that white belly.

i love Sinaloans. I think they make great CALM pet snakes.

On the other hand. HONDURANS are possed by the devil.

Just wanted to make that disticntion with the tri colors.
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www.Bluerosy.com

I agree with BlueRosy. Nelsons/Sinsloans are nice Milks, at least my experience too. They are squiggly when little but I've never been bitten and for a Milksnake they handle pretty well if your letting kids work with you with them. They are not "Tigers" in my experince and myself and friends have kept them together easily. I just personally think the Pyros are prettier and like that the white bands stay cleaner And on the whole With gentle handling some are VERY calm. John Lassiter is right, we ALL have our preferences but Good info from everybody I think. One of the nice things about these Forums. You get to benefit from a lot of knowledgeable folks experience. Good luck!

This is the topview of that white belly Rainer. It's actually a Nelsons pos het for albino. I have three of his daughters so maybe I'll get lucky. Unfortunately I mated him with a Sinaloan so the girls are mixed. I still like them, but I'll try to get a Nelson female to pair him up with.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

I knew it. That snake is nice!

I wonder why i don't see these 6 ft Sinaloans around anymore? In the late 70's and early 80's i used to see them quite frequently. Today i never see them much above 4ft. I wonder if something happened to the gene pool?
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www.Bluerosy.com

Nope, its one of my female Coastal Chocolate Cal Kings

Oh, I should ask, what about the Florida KS? Scarlet? Thanks, Scott

Florida king size and temperament is about the same as the Eastern king. They tend to be a little heavier bodied. Their hatchlings usually come out a little larger than easterns, and can be easier to get started feeding.

Do they need full spectrum lighting?

No.

They don't need a light . matter of fact any light above will dry out the snake. Use undertank heat and allow the snake to thermoregulate. Give the snake choices with heat on one end and cool on the other. Also some sort of humid box is a good idea for neonates and smaller eastern kings which tend to dry out quickly and get dehydrated..

Kingsnakes are mostly fossorial and need no full spectrum lighting like diurnal lizards and tortoises and some amphibians.
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www.Bluerosy.com

Scott, what you'll find here are a bunch of guys trying to sell you THEIR type of snake. East coast guys lean toward Easterns and Floridas, west coast guys to Californias and Deserts. You have a few already, and it sounds like you know what you want. Eastern kings are still wild caught in some numbers so you see them fairly cheap in the classifieds. Because they are so cheap, many breeders dont bother with them and concentrate on the higher $$ snakes...it costs just as much to feed a $$ snake as a cheaper one. That said, it is important to start with a captive bred snake particularly if its for your kids. They have been handled since they were born and arent "head shy" or do that squirmy pooping thrashing about. You will notice that there are many different types of Easterns, varying black to brown base color bands white/cream/yellow of varying widths. Do your best to try and get a pic of the parents before you decide on a baby because as young they can look pretty much alike. If you decide to get a baby from this year make sure someone has started it well first, some can be tricky to get feeding. Good luck!

I'm not selling Sinaloans yet. I honestly think they make great first snakes. I have never had any of mine try to bite ever. They can be a little flighty as youngsters but after they settle down they are extremely calm. At least mine are.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>I'm not selling Sinaloans yet. I honestly think they make great first snakes. I have never had any of mine try to bite ever. They can be a little flighty as youngsters but after they settle down they are extremely calm. At least mine are.

Yep....and I think Pyros (Arizona Mountain Kings) make a great pet....And you seem to have had bad luck with them.......I've never been bit by a pyro.......And all the ones I have had seem to have thrived in captivity.......

The truth is....Personal preference will reign.......LOL
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

I don't know if this is common for all gray banded kings, (and I know they're notoriously hard starters), but if you want to get something that's beautiful, easy going, stays small, has no special humidity requirements, is a very consistent eater (providing they are good starters), and is active and out and about more than any other of my snakes, I'd go for a GBK. She had never bit, musked, or refused a meal, never had a bad shed even though I've kept her on so horrible stuff, and has never startled or darted away. My GBK is the easiest snake I have and the one everybody wants to touch!

I personally think that chain kings would make a great addition to anyones collection, as long as they have a keen interest in them. I am currently looking for a good breeder of black, narrow white banded easterns myself. I like the classic "chain" pattern. And while all of the above mentioned snakes can make great pets, its all personal preference. Im my experience all of the L. getulus fair about the same in captivity, Just get a captive bred baby. YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH A KING. Its just up to the keeper what size and "flavor" they want.

Agreed!!

Alterna are my favorite kings, and you are right, once they are feeding regulary, they are basically the perfect king!

All my alterna have been absolutely wonderful to own.
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Genesis 1:1

Yeah Graybands are excellent with kids! They are beautiful and once they start eating pinks they don't stop. That's my experience also. They are another snake that has never tried to bite me.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra