Kingsnakes! Oh my!

So I entered a contest at bigeasyreptiles and I won a pair of banana kings! Okay so I never really even thought about getting these...but hey all new snakes are fun right? I have done some basic research and I have gotten proper setups for them. But now..umm tell me more! What can I expect from king snakes? They are coming next tuesday.... Anyone have some? Pictures you can share?

I think Im right in saying you shouldnt keep these together, as Kingsnakes are cannibalistic & eat each other & other snakes. Should have a similar temperament to your corn, they have a habit of "musking" from there anal glands if handled, which some owners find unpleasant.

Others will correct me if I am wrong.

Enjoy your new snakes.

congrats i have no experience with kingsnakes i've heard alot musk more and are alittle nippier but thats just what i've heard and every snake is different

Oh yes I have two setups. I know better than that!

whippet said:

Oh yes I have two setups. I know better than that!

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erm................... just trying to be helpful.

Barry T S said:

erm................... just trying to be helpful.

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Oh no...I was not upset or anything! I was just being silly...it just didn't translate well online. I am sorry.

Well Congrats on those King Snakes! King Snakes are fun, and awesome, i hope you like your pair. If you want them to breed brumate them during winter time is good, but since they are young you wont have too do that. GOOD LUCK ON THEM!
http://www.lonesomevalleyreptiles.com/calking.htm this buy has some of the best king snakes i ever seen, and i believe he has some banana kingsnakes.

Just that everyone know what you're talking about... you mean L.Getula Californiea right?

There are quite a few other "kingsnakes" such as the L.Mexicana line....

I imagine it's the cali' ones, which are cute

Congrats on the new snakes! I have one cali king, and he is no different in care between my corns and my rat snakes. Same temps, same humidity, same feeding schedule. Kings tend to be a little more tempermental and jumpy, but my boy is very calm. If they haven't really been handled, be prepared for plenty of musk and getting tagged by them, especially if you smell like mouse! Thats the one thing different about kings, is their awesome feeding response! Hence, why a lot of us call them our "garbage disposals". Good luck, and be sure to post pics!

My (sadly missed) mexican black king produced the most awful 'rotten cheese musk' in the shop, but only a slight whiff after I got him home. My integrade has never musked, but his feeding response is awesome!

Simply tossing this out for discussion... as Kings include other snakes on their dinner menu, is there a need to house them in seperate rooms and to be extra careful not to have their scent about you when you handle your other snakes and visa versa?

Congrats on the win!!

Congrats! Thats so awesome!

You're so lucky!! Just do a search for "Choco" and you will find a million accounts of how wonderful, superior, intelligent, gentle, friendly, inventive my Cali King is! I _love_ my Chocolee! He knows _eight_ tricks now- he just invented a new one this week! (Probably because I'd been playing with Lila too much...)

I don't know if it's just him, but he is VERY active. Out all the time. He likes the same temps as corns, but kings/milks sometimes can't eat as big a prey as a similar-sized corn, so he gets two smaller mice instead of one bigger- the same as my other kings/milks.



Nanci

Kings in general are awesome snakes. They are my favorite variety...[can't believe I said that on a cornsnake forum]...

Couple things...Cali's are primarily diurnal, so you *should* see more activity during the daytime, which is always entertaining. They also have a superb feeding response. My Florida female has never missed a meal, and usually wants seconds.

Generally speaking...same care as corns. For the caresheets that I wrote and give out at the shop...I don't make a distinction between kings, corns, and milks. They are all included in the same care sheet, which, if you want one...let me know. I would be happy to email it to you.

As regards the question of speration...I keep my snakes all in the same room. However, I do make certain not to have any "food" odors on my hands when handling kings...including other snakes or lizards. I never handle a snake of any species with mouse scent on my skin, but also always make sure to not have any reptile scent on my skin when handling kings. Just a precaution. My big Cali is the only one that would regularly bite. Sadly...he passed away on me. I had a smaller Cali that was so gentle and docile that I gave him to a young kid that wanted a snake and couldn't afford one. All in all...great pets.

Congrats on the Score!!

I love king snakes, when I went to collect my new corn snake Sabrina, I handled the mans full collection of about 20 snakes, his king snakes where just awesome! I did get musked though LOL, but its not that bad, just have to wash your hands thats all.

I just love hybrids, future jungle corn plans?

whippet said:

Oh no...I was not upset or anything! I was just being silly...it just didn't translate well online. I am sorry.

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No offence taken:dancer:

Simply tossing this out for discussion... as Kings include other snakes on their dinner menu, is there a need to house them in seperate rooms and to be extra careful not to have their scent about you when you handle your other snakes and visa versa?

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Nope, just be smart and wash your hands really well though..

Regrds.. Tim of T and J

DaGiant said:

My King never Musked me, but was a bitey beast..

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Yes he is a bitey beast, but I would hate to be musked on by the king.

I really love my kings! I started with a pair of Cali kings, but have since added a pair of Thayeri kings and a pair of Florida kings (Brooksi). My male Cali king has never musked, but he can get very food aggressive at times, biting at anything within reach, including himself.



My female started out being a bit of a musker, but she's settled down quite a bit now and is actually a terrific pleasure to hold at the moment. I still haven't gotten used to the different feel to the king snakes when compared to the corn snakes.