Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there,

I recently (about 3 weeks ago) purchased a beautiful young King snake, but I'm not sure exactly what type it is. I was told it is a Desert King, but I'm not sure if that's just a general term, etc. Also, is there any way you can estimate how old the snake is from the pictures? The sales person told me it was "pretty young" but didn't know the specifics.

Here's Sebastian (first time I got him to eat):

I hope I posted the images correctly, and thanks in advance for your help!

-Michelle

..commonly referred to simply as 'Splendida' or 'L.G. Splendida', which are both short for 'Lampropeltis Getula Splendida'. And from the looks of it he's an '04 hatch, probably no more than 2-3 months old.
I am no expert on desert kings, if you want specific locality info there are plednty of fine people on this forum who'd know better than I

Pretty little guy, congrats!
Best of luck,
~Roo
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"Klaatu...Verata...Nicht--cough, cough, cough!"

np
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

nm

"And from the looks of it he's an '04 hatch, probably no more than 2-3 months old."

I have an '03 desert king that isn't that big yet and another about that size, but your right, probably '04. Mine hatched late, started slow and were brumated. Going strong now, though.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

lol well it could also be me being a dummy too, as I've been used to seeing mine and other people's monster Easterns & Floridanas for the last year or so...

But the features on that baby look like a wee one despite it's size, if you can understand what I mean by that.

I just had some BIG Calis hatch out that are ALMOST the size of their '03 holdback siblings from the same parents...and I know thats because they were indeed brumated, same as yours.

Best of luck, I'm glad he's doing well for you =)

~Roo
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"Klaatu...Verata...Nicht--cough, cough, cough!"