Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Reason number one is this no name male I caught in Sharkey, MS. After spending several days loose in the house I decided it was time to place him into a more secure cage.

Reason two would be this little guy, also with no name.
He's from Acadia, LA off of I-10. He's grown incredibly since we got his little fluke infested self. He's parasite free now, and eating like a champ, and looking better every day!

This girl is reason number three. She is known as Bonnie(her brother's name is Clyde, but he currently resides in the collection of Will Kouns). I hatched her in '03 from a wc female in Oktibbeha, MS.

Do you find holbrooki to be more pissy in captivity than most getula? The only getula that I've been bitten by outside of Cal kings were 2 holbrooki (2 out of 3 that I had here temporarily until they went back to their homes.)

.....I have found this claim to be completely false from my experience. I can not count the number of sources that make speckled kings appear to be captive monsters with irritable attitudes. Evereytime I get a new book or read new literature I see this, "Speckled kingsnakes make great pets, although they seem to be more aggressive than other kingsnakes, and less tolerable of handling. They should never be trusted." I have found this to be so false it makes me wonder if there is some political agenda behind it.

I'm only 21 years of age, and learn new things everyday, but I have had plenty of experience in the field of collecting and handling wc speckled kings. Very rarely do I find one that is irritable, aggressive, defensive, or whatever they call it. They are very calm captives that learn their owners quickly, and will gladly meet you upon walking in the room to explore why you are there.

I wonder if this stereotype has something to do with their feeding response? Mine have an amazing will to eat. So much so that I have to wash my hands between changing water bowls, cleaning cages, etc....if they smell another snake or rodent on my hands they immediately strike anything that is within range(including my fingers and hands).

Sometimes it is upsetting to read all of the negative garbage about them, and I wonder if that's one reason they aren't as popular as other kings. To me, they are just as calm, if not more, than most cali kings, and more impressive than most FL kings. They are the ideal snake.

Something else that could contribute I guess is the locale of whatever founder stock comprises most of the cbh offspring on the market. I know certain locale types of them have been known to be more aggressive than others, and if most of todays cbh juvies are descendants of those then maybe that is why they have the bad rep. I would say that 9 out of 10 kings I catch in MS never even attempt to bite or pose defensively, while in AL when I caith more black kings they seem to be slightly more defensive upon capture. All of the LA kings I have caught seemed to be musk machines, which I also find rarely happens here in MS. Food for thought.

That is good to know. I find speckleds to be very attractive kingsnakes. Here on the West coast, they do not seem to be anywhere near as popular as Florida kings and of course Cal kings.

When you find them in the field, are they very specific in their habitat preferences or are they rather accepting of varied habitats (i.e. wetlands, dry fields, etc)? I've been to Louisiana only once, but not for herping of any kind (unless you call Bourbon Street herping..), and I know little about the nat hist of speckled kings. I'd appreciate any info on the subject. Thanks.

Mark

>>.....I have found this claim to be completely false from my experience. I can not count the number of sources that make speckled kings appear to be captive monsters with irritable attitudes. Evereytime I get a new book or read new literature I see this, "Speckled kingsnakes make great pets, although they seem to be more aggressive than other kingsnakes, and less tolerable of handling. They should never be trusted." I have found this to be so false it makes me wonder if there is some political agenda behind it.
>>
>>I'm only 21 years of age, and learn new things everyday, but I have had plenty of experience in the field of collecting and handling wc speckled kings. Very rarely do I find one that is irritable, aggressive, defensive, or whatever they call it. They are very calm captives that learn their owners quickly, and will gladly meet you upon walking in the room to explore why you are there.
>>
>>I wonder if this stereotype has something to do with their feeding response? Mine have an amazing will to eat. So much so that I have to wash my hands between changing water bowls, cleaning cages, etc....if they smell another snake or rodent on my hands they immediately strike anything that is within range(including my fingers and hands).
>>
>>Sometimes it is upsetting to read all of the negative garbage about them, and I wonder if that's one reason they aren't as popular as other kings. To me, they are just as calm, if not more, than most cali kings, and more impressive than most FL kings. They are the ideal snake.
>>
>>Something else that could contribute I guess is the locale of whatever founder stock comprises most of the cbh offspring on the market. I know certain locale types of them have been known to be more aggressive than others, and if most of todays cbh juvies are descendants of those then maybe that is why they have the bad rep. I would say that 9 out of 10 kings I catch in MS never even attempt to bite or pose defensively, while in AL when I caith more black kings they seem to be slightly more defensive upon capture. All of the LA kings I have caught seemed to be musk machines, which I also find rarely happens here in MS. Food for thought.

I would say that for the most part they appear to be a wetland snake. I have collected most of them along wetland roadsides or field edges. This is especially true in Louisiana and Mississippi. One thing I have noticed over their entire range is that you will catch them on hillsides and rocky ridges, but they are less speckled, almost appearing like black kings. I think Phil Peak may have mentioned this to some degree before. Even if they are well out of range for black kings they seem to have less pronounced spots in the higher areas.

My parents live in west central Alabama, and I can catch several kings on their farm a day if I really want to. Almost all of them are in cow and hay pastures on hillsides, well away from the creek bottoms and lower areas. These snakes though, are more than likely black/speckled intergrades, as some appear more speckled, while under the same tin you may find another that is almost solid black.

I would consider true speckled kings to be a bottomland species along the Mississippi River floodplain, and adjoining habitats, that preys primarily on frogs and other water snake species, along with the many thousands of rodents they encounter. Take into consideration my info is not cited....it is from personal field observations.

I chuckle whenever anyone describes the "perfect King". Most likely, every subspecies is quite similar - in that behavior is usually predictable but can vary not only by locale by for each individual.

I think that every type of King has its neat traits. Lowland species have the advantage of longer activity period and less finicky in diet. I've given up on choosing based on superficial appearance or novelty; I look for curiosity & activity, along with good feeding response. (Bonus points for smooth stalking and tight, fast constriction that incapacitates they prey's head and ends the drama quickly.)

As with People, there will be docile & aggressive individuals. Is this cultural, or based on locale? It can be - but there will always be individuals who defy the rules...

I think its instinctual. Some are like that right out of the egg. I call them type A's. I think you are right about it being individuals and not ssp's. Phil

Regarding behavior, I think a lot of what we see are artifacts of captivity. That is, some snakes are so clumsy and inept at feeding on live prey that I can only wonder if they would survive in the wild? I think not, like raptors, many would starve prior to reproducing. An efficient constrictor is impressive to see, and others almost comical.Vic

I have on 04 female speckled king (Louisiana locality) and when I first had her she was a bit nervous and would head strike with a closed mouth. Maybe musked me a couple of times. After about the third handling, never a problem.
One thing I will say about her, she may not be as large as my Eastern or Florida kings, but I'd say she's my most aggressive feeder I have. Some speckled kings I've seen as adults can get pretty stout.

Steve

Beautiful snakes Matt! I know what you mean about the bad rep that holbrooki gets in the literature for being aggressive. the same thing is consistently written about nigra. I don't know where they get this stuff at. In my experience temperment varies more so with individuals and not ssp's. Once again, great looking snakes. Good luck with your projects. Phil

That is one of my favorite kings. I really like those yellow ones.
What did you use to get rid of the flukes?

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Those are some sweet looking Specks ! I really do love em and want to get some someday. Looks like you have a nice core going there and look forward to furure animals. I would love to see someone start up a Speckled King Resource Site much like mine and Phil Peak has an equally smokin site on Black Kings. Im supposed to get going on a Floridana site but I just cant find the motivation lol.

Keith
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Keith, trust me if I had the talent and the time I would love to establish and operate a natural history and locale site of Speckled kings. It would really be a joy and pleasure to do. Maybe one day when school slows down

Thanks for the comments. You really should get some of these!! They are incredible, and slightly less robust than the other eastern kings, although I have personally seen some that would push 5'. I've heard reports of 6' individuals, but I need to see them to count it as fact.

As far as having a great core group. When I first started looking at breeding them a couple of years ago I wondered which would be the best way to do it. Either buy up some great breeders from other people, or have fun in the field and collect my own. I chose the latter. Why? Because it seems that there are some really unattractive specks out there. I have hand caught several hundred over the last few years just to select the few I have now, and when they are bred they will be bred to snakes from the same road, tin, field, etc. I'm really into locale, can you tell? LOL.

Keith, does Phil have his website up yet on Blackings?

Steve

Yeah I think its live...I hope. Ive seen it but now Im not sure if its ready yet. Better ask Phil.

Keith
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