kingsnake good pets?

[GailC]

There is a baby kingsnake I'm considering getting. How are they are pets? can they be handled at all? What about price, this guy is about 15 inches, black & white banded for $60.00. Should I go for it? He's eating well on frozen/thawed pinkies and looks really healthy.

 

[scottyk]

Kings make good pets, and their care is similar to corns. There are two things you should look out for IMO....'

Generally speaking, Kings can be more difficult about handling than other colubrids. Since they usually calm down as they grow, try handling it before you buy. If it won't calm down after a couple of minutes and/or is pooping all over you, it may always be difficult. You just never know for sure. Corns are supposed to be easy, and I have one that I need to take out with a hook, and is completely psycho for a couple of hours after eating. I call her my little cobra , and she was like that from day one. I have others that wait at the screen top like puppies and slither right up my arm when I open thier cages.

The other thing about Kings is their scent can make other snakes jumpy and defensive. If you have others, always handle or feed your King last, and wash up good. FYI, I have never seen this with my, or any other Kings in friends collections, but have read about it often. It may be mostly BS though.....

$60 is spot on for a healthy 15" California Kingsnake. Right about what you'd expect to pay. Good luck if you get him!

 

[Galapoheros]

Do you like snakes? Kind of sounds like a Cal. King. If you like snakes, go for it. If it bites, it's not much different than playing with a scratchy cat but it's hard to see it that way . After a while, it will stop biting. But many won't bite you anyway. Funny though, some snakes just have a different personality/attitude. But most Kings aren't long term biters (if they even bite at all).

 

[Beardo]

$60 for a baby California Kingsnake is very high. I have bought and sold adult females for that price at reptile shows.

 

[GailC]

Yah, I like snakes. I used to have a 4 ft ball but she was too hard to feed so I sold her. I've never delt with any kind of colubrids and was actually interested in a rosy boa but snakes are few and far between where I live.
I'm kinda worried about the whole heat/humidity issue with snakes. When I had my ball I was constantly adjusting her cage to keep it at the proper specs.
I'll check out some care sheets over the next couple of days and then make a decision.
Last question for now, would an adult be ok in a 75 gallon tank? hopefully I will sell one of my bearded dragons soon and I'll have a big empty tank.

 

[GailC]

Ok, so I lied. one More question. Is there anyway to sex a baby besides probing or popping? I can't do either and there are no reptile vets around.

 

[Beardo]

Try and see if there are any reptile shows near you...thats definitely going to be your best bet of finding a snake that fits you.

A 75 gallon tank would be a massive enclosure for a fully-grown kingsnake. Something equivalent to a 20 gallon-long tank (I personally don't like using glass aquariums for snakes, I use rubbermaid/sterilite containers instead) would be perfect. The good thing about most North American colubrids commonly seen in the pet trade is that they are very hardy and easy to care for, muc moreso than a Ball Python.

And no, there is no accurate way to sex a snake other than popping or probing in most cases. Some species are sexually dimorphic, but not any NA colubrids that I can think of.

 

[GailC]

Thanks David, I've decided not to get the kingsnake. I'm going to wait for a small boa, I just really like them better. The closest reptile show is 6-8 hour drive over in Seattle and if I went there all my $$ would go to tarantulas LOL. I'll probably just order online if I can find a good breeder/dealer, I don't want wild caught.
I might also look into some kind of insect eating snake since I have 3 roach colonies

 

[scottyk]

$60 for a baby California Kingsnake is very high. I have bought and sold adult females for that price at reptile shows.

Please feel free to come to the White Plains Expo sometime

I would imagine that prices are affected by region. I've never seen an adult King of any kind for under $100 around here

 

[pitbulllady]

I've seen adult female albino Cal Kings at reptile shows here in the Carolinas for under $100.00, and a baby black-and-white banded should go for around 35.00. If you like Boas better, fine, but keep in mind that they require much more particular care than a King Snake. Most Colubrids are just much easier to care for than Boids.

I've also found that the Eastern Kings tend to be much less "nippy" than the Cal Kings do, even as youngsters. I've caught several Eastern Chain Kings, and only found a couple which were defensive-aggressive at all. Most can be readily free-handled, even large adults, right after being caught, without attempting to bite, though they will musk at first. As long as you don't smell like another snake, no problems!

pitbulllady

 

[ReptileMan27]

Kings make great pet snakes, they are very easy to care for but do tend to be more nippy and likely to musk then corns. I payed $60 for my striped albino cal king I had, I cant remember ever seeing them for less then that besides on the net and on the net you have to add like $50 for shipping.

 

[ktblotchking07]

One place you might look is www.herpstation.net

I have personally bought a baby blotched kingsnake from the website and they are VERY nice. The store is based in Florida, but they offer overnight shipping at a good price and they will put heaters in the box for free if you're worried about the temp. in Seattle.
The website is very good about price (I bought my king for $45) and their snakes come in good health and quality.

Good luck in you buy.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I'm sure the person who asked this question over a year ago appreciates it.

Thread necromancy never gets old.

 

[arrowhd]

lol. I wonder what he ended up with?