i was just curious...what can kings eat other then mice? and other snakes of course but will they eat anoles like corn snakes? what do they eat in the wild? any info is appreciated 
looking to feed my king something new
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what else can kings eat?
Chuck420
Apr 07, 2004 06:42 PM
Replies (5)
the nerve
Apr 07, 2004 07:27 PM
Kings are opportunistic predators and will feed on rodents, lizards, amphibians, and of course other snakes (including venemous ones like rattlesnakes and copperheads). They will also eat things like eggs and birds if they have the opportunity to do so. Around here, the Cal kings love to eat western fence lizards. I'm sure in the southeast they love to eat anoles.
In captivity, feeding your kingsnake rodents is best. If you feed him lizards or snakes there is a good chance that your king could contract parasites from the prey item.
twh
Apr 07, 2004 08:34 PM
i sometimes feed my kings parts of chicken wings,the very end tips,almost all bone (high in calcium)
4everherpn
Apr 08, 2004 03:04 AM
I'd stick to mice. They are available all year round. You never know if your Cali king might grow an affinity to lizards and not eat mice when you try to feed them. I've heard of thios happening with other Lampros, but don't know if getula and its ssp do the same thing.
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14 Leopard Geckos 5.9.0
2 Tokay Geckos 2.0.0
1 Graybanded Kingsnake 1.0.0 (on vacation in my house)
1 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 1.0.0
1.0 Ambystoma sp. "Axolotl"
evers310
Apr 08, 2004 01:40 PM
when I first got my king he would only eat lizards, it wasn't to bad then because it was summer. Once winter came around there were no more lizards, he refused to eat pinkies. Finally he ate his first pinkey but he went close to 2 months without eating. I wasted a lot of pinkeys. Now he's eating about 4 pinkies a week
nategodin
Apr 08, 2004 07:53 AM
... well, maybe if you had a 6' getula, or one of the large milks... JUST KIDDING. 
The two things you have to be careful of are parasites and your snake getting "addicted" to an unusual food source. Most anoles and common geckos you see in pet stores are wild-caught, which means they're full of parasites. Why risk it? Also, I've heard of snakes getting hooked on hamsters or gerbils, I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it's something to consider. Some snakes are very finicky, others will eat anything that looks or smells edible. For a small snake that normally eats mice, it probably wouldn't hurt to offer it a very small rat or a small whole fish once in a while. For a large king or milk, an occasional day-old chick, quail, or maybe even rabbit probably wouldn't hurt.
Nate
