Most underrated Lampropeltis?

[Tim_Cranwill]

Given Mark I's last thread about the Mnt kings not being big sellers in Canada, I thought I would put up a thread about underrated Lampropeltis ssp's.

What do you guys think are some of the most underrated and why? :)

[SerpentLust]

To be honest, I think ALOT are. Most kingsnakes I find people avoid because as babies they do the musking and tail shaking. People get turned off. And then they see cornsnakes which come in a vast array of colors to satisfy them. And they're more docile at the beginning. lol But that's just my opinion of like the newbie beginner view.

Jenn

[Stockwell]

I think all of them but the getulus are under kept, under bred, and under appreciated.
So this includes all the triangulum, the mexicanas including alterna, and pyros and zonatas.

The popular ones are really only the getulus..(california kings, brooks/south floridas, chains, speckleds, mexican blacks,sonorans, goini..etc
Funny thing is these aren't the most brightly colored kings.
It's possible there is some concern about feeding some of the tricolors and Mexicanas(greybands)
They have historically had somewhat of a reputation for being tricky to get started.. but this concern is not warranted for the entire group and there are some corn snakes and Ball Pythons that don't eat,and it hasn't slowed the keeping of those, so its really hard to understand.
People keep serpents for different reasons. Some for body or head structure,some for texture,some for sheer size, some for color, or lack thereof(the white and black snake keepers)
I've heard that some people don't like that the head isn't set off distincly from the body, and some actually find the bright colors, somewhat gawdy and unattractive, but these aren't designer snakes.I hate when people call them that.. for the most part, what you see is the way mother nature has made them over milleniums.(albinos and hondo morphs excluded)
To each their own, but given the choice, I'd take a bright orange or red serpent over any shade of brown, hands down.
I sometimes find it comical when I see discussions about Red blood pythons, and red brazilians, and Red tail boas.... I love and have kept all those species but I've yet to see any boid that rivals the red in milksnakes/mexicanas & mountain kings.
....This is red
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1801Blk0010-med.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1801Blk0007-med.jpg
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/18011590Blk0008-med.jpg

[Jeff_Favelle]

My eyes!! My eyes!! :jawdrop:

[crimsonking]

I've said many times I think that L. m. mexicana is the most underrated ssp. Sometimes I even consider that it's in their name! Seriously, San Luis Potosi king doesn't exactly "roll right off my tongue" :) Mex-mex, or mexican king is a little easier, but not "catchy". Certainly there are some less than beautiful ones, but overall they are a dream to keep and breed and many are quite pretty.
:Mark

[Invictus]

Here's what I think is the most underrated:

http://www.invictusart.com/images/Sinaloan3.jpg

Sinaloan milks have always been my favorite lampro. I was absolutely ecstatic when Mark IsBell sold me his adult pair. I'll be producing these this year, and if the babies don't sell, I'll keep 'em. No skin off my back.

[PaulBar]

In my experience I got turned off California Kings when one I had threw up after handling it. Also got turned off Pueblans because they were hard to start feeding on pinkies (they wanted lizards) and not very tame. And don't even talk about Greybands, as babies very hard to start feeding.

I do love the colours of the Arizona Mountain Kings however I have never had one.

My current favourite is the by far Honduran Milk Snakes for beauty, docility, large size and easy feeders and shedders. (nice low maintenance and they never barf)

Paul

[Vanan]

The popular ones are really only the getulus..(california kings, brooks/south floridas, chains, speckleds, mexican blacks,sonorans, goini..etc

Really?? Man I'd love to live in your world Unkie! I was gonna say that alot of the smaller getula and the chains especially were the most underrated. Even throughout North America. On a small following of true blood locale folk who keep it going. At least from my point of view. :)

Although I to agree with some that the mexican kings seem to get neglected too. I can understand plain-jane chains being ignored but something as spectacular and small as a mex mex?

[vanderkm]

Agree with Crimson - the mex mex and mexican milks have to be one of the easiest snakes to live with and yet they are not popular. I think for the brightly colored species, size has something to do with it - people like a larger, more substantial snake. Those that are large at maturity are often darker (like the easterns) and so are not as dramatic as a mature hondo with the bright color and size combination. As much as I like the little guys like our Mexican milk
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6304_Jan_2_Sizzle_4_reduced.jpg

or our variable king
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6303_july_26_tea__2__resized.jpg

I still choose hondurans as my favorite lampro because they are large and dramatically colored (not to mention the fun morphs!).

Maybe it is just as well for some of the lesser known species that they remain in the hands of those who appreciate their uniqueness.

mary v.

[Simon Sansom]

Well, I definitely think that the tri-colours are very un-popular in Canada, and in particular the <html><i>pyromelana</i></html> complex.

I produced <html><i>L. p. knoblochi</i></html> back in '96, and couldn't give 'em away.

At every show I'm at, I see the same tri-colours there at the end of the day that were there first thing in in the morning. They just don't seem to move - at least not quite as well as other colubrids and boids. I just don't understand it. They tend to be relatively small, easily-kept species with gorgeous colouration. They should be extremely popular...?

Or, perhaps my perception of Canadian herpetoculture is flawed...??

Cheers!

Simon

[Simon Sansom]

Here's a pic of my original male Tarahumara Mountain King, from Dave and Tracy Barker...
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/simonsansom/327622picture.jpg

Here are some babies "pipping"...
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/simonsansom/369784picture.jpg

Great snakes - wish I still had some...

Simon

[Tim_Cranwill]

I plan on getting a few ssp of pyros in the years to come. I think they are the most gorgeous Lampros hands down. I wish I were there in '96 when you were trying to give' em away, Simon. :D

You guys who have pyros, just need to keep preaching the good word. Posting those pictures more often wouldn't hurt either. ;)

[Classic]

I just love all the milk tri ssp. I think they are all under rated except for the few popular one's ie. hondo mexican sinaloan pueblan and nelsoni.

Brian

[Andy_G]

ALL lampros are underrated and overlooked by far too many people IMO.

[TheRedDragon]

Originally posted by Invictus
Sinaloan milks have always been my favorite lampro.

Here here. :)

[ruthupton]

I don't mind the musking that a youngster does - nor the tail shaking. with my Cali it's just part of her personality.

I don't know much about the different Cali King 'patterns'. I have a striped desert phase which, I have been told, is quite unusual. Is that really true?

[crazyboy]

I think they all are too. i just love all of the milks but to bad i dont have enough room for them.

[Stockwell]

NO it's not true...Cal Kings are the most common getula in the pet trade and both striped and banded and everything in between have been the staple of the kingsnake pet trade for 20 years.
Check out some of the US Breeders. They now have almost solid yellow ones,(Bananna cals) and 50/50 bandeds are still popular, and there's lots of albinos out there too. Cals, are similar to corns in that many years of selective breeding has produced numerous "morphs"(we used to call them phases)

[ruthupton]

All I can think, then, is that the striped ones are not very common in the UK. To be honest there are quite a few milk snakes around but not many Calis.