Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an empty 55 gallon aquarium and I am interested in mex. black kingsnakes and I was wondering if I could house 2 of them in it together. Do they have to be same sex or opposite sex to get along?

Well, since I believe they are known to eat other snakes....I'd guess the answer is 'no'.
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they really may eat each other. About 8 years ago i kept 2 baby mexican black kings togther in the same tank. i had kept them together since they hatched out of the egg. they would never show any interest in each other or canibalistic tendencies. they would even lay on top of each other in the very warm cage and even share the same hidebox, even though they had several hideboxes to choose from in the tank away from each other. i would of course fed them seperately and spray them with a little retpi health electolyte spray to take the scent of pinkies off of them when i placed them back in the tank. for about a year and a half later i was observing them in the tank one night seeing with the night bulb and the male must have been a little startled when i looked in the tank and then the female attacked the male and started constricting him. i guess from his startling movement. i carefully seperated the 2 after running them under a little bit of cool water for a few seconds.Since then i never kept to kingsnakes together. i had even kept 2 california mtn kings together for 4 yrars together and on the 4th yr the male tried to eat the female. its not worth taking the chances. thank dave

Some persons, in VERY unique situations, have successfully housed Kings together. Mostly this works with females who have been raised together, of the same size.

Mex Blacks, however, are known to be among the most aggressive feeders! (I know, I have one now.) That subspecies I would LEAST trust to experiment with Cannabilism.

Never put a male & female together long-term. Generally, Kings should NEVER be housed together - they are snake-eating predators with a voracious feeding response.