Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a small cal desert king (about 14" that has a REALLY tiny head. He is way too small for pinkies. I have tried meal worms but he doesn't seem interested at all. What do you feed a snake this small? Thanks.

I would think a 14" snake would be able to eat mouse pinkies without any problem, providing the pinky isn't more than 1.5 times the size of the snake's largest girth. Though the head may look small, remember they can dislocate their jaws and the skin and ligaments are very elastic and stretch. Same thing for the next so you will be surprised at the size of food they can get into their mouths. Most snakes won't eat anything that is way too big for them.

TO find out more about what to feed California king snakes, I would post an inquiry on the kingsnake forum here at kingsnake...I personally don't know squat about kingsnakes other than their similarities to corn and rat snakes.

Thanks a lot for your very quick response. I am very aware of a snakes ability when it comes to food, but I find it very hard to believe this snake could handle a pinkie. Although it is about 14", its head is about the size of a pecil eraser. Very, very tiny.

Thanks again.

...cutting the pinky into smaller pieces. Sometimes small snakes will just take the head but refuse to attempt the whole pinky.

Also, call around. Sometimes first litters are very small and you may be able to find a mouse breeder that has a just-born extremely small pink to start your snake going.

By the way, where did you get this snake? I'm surprised that the breeder let it go if it is THAT small that feeding it would be a problem for a new snake owner.

>>Thanks a lot for your very quick response. I am very aware of a snakes ability when it comes to food, but I find it very hard to believe this snake could handle a pinkie. Although it is about 14", its head is about the size of a pecil eraser. Very, very tiny.
>>
>>Thanks again.

Trust us...it will take a pinkie....maybe even a peach fuzz.
Here is the smallest snake I personally have had that took a newborn pinkie (albeit a small small one)
That is a regular human hand and that wedding ring is 3/16 of an inch wide.

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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

I've got to agree with what everyone else has said. I have raised lots of kings and have never had one so small it couldn't take a pinkie.

If you want to worry more about it, try to find someone who is raising deer mice, their pinkies are very small.
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

Boy, those look similar....

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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

yeah, familiar. I started with 6 from White Plains last year and lost 4 in a heat wave and it was over 100 in my house. That was when I built my herp room so that won't happen again. Lost another just as he started eating pinks well and dear little Carl is the survivor.
Couldn't be one of the really ivory ones....nope, Carl was a slate and goes redder and lighter alternating sheds. Right now he is redder....and 28 grams now. He was probably 5 in that pict.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

It is so cute!
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
0.1 Dumbo Siamese - Lily
Plus the breeders & babies
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

I should take another now....he is much larger. But he is going into shed and dark this week.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

He a cute baby but they look really neat as adults too.
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
0.1 Dumbo Siamese - Lily
Plus the breeders & babies
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

He was a bit cranky and tried to shost out of my hand once he woke up. He is going into shed, so dark. sometimes he is greyer and sometimes oranger. You see orange in this one.

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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Thanks for the pics.
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Gray Ghost & Pink
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
0.1 Dumbo Siamese - Lily
Plus the breeders & babies
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

>>I have a small cal desert king (about 14" that has a REALLY tiny head. He is way too small for pinkies. I have tried meal worms but he doesn't seem interested at all. What do you feed a snake this small? Thanks.

I had 16 kingsnakes hatch last year. The BIGGEST one was between 14 and 15 inches. The smallest were less than 10 inches. Tehy all ate newborn pinkies once they started eating.

I have one 6 month old kingsnake that is still less than 10 inches... she eats newborn pinks and hopefully one day she will actually start to increase her size! Her head is SMALLER than a pencil eraser, but she tackles the pinkies with gusto and gets them down.

Someone (with a bad attitude) on the kingsnake forum decided to feed his 18 inch cal king a full grown mouse. I believe he said it was more than 2.5 times the girth of the snake, but the snake downed it. I wouldn't recommend doing that, but kings are remarkable in how they eat.
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~Sasheena

I have also heard of people feeding small snakes just the tails of mice. If I remember correctly, that was a technique for getting non-eaters some nutrition. Obviously the tail isn't going to be super nutritious compared to the more meaty bits, but it is something. My personal oppinion is the same a everyone else, apparently. Give your king newborn pinky mice.