Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been looking into this type of snake . I am interested in the albino form. I notice they dont seem to be to popular here.
I read they grow to 40 inches max same care as Ca king. I wanted to ask are they lizard feeders and hard to get to eat mice?
Why arent they popular seems no one interested in them ,harder to keep than most kings?
Any advice,input would be great.
Thank you

I have asked that question many times on this forum with no definite answer.
One downfall the albino morph of the Queratero (Ruthveni) has is its infertility when breedin albino to albino. For a higher fertility albino to het breeding is the norm.
Ruthveni usually eat readily on mice. They are not as stubborn as some alterna or thayeri, but even some getula or corns are stubborn at times.
I got a pair the year before last (2003). I will be breeding them next year. I am also going to pick up a pair of double het for striped amelanistic Ruthveni from Justin Mitcham. I think this new morph will be awesome and the infertility problem will be absent with the double homozygous genes........
John Lassiter
Here is my albino male.

Here is my het for albino female Ruthveni...

Great looking snakes both of them. I am looking into the albino type but must say the reg type is great looking to.
I couldnt find much info on them they arent popular at all. Such a great looking snake to.
I wanted to ask a few questions.
They average 3 to 4 feet?
Care same as Ca king?
How are their tempermeants?
Thanks.
Rita

Rita,
I have never been bitten by mine. When they are young they tend to musk sometimes but if handled regularily they calm down quickly. If I did not have 85 snakes I would handle all mine more than I do now. They are great snakes....can't wait to produce some myself.
John Lassiter

Wow 85 snakes . This will be my 3rd snake . Thanks for the info glad I asked. They are great looking snakes look foward to having one soon in my small "collection" lol.
Thanks.
Rita

Queretaro kingsnakes (Lampropeltis ruthveni) are a montane kingsnake from Mexico. They come from the elevated plateau area in and around Queretaro in habitat that has lots of rock formation just below the surface of the ground.

There seems to be two strains in captivity, at least at one time. I had a few that were big and darker as adults, and a few that were more slender and brighter and looked more like CA Mtn kings. I got the smaller type from Bob Applegate I think, and I forgot where I got the others. The difference in size and girth was readily apparent though. I could be wrong.. it might just be individual variation, but it also may be a locality difference.

They will bask at temps of 84 deg but must be able to get away from the heat as well. Make sure you keep most of the cage area cool. Babies should have a humid hide spot, like a pile of sphagnum moss partially on the heated area. Bottom heat works fine for them.

Once the babies are feeding they eat pretty well from then on. Some babies may require lizard scenting, but it seems most will feed on pinks.

The adults have a fairly calm disposition. I really like this species. But, they can be a challenge to breed. It seems that some people have no problems, but for others it can be hit or miss. I think they key is the brumation period. Perhaps a longer brumation helps. Some people try going to 50 deg instead of 55 deg for 3 months. Others go 55-60 deg but for a good 4-5 months.

These snakes can get over 3ft, but they still aren't a large kingsnake. A sweater box type cage is perfect for this species. Good luck with them. They really are a nice snake.

>>I have been looking into this type of snake . I am interested in the albino form. I notice they dont seem to be to popular here.
>> I read they grow to 40 inches max same care as Ca king. I wanted to ask are they lizard feeders and hard to get to eat mice?
>> Why arent they popular seems no one interested in them ,harder to keep than most kings?
>> Any advice,input would be great.
>> Thank you
-----
Mark G

Great info Mark.....
I am sure that will help many firt time Ruthvens owners...
John Lassiter