Mexican black king Vs. California king???

[It'sKourtneyYo]

So my boyfriend wants a pet other than a bunny and I talked to him and he REALLY wants a black de-fanged cobra but I told him that isn't possible and is unethical so I seen a mexican black snake and thats the closest I can get. I also like the california kings as well. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each or anything other valuable information[including temperaments, he wants something he can handle a lot and is docile]? He has never had a snake before and of course I'm going to educate him about it.

Are they basically the same snake but just different colors?

[GarterPython]

I dont know much but from my experience I think they are just different colours. Same snake. I dont know very much about king snakes so hopefully someone will chime in that know more.

[alessia55]

I don't know much about MBKs because I've never held one, but my cousin has a California King Snake (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/lampropeltis/89036-my-new-cali-king-snake.html) that she loves. I'd recommend Cali king snakes to anyone who's new to snake keeping. I've held tons of Cali king snakes and I think they make great pets. They're forgiving, will tolerate handling really well, and they're not as squirmy or as fast as the MBK. Check out the link I posted above :) Also, here's a video of me in 2009 when I went to my first reptile show and both my dad and I are holding an adult cali king snake. My dad who is not a big fan of snakes REALLY wanted to take it home. To see the cali king snakes in my videos (rather than watching the whole thing, skip to 0:46 for an adult, 4:05 for a sub-adult, 5:24 for another adult, 6:04 for a baby, and EDIT: 8:24 there's another baby. ;)

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[It'sKourtneyYo]

I think i'm going to go with the Cali king. They are really cool and I like the black and white and I'm sure Shawn will too.
Would you recommend getting him a juvenile-Adult or a baby? I was thinking a juve or adult because they aren't as fragile, ya know?

[It'sKourtneyYo]

~or as easy to lose!

[alessia55]

hehe! Babies aren't "fragile". The one in the thread that I posted about my cousin's baby cali king snake is only about 2 or 3 mos old. They're pretty sturdy. What's nice about the babies is that they're cheaper, but you also get the joy of raising them from the very start. You get to see how little they are and then see how much they grow! Baby cali kings aren't fragile and would be great for Shawn :) That being said, juvis or adults are also good.

[It'sKourtneyYo]

In all honestly, I said the before seeing the baby one because I seen an extremely small one before. I was thinking about saying something after but got distracted. lol
now on to the chase of finding a baby cali king and baby red tail :3

[youngster]

He wants a cobra for a first snake?
Give him a slap on the back of the head for me :p
Good luck on finding a nice cal king/bci!

[Kiljosh]

Kingsnakes are all awesome!!!

I am partial to MBK's because of the all black color but Cali Kings are my next fav. When I finally accept that my MBK is gone I'll prob be getting another one.

By the way, was thinking about it....I named my MBK DB, he disappered when I moved him to his new tank. He escaped, much like DB Cooper!

[It'sKourtneyYo]

He wants a cobra for a first snake?
Give him a slap on the back of the head for me :p
Good luck on finding a nice cal king/bci!


El Oh El! He doesn't know the seriousness of it. He said he didn't care if it was venomous he still wants one. but now he doesn't want a snake at all. I was surprised when he said he wanted one but now he wants a white bunny with blue eyes, he loves my bunnies :3