Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

Does anybody out there produce cbb scarlet kingsnakes? I really like these snakes but I don't want a wc one. Please let me know,

Rafael

rafael-i got a nice pair from larry in pa.-he has some from fl. lineage and some from carolina...these were captive bred-he has both captives and wild caughts,but he's honest about what's what(e.g. feeding,etc.).give him a call at (610)372-4509 it's cool to tell him where you got his number if he asks.good luck,justin.

Well having tried to raise them from babies I bred 3 years in a row I would say be prepared to pay a bit more. They are very difficult to get on pinks because of their size and for some reason many people I talked to had a problem with a sudden die off at about 6 months old of otherwise healthy snakes. I know Mark (crimsonking) had bred some in the past but I don't know if he actually raised them. Also realize that the babies will likely have a parasite load from wc food items. I no longer bother breeding them myself.

One other thing to look for is that the CB animals are feeding on domestic pinks. I heard that somebody was selling CB babies that where feeding on pygmy mice pinks but they would not switch over to regular pinks. The seller would then offer to sell you pygmy mouse pinks but they where not cheap. The person I spoke to said that his SK was still eating pygmy mice but it was taking adults and they where not cheap at all. I don't know how true this was but I do know that the pygmy mice pinks are about 1/3 the size and are a big help in getting them going on rodents. I never got to try to switch them as I got rid of them before the where big enough. I don't see why it would be hard to switch them over but I figured I would let you know.

Later Jason

I had none this past summer but 25 the summer before (4 clutches). Hopefully, I will have more this summer. I will tell you that if you want a CBB scarlet king to reduce the harvesting of WC then thats great. But if you think a CBB SK will be w/o possible parasites think again because they all really need ground skinks to get them going before switching over to pinks....I refuse to force feed mouse tails. just not my style. here is one of my CBB from summer 2004

>>I had none this past summer but 25 the summer before (4 clutches). Hopefully, I will have more this summer. I will tell you that if you want a CBB scarlet king to reduce the harvesting of WC then thats great. But if you think a CBB SK will be w/o possible parasites think again because they all really need ground skinks to get them going before switching over to pinks....I refuse to force feed mouse tails. just not my style. here is one of my CBB from summer 2004

They certainly are beautiful creatures. At how many months do the majority of them become "established" on pinks? I know that there are "individuals" out there, but on the average, how many months old are the established "pinky" eaters?
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3 Corns - Squall (Normal), Freya (Normal), Peyton (Amel)
2 Florida Kings - Thor & Lilith
1 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake - MacLeod

It all depends on how much they eat as hatchlings. If you have a ton of ground skinks and can get them to put on weight quickly they will switch over as soon as they can swallow a just born scented pink (6-8 months). They scent over very easily since their primary stimulus to eat seems to be olfactory. I fed some thin strips of scented F/T white chicken when I ran low on skinks.
BTW, anoles work on some but nothing works like ground skinks. Its like crack to them. Never feed them on aspen shavings. I lost 2 six month olds because of a tiny piece of shaving getting lodged in their mouths. their mouths are so small as it is since they are really meant to eat thin cylindrical skinks and snakes. I had some newborns eat scented pink parts from the start, and others refuse everything but live ground skinks.

some hatchlings and my best breeder.....

Do you see them as much as most kings here and there or do they hide 24/7?
They sure are nice looking.

Rita

they hide and come out at night. if you want to see them have a red light in your herp room to observe them at night.
otherwise you can use a smooth piece of glass for them to hide under and be able to at least see them. most tend to stay nervous and even musk if disturbed unless you handle them everday. Most have strong feeding responses and often eat out of your fingers but still do not really appreciate being held for long at all. bottom line, they are not "pets".

Oh if they come out at night for awhile I guess they are like a typical kingsnake. MY Arizona mt king hides a lot but comes out at night here and there so I imagine same thing.
I can however handle my kingsnake any time and its incredibly calm. I guess these are more like look at snakes.

Thanks
Rita

yeah that's true,but i started mine on just thawed skinks,never had to give them a live one...so i am sure that reduced the parasite load.and the remaining parasites should go out with the change of their diet to lab rodents(pinkies)

I definitely agree with you and try to freeze all my lizards before feeding. But, even with freezing not all the parasites are killed. I dont think it matters that much because they were designed to eat lizards which naturally have a hig parasite load. Its just that I am VERY VERY careful not to cross-contaminate between them and other collection. still, nothing is cooler than a newborn scarlet king eating live prey. They are gram for gram true kingsnakes!!!!

Do you happen to know just how heavy the "parasite load" is in a given lizard? Skink ? Anole? Any differences?
It sounds as if you've done some research and I was wondering what you found...
I have never done any research of my own and have just taken others' word for it.
Do you worm your wc? With what and what dosage???
Thanks.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

hey Mark,
I have taken microbiology and parasitology classes in medical school and read alot about this but am no expert...we all know watersnakes are loaded with parasites yet they do well untreated in captivity. I never treat my WC SKs but I do check their stools from time to time and am amazed at the lack of ova and parasites.But I have seen lots in the anoles they eat. I keep their shoeboxes meticulously clean and wash with water/chlorox and always have a clean one ready.
Mark, I did some reading lately about sushi however in the medical journals since I LOVE sushi. well, forget sushi. I will NEVER eat sushi or cerviche again. No raw fish for me again.Too bad, but its not worth the risk. Same with raw oysters (my favorite).
BTW, I was surprised to read that the gartersnake experts say earthworms have a high parasite load and suggest freezing them first also.

I should have added that professional sushi chefs are trained to pretreat raw fish by freezing. Here is their FDA guidelines which probably are suitable for freezing feeders for snakes. I just wonder if our freezers go down that low.
"FDA recommends that all fish and shellfish intended for raw (or semi-raw such as marinated or partly cooked) consumption be blast frozen to –35°C (–31°F) or below for 15 h, or be regularly frozen to –20°C (–4°F) or below for 7 days."

I was just wondering whether there are other biota involved to keep the baddies in check in the WC individuals, etc.
I doubt most consumer freezers do better than 0F, huh?
We just left East Point on our oyster run last year before the hurricane did it's damage, but I bet we'll be back soon...
No sushi for me but oysters are one exeption. At least for now.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

I also have done some damage on the raw sliders in "That Place on 98". They don't get any fresher or sweeter than Eastpoint oysters......

Yup. They carried them from the boat to my hands. Into the cooler and we ate oysters for 3 days! The cool season are the best however and a bit fatter. What's the situation over there? Up and running?? Great. Now I'm starvin'!
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com