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Originally Posted by Kingsnakechris
Yeah I don't have to much experience but I just introduce my female to my males tub and watch for an hour or so then after I'm sure they had a lock it's back to their own enclosures
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Most cannibalistic snake deaths are due to the snakes having never seen each other before......If they "know" each other attacks will not occur.....
Again...this is just the way I do it and I am not telling anyone else they should.
I do not keep hatchling to yearling snakes together. These snakes are growing and learning. They will try to kill/eat anything that moves.
By their second winter I cool the brumation chamber down to 50F. When the kings clear their stomachs I place them in the chamber for a day then I place them together. A king will not want to eat a very large meal (another snake) when temps are 50F.
The pairs and trios are never separated after they are introduced that second winter....Some kings grow slower and will not be paired up until the third winter.....
Many kingsnake breeders do this...contrary to the internet caresheets and TFH books' warnings......Bob Applegate, Frank Retes, European breeders, myself and numerous others........
There's more than one way to achieve your desired goals while keeping these captives.......And this is how I do......
The only time I had a female king kill a male king was back in the late 90s when I did not keep them together. After that I was way more careful and watched everything closely. In the last 3 years or so, after applying some husbandry techniques I started co-habitating them.......