Growth rates

[Andy_G]

I am just curious on the growth rates of your Kingsnakes guys. Mine grows about an inch per month. What growth rate does yours have?

[Lisa]

All of our kings are full grown so they're not really growing much any more.

[vanderkm]

We have seen lots of variation in growth rate depending on species - our cal kings grew like weeds, I swear our first one would have eaten every day if you let her, and she ended up about 5 feet long. Our second cal king was much more interested in cruising than feeding, but still was well over 3 feet, and not fat by the end of the first year. Our current albino cal king is pretty similar but came from a neglect situation, so we have been feeding him more slowly so as not to overload him. Our florida king was very picky and very slow growing - maybe 10 inches in the first year we had her. The Mexican black king was another rescue, very small and grew very fast the first 6 months, but has slowed down now. I think she was making up fro lost time. You have a very nice albino cal king - they are one of my favorites.

mary v.

[Andy_G]

Thank you!

[Andy_G]

How often did you feed your Cals Vander?

[vanderkm]

All our colubrids are fed once a week, generally a single prey item the size of their girth. The cal kings are on mice, though some of the older ones get an occasional gerbil - I have found the greater bone size and body mass of gerbils gives faster growth. We have just found a rat source, so have not used rats routinely for colubrids until now - harder to get them here in Alberta.

Sometimes the older guys get to be the 'garbage can' for extra fuzzies or hoppers I thaw that don't get eaten by smaller snakes and I find they seem to find the younger mice a real treat. We had a bullsnake and a couple of our kings that will polish off a tray of fuzzies or pinkies if we need to cull the mice down a bit. I think the species that hunt in burrows like the bullsnakes often find whole rodent litters in the spring - ours sure likes them, but doesn't get that too often.

Mary v.