Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. I have been seeing a numerous amoutn of King Snakes at my house lately. I hardly ever see them, normally I just get Garter Snakes and Gopher Snakes at my house but it seems like the Kings wanna join the party! I am wondering how King Snakes can be kept as pets. I think they are beautiful creatures and the one si've seen hav'nt been too frightened of me, they even let me pick them up. I am thinking if I found a baby by possibly adopting it. I dunno. But do they make good pets, and what are the good/bad thigns about them as pets?

Kings make great pets. My husband thinks the wild ones are better because they aren't in-bred, so they have less personality quirks than captive bred. They are usually very docile and non agressive. My husband and I have been road hunting many times and haven't found one yet. We saw 3 but they were dead

You should try keeping one! They do make great pets.

What about their bites and teeth? SO they ahve sharp or big teeth, and are their bites painful?

Kingsnakes have very small teeth, and they rarely bite. California Kingsnakes have a reputation for being a little bit more "nippy" than other kings, but they settle down fast, and make great pets. Check the laws in your state regarding collecting wild snakes. Sometimes there are restrictions or permits required to collect wild snakes. One of the downsides to collecting a wild snake is the fact that they may have internal or external parasites. They need to be checked closely to see if they have mites, tapeworms, etc..

I love the natural beauty of wild snakes.

I agree with everyone else; but don't be fooled, kings can and will inflict a nasty bite if they sense "food" on your fingers/hand or are biting out of self-defense, and they hang on with some tenacity too; they have very powerful jaws and a large king can put some slices on you.

Having said that, they are usually very docile snakes, even wild caught ones. As far as parasites, I agree too that they should be wormed...I worm my captives (whether wild caught or captive bred) because kings naturally tend to develop a gut load.

My very first king was a crisp, white and black Cali and it was a great snake. But I disagree that they are the more aggressive of kings: speckled kings, deserts, and Florida kings tend to be very agressive when smaller and I bet 75% of my bites still come from Florida kings - I always found the Cals I had to be the tamest...but then again I've never caught one in the wild.

Either way, just make sure you know how to care for your wild caught pet if you decide to go for it.

And I agree again with the others, the natural variation in kings is amazing and quite beautiful, and I prefer to have wc myself.

Good luck!

-John