Found a King Snake, I think??? *pic*

[Script]

A couple nights ago when I drove up to my house I found a snake making its way up my drive way. The next day I showed it to my buddy who identified it as a king snake, originally I was going to let the little guy go, and I still might. But I have grown somewhat attached to it in our short time together. I just have some questions about it. I'm including some pictures to make sure I got a proper identification. (if the pics dont show up hit refresh a couple times, the server they are on is tricky)

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/29187DSC00024-med.jpg

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/29187DSC00039-med.jpg

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/29187DSC00049-med.jpg

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/29187DSC00059-med.jpg

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/29187DSC00061-med.jpg

Don’t let the pictures fool you. It is really only around 12" long and a bout the width of a standard pencil.
My questions are:

What can I feed it? Someone suggested Earth worms or tadpoles. But since I don’t have access to that I was thinking crickets or gold fish. Would earth worms from a fishing supply place work??

If I keep it for a wile will it become too domesticated to release it in the wild when it is grown and has fewer predators?

[munchy]

very nice find. where are you located? that is most definitely a kingsnake. pretty sure its a desert kingsnake. start feeding it pinky or fuzzy mice. give it a hotspot of about 86 - 88* on about 1/3 of the cage by means of an under tank heater and you should be good to go. do a search for desert kingsnakes and you should be able to find all kinds of care sheets.

great looking snake and best of luck with it...

[Script]

I’m located in the deserts of South Central New Mexico,
I tried feeding it dead pinkies and it wouldn’t eat them. I figure it is because it is a wild snake and it likes live food and the local pet stores don’t sell live pinkies.

Any other suggestions?

[Beardonicus]

Its definitely a Sonoran Desert Kingsnake....these will readily eat rodents as far as I know. Give it a couple of days to adjust, then try a live pinky mouse.

If you can't provide food for the snake, just release it back into the wild.

[Tim_Cranwill]

If your local pet shop doesn't sell f/t feeder mice, let the snake go. Kings don't eat bugs and fish and all that. The snake deserves to get the proper care.

There are breeders in your area if you want a pet snake...

[crimsonking]

L. g. splendida for sure. He will most likely take a small fuzzy mouse or pinky once he's settled in a bit. They are of course snake eaters too. Small lizards make up part of their natural diet as well. Make sure he has a hide box to feel safe and secure. A clean water dish and warm temps. (75F-80F or so).
:Mark

[Script]

Well I offered it a pinky again. Only this time I gave it a little wiggle and it went right after it and gulped it down.

I am trying to read up a bit on how to set up the cage. I am working on a heating pad tonight to try to give a warm spot.
I hooked up a dimmer switch to a heating pad and right now it is staying around 85 deg F in a little over 1/3 of the cage.

My question is should the hide space that you mention be on the heat side or the cool side?

Also do I need to worry about it knowing where every thing is?
Heating side, water bowl ect...

I only ask because the water bowl is uplifted. Will it be able to find it?

I am using a green fiber like astro-turf mat for the bedding. I like this because it keeps things nice and neat. I could still put some rocks or something in there but I like this stuff for the main bedding. Is this OK?

I’m right in thinking that it is ok for me to keep the snake even though it is wild, as long as I give it a good home right? Will I ever be able to hold it? It already seems rather docile.

Thanks guys for your help.

Script

[C.m.pyrrhus]

I would toss the carpet out the window (useless reptile substrate) and use some clean plain paper towels for substrate now. Not only is it easy to use, but works best for the quarentine time to make it as clean and easily available for good husbandry. You could switch to something like aspen shavings in the future. I would keep offering those pinks at least once a week if it holds them down. Your hide box generally would do better on the cool side of the cage, and make sure it has plenty of room for the snake to crawl into and be comfortable. Your average ambient temps within the cage should be around what crimsonking said, and a hot spot at around 85-90° for about 8 hours. I personally keep all my colubrids (kings, garters, gophersnakes, etc) at an ambient of around 83° all summer without any other heating with no problems.

[Burium]

You might want to check if you can keep it legally. It might be a native species and many states have laws against keeping them. I would check that out first. IMHO, if it wasn't hurt or starving, then I would release it. There are many CB snakes out there. Just my 2 cents worth.

Kelly

[BoAddict]

your just lucky it wasnt poisonus , you always go around catching snakes that you have no idea what they are?
you should never touch a snake that you are not sure of

Mike

[rwg]

Since it's a wild-caught specimen, you should consider having a fecal exam done to check for internal parasites. Untreated these can be a major problem. Keep him on paper towel for a while too. Mites are easier to see on paper towel than most other substrates. Check him closely for ticks and mites for a while. Look for mites on his substrate and in and around his water dish. If you have other snakes, you should keep him quarantined from the rest for some period of time...at least 30 days, but 60-90 is better. That means disinfect your hands after handling him as well.

Or just buy a clean captive-bred specimen from a good breeder.

rg