New snake owner

[EL Ziggy]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone and thanks for all of the helpful information I've found on the forum. I do have a couple of questions I could use help with. I bought a baby Cal King from a pet store in Feb. and he's doing just great. I figure he's about 6 months old. His name is Caesar. He's roughly 16 in long and approximately an inch in diameter. I've been feeding him 1-2 f/t fuzzies every 5 days but he's seems like he could eat a little more sometimes. Last time there was only 3 days between feedings. I've heard differing opinions on how often kings should be fed and was looking for some advice. Also, is it better to feed him mice or rats, or does it really matter. I've heard people say their snakes tend to bulk up a little more on rats. Are there any other foods I could feed him like chicks or baby rabbits as he gets older? Thanks for listening and I'll post pictures soon.

[Lankyrob]

Welcome to the forum

[rocknhorse76]

Welcome to the forum. I don't really know much about kings since I'm mostly a boa guy, but someone will chime in and help you.

[Starbuck]

Welcome!
It sounds as though you may be overfeeding your kingsnake a bit :P
For a snake that size, i generally feed once every 7 days, a prey item just slightly larger than their diameter.
King snakes are known to be voracious eaters (my two never let me down there lol), and im quite certain mine would eat as many mice as i would give them, until they were stuffed up to the gills. My point here is that you can't necessarily use their feeding response to dictate how much you feed. They are kind of like puppies or toddlers, and don't know when to stop!
for a kingsnake the size you are describing, i would feed every 7 days, and appropriate sized prey item (fuzzy? maybe hopper?) the longer interval between feedings is better for their gi tract, it gives them more time to digest completely, and to rest in between feedings. More frequently than that and you are powerfeeding your snake, which results in a shorter lifespan, can result in dystocias in females, and obesity.

i do not know of any california kingsnakes who should be fed rabbits (even small rabbits); they really shouldnt get that big. If you would like to feed rats, that is very doable, but many many cali kings can be kept successfully their entire lives on mice, rats are not necessary (as opposed to a BP or pine snake, that will need rats as an adult).
I have two kingsnakes now (and two other lampropeltis sp.), and they are all growing at about 1ft/year, i.e. my almost 3 year old is almost 3 feet, my 2.5 year old is 2.5 feet... Im expecting them to max out at about 4.5 feet.

[sweatshirt]

Welcome to the forum, and I agree that you should slow down the feedings ;)

[Ourobouros]

Rule of thumb: meal size should be no more than 1 1/2 times the size of the largest part of the snakes body.

If the snake eats very quickly, usually it means it's still hungry, but I wont give mine more than 2 pinkie mice every 4 days because my snake is only 12 inches long...and I'd rather err on the side of caution. When I worked at petsmart we fed snakes of your size about 1-2 fuzzies or 3 pinkies once a week. I just decide based on my snake's behavior and overall size. =D

[EL Ziggy]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I think I will slow down a bit on the feedings. Stick with every 5-7 days and maybe just one food item with the occasional seconds. I'll get pics of the king up soon. Its good to see nice people who care a lot about beautiful snakes, other animals and other people. I'm working on that MBK or reverse striped cali king next. Wish me luck.

[marvelfreak]

24227
Nice to have you join us.

[Trent]

hi and welcome!

[EL Ziggy]

Anybody know of a good place to buy that mbk or reverse striped cal king? I'm in GA.

[Jules1618]

Welcome, hope you enjoy the hobby
Feed once every 7 days a cal should not eat more then a sm - med rat is usually fine at adulthood
Adult mice are also fine

[Ourobouros]

Anybody know of a good place to buy that mbk or reverse striped cal king? I'm in GA.

I got my MBK from bhbreptiles.com and I was waiting since March.. I got one but .then the next day they sold out. Keep checking and they may have more. They try to double clutch in the breeding season.

There is also this other breeder I found and emailed. She has some MBK eggs now according to her site.

Liz's King Snakes in Durham, NC (http://www.lizskingsnakes.com/?m=1)

[Concept9]

Good morning and welcome. :)

[RyanReptile]

Welcome! :)