This is the female Hillson's creaming himself over; she's a female that I got in '01 from Enge or someone else at the Tampa show. I remember the person saying "don't feed it too much, it's only a hatchling and it's only had one meal" - the snake was the biggest hatch kingsnake I'd ever seen (15-17" maybe) and had totally red banding for the first 15 months or so. In four years she's about 57" and is a total lawn mower of a snake - super agressive feeder and a veteran of at least 8 snake battles, to include watersnakes, ratsnakes - a larger one than her too - pygmies, a timber rattler, a cottonmouths, and a copperhead (all of them envenomated her). She hasn't eaten another snake in 2 years though and outside of her I haven't fed my other kings snakes in over 5 years - just too cruel IMO...too violent too watch.
Here's the kicker, she came from south-central Georgia OR north-central Florida (take your pick, it's very similar habitat); not only that, I'm very familiar with Echols Co, GA because I've done plenty of rare plant surveys in that part of state - my good friend has a farm in Brooks Co, so I'd go crash there and then go out and hunt for rare plants. It's not far from Tally as it is, anyway.
BTW, are you the one originally from MO? I ask because I may be moving back there VERY soon, and I've got to talk to Hillson about it since he wants her for the 8-9 months he needs to breed her.
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Peace.
-John
