Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ive been on both sides of the spectrum, When I was young I kept a snake or two as pets. As an adult, Ive at one time had up to 40 boids in a designated snake room. Ive been out of reptiles for around 3 years while I went back to school as an adult for a career change.

Now that Im freed up and have more time... I find that I would rather not return to the "once you pop you cant stop" syndrome that seems to happen every time I decide to get an animal. One turns into two (cuz you have to have a pair) and two turns into 4 and before you know it you have a room full.

Ive decided I want a SINGLE animal. A kingsnake. I enjoy watching them be active and explore there cages and I like the kingsnakes natural inquisitiveness. I purchased a cal king and have had it for about a month. Im really enjoying it and they certainly are inquisitive. She will stick her head out her hide when she hears us in the living room and come out and explore, although she never does this when I enter the room she is always hidden only to come out within 5 minutes of us being there to roam.

Anyway, long story short... Im thinking I might want to sell her and get an eastern male. If Im only going to have a single animal... and a king .... I want a good example of what a king should be. I like a voracious eater that will eat a variety of different items (and now that I have only one animal I can feed it a varied diet rats, mice, chicks, etc, etc where as with multiple animals I wouldnt).

I like a larger king and in my opinion larger kings are more impressive. Cal kings have there own charm however and seem to be more voracious eaters then easterns from what Ive seen (someone correct me if Im wrong here please it will help me make my decision).

I like brooksi, but find their pattern to be somewhat lacking in my opinion. Im thinking Im going to get an eastern male and get rid of the cal king... but I go back and forth... and even at times see some adult brooksi that catch my eye.

So I ask you... if you could have only ONE animal .... a king ... which would it be and why?

Im having a hard time deciding! lol...

Anyone have any pics of their large adult easterns? Preferably being held or something with size reference?

I guess Im just thinking that the eastern will be more impressive as an adult and I like the larger animals. However, as mentioned it seems cal's are just so much more voracious in their feeding responses... keep in mind Im basing this on only a few animals of each type that Ive been around in my life (not many) so that statement could be way off.

Also, Ild want to make sure whatever eastern I got came from jet black adults Im not a fan of the browning out that happens to some easterns. Thats not to much to ask now is it?? lol ...

>>So I ask you... if you could have only ONE animal .... a king ... which would it be and why?
>>
>>Im having a hard time deciding! lol...

If all I COULD have is just one it would have to be thayeri.......There are so many colors and patterns it's like owning many different types/kinds of snakes.......No wonder I've been keeping and breeding them since 1997......

A close second would be Mex Mex........There's so many never seen before morphs/phases/looks in Mex Mex right now....I can't wait to see them all hatch over here......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

this snake is lacking nothing, lol

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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)

I knew I would catch some heat for that comment. Thats a great looking brooksi, and I have had some that I really enjoyed... also, they definately have the size and impressiveness that Im after ... which further makes the decision that much more difficult! lol..

You tell'em Dave!! LOL!

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

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

When it comes to getula, I've kept Cal kings, Florida kings, desert kings, eastern kings, eastern black kings and speckled kings. I've found them all to be "bitey" and have the habit of chewing on me when handled. This was even when they were the first snakes of the day to be handled and even after handwashing. The snakes certainly weren't doing it because they were in need of food - I have a whole lotta snakes and have been keeping and breeding them for quite some time and I know how much they need to eat. This was quite a disappointment, as eastern kings are often mentioned in older literature as the ultimate pet snake (or something like that).

Then I started breeding Mexican Black Kings. They did not get "bitey" like the rest of the getula subspecies I've worked with. I really like MBKs, though I reckon there's something about an all-black or all-white snake that's pretty cool.

There are of course many non-getula kings and besides milk snakes, there's none that I have experience with, though someday I'd like to try my hand at them. I've always thought albino Nelson's Milks were severely underrated. After their price plummeted, there really doesn't seem to be much interest in them from the general public. I find this odd, as their colors are hard to beat, they're tame (even as babies), and they're relatively small - often being ablt to live in a 10 gallon tank-sized cage their whole life.

So one of those would be my pick - an MBK or albino Nelson's.

Tim

Third Eye

Not the biggest but generally has a sweet disposition and is great eye candy. If given an interesting habitat with lots of nooks and crannies they will come out and be more visible.
If I was going to get a bigger type of kingsnake I'd maybe get a Mexican Black king. I really want an indigo, but that isn't even a King! LOL!
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

A rosy boa or Florida king.

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www.Bluerosy.com

About time you pulled your head out of the sand....LOL

Glad to see your still kickin you old goat....j/k
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Hi,

If it weren't just limited to kingsnakes, it would be a 5 way tie between my Boelen's, jungles, diamonds, green trees and NJ easterns. However, if it is kings only, it would be a NJ eastern hands down. They are thee classic, textbook eastern kings in my opinion, with high, thin chains of enamel white over a black background that rivals Boelen's and e. indigos for depth and inkiness. I love my GAs and OBks, but if I could have only one, it would be the NJ for sure. Thanks.

Will

Hmmm,.....

Well I think as far as kingsnakes go, it would probably be the Outer Banks kings, simply for their extreme unique look and coming from a very isolated chain of Islands...They are indeed a very special uncommon form of getula in my opinion.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I can't do it!!!!!!!!! I can't have just one! But if I could have one pair, it would be these.

Or maybe these guys....

Or maybe......well all of them!!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

To meet your criteria for feeding, temper and size I would go with MBK's also.

Unless I could sneak into Doug Mong's and sneak out one of his aweaome brooksi's.

That OBX of his is pretty dang sweet too. I'm sure he wouldn't miss them. LOL
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
0.3 P. c. sayi Kingsville X Stillwater red bulls
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 D. corais Yellowtail Cribos
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards

a king though...and I guess Im looking for a good example of such. When I most think of kingsnakes, you think of getula .. and in my opinion a getula should be an impressive animal with a voracious appetite. Im definately not into shy or skittish animals for what Im after. An animal that has enough self confidence to spend time out in the open is a must, and I think a cal king might be a little small. Im going to grab a 4' showcase cage and house the animal in it set up as a display.

Actually I have 1.2 from this year, but as far as I know.....noboby else has produced them.

Hypo Ghost Cal Kings.

Kerby...

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I like this N.Florida big boy! Simple pattern and a good 6'!

tough one...........but for me it's tough as well. Jeez, I love all manner of kings, but mountain kingsnakes do it for me. Although tey don't typically get very large, there is the exception of Chihuahua mtn kings (Mexico) of Sierra mtn kings (California).....

Chihuahua king (pyromelana knoblochi, Shannon Brown Esq.'s line), easily 4 feet as an adult....

Sierra king (zonata multicincta, also can attain 4 foot lengths, occasionally larger)

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Jerry Kruse
www.zonatas.com

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."