Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This guy will not eat mice. But I have'nt given up yet. I tried lizard maker with no luck. Tried scenting with no luck. Tried lizard blood with no luck. He will eat f/t lizards. I will try some scented live pinks. It's a pain in the neck, but I'm a zonata nut.

TH

I like that zonata a lot. Maybe you could try feeding him a lizard tail for a bit, then try a scented mouse tail? Just an idea.

Where do you live? Do you live in California? Are zonata even available in CA? I'd like to breed them a few years down the line, but I don't think it's legal in CA.
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-Andy

I'm not expert but I had an interest in cali mountain kings too, they are soo gorgeous and I wanted a captive born cus my parents live in the sierras and I didn't want to go taking it out of its habitate if I could help it... well they don't sell em and I wondered why so I thought maybe theres some funny law about it, so I read the fish and game thing on the net. Apparently you are allowed to catch and keep one cali mountain king (four common) if you have a fishing licence, you can breed if you get an educational permit but theres a limit on the number you can own and your not allowed to sell them. Theres a list of animals that they make exceptions for, common cali kings are on it, not mountain kings. All this seems really silly if you ask me... can't we change the laws or something? I wouldn't mind having to get a permit or something that at least would make some since. they are endangered or threatened either. I checked that as well. Oh I forgot, this only applies to those snakes native to the state of california, there are some species in mexico and utah and arizona (knoblachi I think) that are perfectly legal as far as I know.
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

So you can go and catch a threatened species from the wild, but you can't set up a captive breeding program? If people would breed them and sell them, the pressure on wild specimens would drop.

It's too bad because I think they are the most beautiful snake in the U.S. They are definately have the best coloration out of any kingsnake or milksnake. But I'm really reluctant to take a wild one, if I could even FIND one.
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-Andy

meant to say they aren't threatened not that they are, its still pretty silly though.
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

I remember reading in Reptiles magazine, and somewhere else, that they are a protected species under CA law.
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-Andy

The bag and possession limit for zonata in California is one. The only limitation is that you cannot collect or possess the L.z. pulchra subspecies. All of the other subspecies can be legally collected, but you can only keep one total (not for each subspecies). No subspecies or population is listed as threatened.

>>I remember reading in Reptiles magazine, and somewhere else, that they are a protected species under CA law.
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>>-Andy
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Rick Staub
R&R Reptiles

We had one on our driveway once, we let it go since they prey on rattlers and aren't poisonous, only time I've seen one here tho. I think my mom would have prefered we killed it, she's snake phobic so anything snake-like makes her scream, including the aligator lizards that thrive in her sewing room.
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My greybands:
Prince Mandrake and Princess Caldera

Your correct Rick. In the January 2002 issue of Reptiles, there was a huge section on zonata and it explained the bag limit, etc. I did some reseaerch on the collecting laws, etc (as i live in CA and am a zonata crazed person lol).
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Zach Lim
Carnivorous Plant Grower and Herper
http://www.geocities.com/sf_snakes/index.html

I don't live in California, so I'm not familiar with the wildlife laws. I knew that this snake was'nt eating mice when I got it as a trade. I got some good experience training hatchling red milks (syspila) to eat pinks. They did not take as much persuasion.

TH