Kingsnake Weight

[grace1448]

Heyo,

I have some questions about my kingsnake's weight. She's 2-3yrs old, around 30 inches long, and weighs 142 grams. Is that a healthy weight? I'm finding it hard to find information on kingsnake weight.

Secondly, should I be feeding her rats or mice?

Let me know!! :p

[Andy_G]

Hey Grace! Nice to see someone from my town on here. What kind of kingsnake is she? The subspecies can vary as far as adult weight is concerned but I would be happy to provide you with an average depending on the subspecies. You can do mice, rats, or both. What is she eating now?

[Albert Clark]

A picture is worth a thousand words. IDK if there is a standard weight chart for any snake but there are certain markers to visually assess the normal to overweight animal.

[Andy_G]

There are certainly average sizes for each species but you are definitely right, Albert.

[Andy_G]

I just saw that it's a california kingsnake from another thread. Average adult size for these guys is around 600-800 grams, but adults can range anywhere from 400-1500 grams. Pictures would help us identify if your growing snake is of healthy weight and we can also help you figure out of your feeding regimen is correct.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome to the forum Grace. I know every animal grows at different rates but 142g for a 2-3 y/o king seems a little light IMO. My kings are 3 and 4 y/o. They currently weigh 650g and 880g each. They were 200g and 450g at the one year mark and 430g and 733g at two years. My female MBK has always been a little larger than my male Cal King even though she's the younger of the two. He tends to fast during breeding season and the winter so he really only eats about 6 months out of the year. She eats about 9 months out of the year and will fast during winter. What's your feeding schedule like?

[grace1448]

Hey! It wouldn't let me post pics before because I'm so new.

She is a Reverse Striped California Kingsnake. 2-3yrs old. We are currently feeding her 1 fairly large rat fuzzy (I always pick out the big ones at the store) once a week. That being said, she's definitely ready to up in size next feeding.

[Andy_G]

Nice king! Looks healthy as well. I would do rat pups or adult mice once a week at this point. Probably should've made the jump up earlier which caused the slightly smaller size, but nothing to worry about.

[grace1448]

I've been told that kingsnakes don't need to eat rats. Is that true? I don't think she's ever had a mouse in her life and she seems to be healthy. Should I stick with rats or switch to mice?

[Andy_G]

They will eat both. What you feed them is up to you. If you can switch back and forth to give them variety it would probably be best. An adult mouse when compared to a rat pup is a bit more nutritious as well.

[EL Ziggy]

If your king eats rats I would stick with them. My kings are pretty finicky when it comes to rats. Sometimes they'll eat them and other times they won't. I usually just feed them jumbo mice and chicks which they both love. Your king looks healthy just a bit undersized for it's age. I'm sure you'll see more growth if you increase it's food intake.

[grace1448]

Might as well ask while I'm here. What do you think of her setup? Is it big enough, do I have enough hides, all that jazz?

[trailblazer295]

400g-1500g uh oh my girl must be underweight then she was 430g and 40" long.

[Andy_G]

400g-1500g uh oh my girl must be underweight then she was 430g and 40" long.

Not sure where you'd get that. Pretty normal for a 40" california kingsnake. Wouldn't be the case if she were 60".

[trailblazer295]

Oh okay I was reading Ziggys weight range and was thinking oh crap. she was 379g when I got her end of February and end of may had packed on 50g. Not sure current weight I'll have to check once she digests her last meal.

[Andy_G]

Oh okay I was reading Ziggys weight range and was thinking oh crap. she was 379g when I got her end of February and end of may had packed on 50g. Not sure current weight I'll have to check once she digests her last meal.

Ah! I can understand your confusion then. Some lines are much smaller than others, such as most with coastal phase lineage.

[trailblazer295]

Mine is a chocolate cali king

[EL Ziggy]

Your king looks great too Blaze. I think my MBK will max out at around 1kg. I doubt my Cal King will get much larger than he is now. He eats and gains weight and then fasts and loses it.

[trailblazer295]

Mine has certainly thickened some more. Sorry to hijack

[Albert Clark]

Set up looks amazing but I would consider a more secure closed in hide. The king is really stunning though, congrats.

[Andy_G]

I'm with Albert there. 2 other things and they are very very minor;

1. Deeper substrate. As you know, these guys love to burrow, so another inch or two of substrate would be appreciated by your snake I am sure.

2. That stick on thermometer. They are almost always inaccurate, and anything reading temperatures should be where the snake is...so even if it were accurate then it is reading a few degrees higher than where the snake is. I would recommend going digital and putting it where the snake is because that is where the temps really matter.

[grace1448]

I just read the suggestion about the substrate which is funny because I coincidentally changed it last night before seeing this. Was too lazy to make more coconut fibre, so I used aspen bedding until I have time to make more, and she loves it! I made sure to spread a nice thick layer and I haven't seen my snake since :P any suggestions on a digital thermostat?

[Lefitte]

She's pretty! My girl just hit two years and 136g last time I weighed her. She fasts all winter as well.
Digital thermostat or thermometer suggestions?
If thermometer; I actually use one from Walmart, Accu-rite brand. Measures air temps, relative humidity, and has a probe so I do the thermometer on the cooler end and have the probe right over the heat mat and I get both readings and humidity on one thing.
If thermostat; I like the Hydrofarm/Jump Start/Apollo thermostats. Small probe, long cords, easy to change, and reliable.

[Ian of Oldham]

Your snake looks cool to me and well fed just keep going the way you are. great shot.