Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased 1.2 L.Zonata Zonata(St. Helena Mountain Kings) I was wondering if anyone has any information on these snakes, I have not seen any of these available for sale anywhere, I am also unable to find any information on these on the web. Are they a unusual snake to have in captivity? Is it because they are hard to find or undesirable? Any info is very much appreciated. I am hoping to breed these next season.

Here is a link to a great Zonata page. It has seperate pages for each sub-species and lots of photos and other info. Good luck.

Greg
zonata page

I think that they are pretty popular with one major drawback..... many people have a VERY difficult time successfully breeding them..... especially in Arizona. I have a few friends, including myself, who have been very unsuccessful at breeding zonata in arizona. I have bred my young female ( I guess she is not young anymore ) for the past 4 years and only gotten bad eggs. We tried hibernating with an airconditioner, hibernated the animals in Flagstaff, hibernating the animals in other peoples homes, ect... I also have a friend who keeps a large collection of zonata with extrememly limited success with breeding his zonata. People in California don't seem to have the same difficulty. I am not sure about the successes of breeders in other regions of the country, but the snakes themselves are incredibly gorgeous and unique. If you do breed them, let us know how it goes.

Zonata are quite a desirable snake among many people, especially me (as well as others living in CA). In CA, it is illegal to sell zonata, but the capture and keeping of 1 with a hunting/fishing license is allowed. They tend to be a bit pricey, thus increasing value.
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Zach Lim
Carnivorous Plant Grower and Herper
http://www.geocities.com/sf_snakes/index.html