Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is my largest king, Augustus. He's ca. 68-69" and I just weighed him with a digital scale tonight at 4.6 lbs and on a "empty" stomach. He'll be 8 this year and if I can keep him growing for another 4 or 5 years I can't see why this snake won't reach 74" or so and weigh 6.5 lbs as long as I feed him well. What do you guys think? The "Terminator" was only 4.5 lbs when he passed so this guy is the largest king I've owned.

The first shot is higher quality than the other 2, but you can get an idea of his size. Hillson will notice how much girth the snake has put on since I got it from him (I didn't put him down this winter). No...Keith didn't starve the snake, I got it from him about 2 weeks after he drove to get a buttload of snakes for us to split. I think he wishes he hadn't promised me this soon to be Mr. Nasty! LOL

A nice, crisp shot - but he's more creamy yellow than white.

This one is a little blurry, but you get another angle.

This is a full body shot, but it came out too light with the flash; but this gives you an idea of his length.

SO...let's have a vote - who appears to have the largest king on this site or a pic of one they've seen in the flesh that's still alive?

-John

Nice pattern too. I have some of those S. GA. baby Kings that I got from Kevin Enge's Giant male last year. So those should be feeding on rats in a couple of years also!!! Keep on - and good luck. One of us WILL break the 6 foot barrier soon!!!

Bigger IS better (especially in Kings)!!!

ZEE

Thanks Zee! I liked your FL King, Crusher, too - is he one of those from around the Tampa area? It seems to have that pattern to it - if so Crusher should be a total beast because those are the largest Kings I've seen in person. In any event Crusher's on his way to 6' land!

You're right, one of us will hit the 6' mark before long and the snake will probably weigh 6+ lbs easy...after that the rest is gravy!

There's nothing nicer in the snake world of NA than a large Eastern or Florida King...in my humble, but biased opinion!

Take it easy!

-John

You've got GOOD taste in Kings!!! Easterns & Florida's the
Royal(est) of the Kings!!! I need to get me a good scale next, curious as to how much mine weighs. He's pretty solid. By the way, he is from an area north west of Miami near the great lake of Florida (where the rat killers roam). I do have a couple of Pinnellas County Kings, though (from Len Krysko). They will also be huge one day. Thanks . . .

TAKE care John

Zee

Zee,

I've got a couple of those Pinnelles Co. kings from Krysko as well - you should see the size of the parents! The kings from that area are really something - unique pattern and good size...perhaps my favorite locale kings in Florida.

Yeah, those kings from around Okeechobee south are really sharp looking snakes and the one's I've seen are tough as hell snakes!

I've also got a female blotched from wc parents I got from Krysko back in Oct. 2002 that is sweet. Sean B's got one from the same clutch I believe? Did you get one from the same clutch Sean...I know we talked about if before? She's developing a cool pattern with that nearly uninterrupted dorsal stripe going down the backbone. Don't think she'll be a beast but will be a nice-sized king nonetheless.

-John

I've also got a female blotched from wc parents I got from Krysko back in Oct. 2002 that is sweet. Sean B's got one from the same clutch I believe? Did you get one from the same clutch Sean...I know we talked about if before? She's developing a cool pattern with that nearly uninterrupted dorsal stripe going down the backbone. Don't think she'll be a beast but will be a nice-sized king nonetheless.

John, I now have two females from that same WC pair Len Krysko has. Both are 2002s but the first one I bought is much larger. She's about 34 inches in length right now. here she is:

This is the second one...Pierson bought her for me from the Daytona show last year. She was much smaller when I got her but she's definitely catching up to her sister.

Here's the second one:

Sean,

Nice shots!

Mine, who I call Jude, is about the size of the one in your second pic and has a similar pattern and color. I'll put a pic up for you and you can see that they are indeed sisters. She's about 28" or so, but not 34" like one of yours; I'll have to double check but she came in at 40 grams or something along those lines last night when I weighed her (I try to do a yearly weighing/measuring of my snakes).

Like yours, her scales are starting to lighten and the dorsal stripe is getting prominent.

-John

I remember seeing some of those last pics of your Apalachicola Kings you posted. Can't wait to see how they look now!

-----

Actually I got that snake from Jonathan Wright in Canada 2.5 years ago and had him for awhile but someone else was taking care of him right before I sent him to you. He wasnt thin though but was lean coming off a non feeding summer as he doesnt eat much of anything between may and august. He looks nice I wish I still had him but then again I can only fit so many rats in my freezer ! LOL.

Keith
-----

Keith,

I think that being in a climate that's very similar to its native one and me not putting him down this winter made a big difference - I use ambient heat as much as possible and have them in a room where they get morning sun. I run the heat/AC and then crack the windows enough to keep the temps. the way I like while providing some "fresh" air to circulate in the room.
He was a large snake when I got it from you but now he's starting to put on some girth being able to feed all year.

He eats at will now and I'm going to keep him on a solid diet and then next year he'll go down along with my 52", 2.1 lbs female that came from the Kevin Enge stock (yes, it was that line Keith) - together they should hopefully produce some cool patterns and be pretty large right out of the egg - the female was the largest hatchling I've ever gotten and it was only 2 weeks old when I got her - still grows like a weed and in a year will be a great mate for that GA beefcake I got from you.

-John

I was going to photograph and post a pic of my "big" male, but at only 58 inches and 1200 g, I'm afraid he would be little more than a snack for that bruiser!

Very nice. Love those S GA kings.
-----
Chris Harrison

Still put up the pic man...we'd love to see it. 58" ain't nothing to sneeze at, and there's plenty of inches to come I'm sure!

Those GA/N. Florida boys do get to be bruisers in size!

-John

That is one sweet looking Eastern John.

3bgu67un