Royal snake. How much does a king snake cost? Pictured is a black king snake

What kind of animals now you will not meet in apartments and houses. Moreover, recently, exotic pets are gaining more and more popularity, among which king snake clearly stands out for its spectacular appearance. Let's get acquainted with the main varieties of this reptile and the rules for keeping it at home.

Who is the king snake

These reptiles combine 14 species, belong to the genus not poisonous snakes families of already-shaped and in natural environment live on the American continent. Their size varies from 0.5 to 2 meters, depending on the species.

Kingsnakes have expressive colors, usually consisting of a large number of rings of different colors. The most common colors are red, black and white.

The king snake deserves its name because in its natural environment it likes to hunt other snakes, including poisonous ones. She owes this ability to immunity to the poisons of her fellow tribesmen.

Main types

Consider a few of the main types of these snakes.

California king snake

What does it look like. A slender and muscular body 0.6–1 m long. Red spots are located on a slightly elongated head with a blunt muzzle. The body is decorated with a pattern in the form of alternating rings - black and white. Most often, black rings are cut into two parts by a red stripe, which sometimes closes on the stomach. Some subspecies do not have a red tint in color. The upper part of the head is black with a light transverse stripe or lateral spots.

Where does it live. Distributed from the north of the California Peninsula (Mexico) to the southern part of Oregon (USA), including all of California. A separate group is observed in the south of the US state of Washington. Prefers mountainous terrain.

What does it eat. Rodents, lizards, snakes, birds, eggs.

Did you know? According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest reptile in the world - an 18-year-old python named Fluffy - lives in the Ohio State Zoo (USA). This record holder has a length of more than 7 meters, and its weight is as much as 136 kg!

What does it look like. The length reaches 1.3 meters. The coloring resembles poisonous coral asps and is a combination of rich shades of red, black and white flowers.
Where does it live. North America (from Colombia to Canada).

What does it eat. Small lizards, various amphibians and large insects.

common king snake

What does it look like. The average length is 1–1.4 m, the maximum reaches 2 m. A triangular head is located on a slender body. It is painted brown or black with light transverse stripes in the form of an elongated chain. The abdomen has a dark shade with a pattern of several light stripes.
Where does it live. Starting from the south of New Jersey to the north of Florida (USA). It prefers to settle in deciduous and coniferous plantations, in meadows, in marshy places.

What does it eat. Small lizards, snakes.

Mexican black

What does it look like. The average length is 0.9–1 m, but can reach up to 2 m. The slightly elongated head is flattened on both sides. The muscular gray or brown body is adorned with uneven areas of red or black and red with a light border. The head is marked with a dark pattern resembling the letter "U". Gray belly, sometimes there is a red coloration at the bottom of the tail.
Where does it live. Northwestern Mexico and the US state of Texas. Likes to settle in dry rocky places.

What does it eat. Small lizards, rodents and snakes.

What does it look like. The length is from 50 to 100 cm. A slender body with a compact and slightly rounded head. Almost black top of the head, light tip of the nose, there are red patches above the eye sockets. The body is covered with a pattern of red, black and light stripes. The back is black, on the belly there is a pattern in the form of uneven areas of red, black and yellow.
Where does it live. Central and southeastern Arizona (USA), through northern Mexico to Chihuahua and Sonora. More often lives in the mountains, among coniferous plantations, loves stony soil.

What does it eat. Lizards and rodents.

Important! The royal snake quickly gets used to its owner, becomes almost tame and does not show any aggression. At the same time, you should gradually accustom your pet to hands, starting with 5-10 minutes of communication a day.

Campbell's royal milk snake

What does it look like. The length reaches 0.9 m. The color looks like alternating red, black and white stripes. The head is dark, the first light stripe goes to the temple and sometimes reaches almost to the tip of the muzzle. Dark stripes are much thinner than red and white, in some representatives of the species there is almost no red color.
Where does it live. Mexico. Settles in mountain valleys, forests, floodplains of reservoirs.

What does it eat. Small rodents, lizards, snakes.

What does it look like. The average length is 0.8–0.9 m, the maximum length is 1.5 m. A strong muscular body is crowned with a pointed head. Its shade is black, steel or gray. The color of the snake is a dark gray background with wide, saddle-shaped orange areas.
Where does it live. Southern territories of the states of Texas and New Mexico (USA), the Mexican province of Chihuahua. Settles in rocks and forests.

What does it eat. Lizards, mice, amphibians.

Beautiful king snake

What does it look like. The length reaches 0.75–1 m. The strong body ends with a slightly elongated and flattened head on both sides. The background color is fawn to brown. Pattern - red or brown rectangular spots located across the body. The abdomen has a beige or yellowish tint with dark areas. There are specimens of red and pink color without dark colors.

Where does it live. Central and southeastern United States from Texas to Florida and North Carolina. Settles in the prairies, light forests, in forest glades.

What does it eat. Rodents, frogs, birds, snakes.

Did you know? Despite its small head measuring only 1 centimeter, the African already can swallow an egg 5-6 times larger. It helps special structure mandible a snake capable of dispersing to accommodate large prey. As soon as the egg is inside, special vertebrae open the shell, and the reptile burps its pieces out.

Small to medium sized reptiles are better suited for a home terrarium as they are less demanding and easier to get used to. different conditions. Before purchasing a snake, you need to buy a set of equipment for its maintenance.

Terrarium

When choosing a home for your pet, you should focus on maximum dimensions to which it can grow certain kind royal snake. And keep in mind that at home, reptiles are usually somewhat larger than their wild relatives.

The terrarium should be such that it does not hamper the snake's movements and allows it to maintain its physical activity. The minimum housing parameters for adult royal snakes are usually 80x55x55 cm.

A hygrometer and a thermometer should be placed in the pet's home to control the microclimate.

It should be within the following limits:

• daily temperature - +25...+32 °С;
• night temperature - +20...+25 °С;
• air humidity - 50–60%.

It is also necessary to organize artificial lighting with dim lamps. daylight. The terrarium can be heated using several incandescent lamps, but a thermal mat placed in one of the corners of the dwelling is more suitable for this purpose. You also need to provide a special container for bathing the pet.

This pool, as well as daily spraying of the walls, will help maintain the required humidity in the terrarium.
The bottom of the dwelling is covered with a special artificial rug, covered with coconut soil or coarse sand. Not the most suitable option, but possible as a temporary replacement, may be to use blank paper.

Snakes are very fond of different shelters, so small grottoes should be arranged in the terrarium, branches, snags and large pieces of tree bark should be placed. These items will also allow you to decorate your pet's home in an original way.

Important! If a royal snake is created good conditions, then the average life expectancy of her in a home terrarium will be about ten years. But some specimens can live 15 years or even longer.

Feeding

The frequency of feeding reptiles depends on their age. Young pets, whose body is still actively growing and developing, are fed once a week. Their diet includes newborn mice and running mice.

Adults no longer need such frequent feeding, 2-3 times a month are enough. They are given adult gerbil mice, djungarian hamsters and other small rodents.
At the same time, fresh water should always be in the terrarium. Approximately once a month, vitamin complexes for reptiles can be added to the water, after reading their instructions.

During feeding, a young snake, not yet accustomed to the owner, may show aggression and try to bite, but over time this passes. You should also know that after feeding day 3-4, you should not take your pet in your arms.

Housing cleaning

Usually, 2-3 days after feeding, the snake leaves feces, which must be immediately removed to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria in them.

In addition, to ensure cleanliness in the terrarium, 1–2 times a month, general cleaning should be done, during which the bedding or soil should be completely changed or cleaned, and the equipment and decor items should be cleaned and disinfected.

Step-by-step instruction for cleaning the terrarium:

1. Move the snake to a separate clean terrarium.
2. Wash all decor items, containers for food and water with hot soapy water, then rinse well with clean running water.
3. Remove the disposable substrate from the terrarium. Clean reusable with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly.
4. Wash the floor and walls of the dwelling and also rinse well.
5. Dry the terrarium and all accessories well to avoid mold.
6. Assemble the terrarium, install decor items.

IN last years international tourism has become popular, and domestic terrariumists have established contacts with colleagues from foreign countries, thanks to which the range of amphibians and reptiles in the collections has expanded.

Among non-venomous snakes, the most popular are king snakes, which are distinguished by unpretentious content, bright colors and suitable sizes.

In nature, there are only 8 species of royal snakes, but there are a huge number of subspecies that differ in a variety of shapes and colors. Thanks to this, you can create an excellent collection in which more than a dozen representatives of the genus, completely different from each other, will live.

Colors in the color of royal snakes are rarely found in other animals: red, orange, pink, white, yellow, blue. Moreover, these tones are bright and saturated.

Due to their color, royal snakes look like real works of art.

Royal snakes live in the deserts, prairies and mountain forests of Central and North America.

Habitat of milk snakes

The most common member of the king snake genus is the milk snake. The habitat of these snakes is much larger than the ranges of other representatives of this genus, it occupies 5800 kilometers and captures Florida, Mexico, Texas, Quebec, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. In all these areas, milk snakes live in mountainous areas, sometimes rising to a height of 350 meters.

Why are milk snakes unusual?

At the first glance at these snakes, the thought immediately comes to mind, why are they “dairy”, because their colors are very bright? The snake has a bright scarlet color, and the body is surrounded by yellow and black rings.

The thing is that in places where milk snakes live, milk may disappear from cattle for some reason. American farmers believe that someone is sucking this milk. And the culprit was quickly found - a brightly colored snake often found in pastures. This is where its name came from.

Interestingly, many city dwellers also think that snakes love milk and lap it up from a saucer. If you do not give the snake water, he will indeed drink milk, but this will only cause him an intestinal upset.

When meeting with these snakes, the second question also arises, since they have such a bright color, then they are poisonous? No, this is a manifestation of mimicry, milk snakes, due to their coloration, imitate poisonous coral snakes.

Milk snake subspecies

The milk snake L.t.triangulum is a northern subspecies; unlike its relatives, it is not striped, but spotted. Its color is similar to that of the maize snake. Her back is gray or light brown, and along it runs a chain of their red or brown spots with a black edging.

No less interesting is the subspecies L.t.gaigeae from Panama and Costa Rica. In young animals, the color is classic - red-striped, but six months later and after 7 molts, it becomes velvety black with greenish tints.

The most elegant among milk snakes are representatives of the subspecies L.t.cambelli with a contrasting black-red-white color and representatives of the subspecies L.t.sinaloae with wide scarlet peppered rings.

Honduran milk snakes L. t. hondurensis are less colorful than the Mexican ones, but they are larger in size. Babies emerge from the eggs, reaching a length of 32 centimeters, so they can immediately eat pubescent mice.

These subspecies of milk snakes are most commonly found in terrariums. They are best suited for amateurs.

A pair of milk snakes are kept in an elongated terrarium. Its area should be about 0.3 square meters. It is not recommended to keep these snakes in too spacious terrariums, as they become shy and even stop eating.

The terrarium is heated with incandescent lamps. For this kind optimum temperature- 24-28 degrees, since milk snakes live in mountainous areas with temperate climate. They can tolerate short-term temperature drops of up to 5 degrees. Such temperature fluctuations are a powerful breeding stimulus for milk snakes.

Sunbathing also improves the reproductive capacity of milk snakes. It is not necessary to put a large drinking bowl in the terrarium, since high dampness is harmful to these snakes.

The drinker in the terrarium is not constantly kept, but placed for 4-6 hours. Water is used settled, but fresh.

Like all snakes, milk snakes also lead a twilight lifestyle. In hot weather, they crawl into various shelters, and their activity is manifested only in the evening. After basking in the rays of the setting sun, they begin to hunt. Therefore, there must be shelters in the terrarium. You can make a shelter out of ordinary plastic container for ice cream. A hole is made in the lid with a diameter of about 4 centimeters.

To make the terrarium more colorful, it is decorated with dry branches and pots with agaves and other non-thorny plants.

Feeding milk snakes

In nature, they eat various small animals, lizards, and sometimes birds nesting on the ground.

Certain subspecies, such as L. t. elapsoides eat almost exclusively lizards, so they are not kept in home terrariums.

In terrariums, milk snakes are fed white mice, rat pups, hamsters, chickens, agile and viviparous lizards. These snakes are moderate in eating, they do not tend to overeat. Most often, 2-3 food items are consumed per week.

Breeding milk snakes

When preparing milk snakes for breeding, it is necessary to diversify the diet, it is desirable to use newborn rats. Sexual maturity in milk snakes occurs at 2 years, in males sometimes maturation can occur earlier.

For milk pythons arrange winter. They stop feeding pets at the end of November, while the conditions of detention remain the same. After 20 days of fasting, the intestines of the snakes are cleared, so you can put them into hibernation. It is important to know that when cooling a snake with a full intestine, there is a high risk of death, as digestion will stop, food will rot and poisoning develops.

Before hibernation, snakes arrange autumn: they are kept in a terrarium without heating, at normal room temperature. In order for a deeper sleep to come, the prepared snake is put in a tight bag and placed in the compartment of the refrigerator for vegetables, in which the temperature is kept at 10 degrees.

Wintering lasts at least 3 weeks, but 1.5 months is better. At the same time, snakes are examined every 3 days, if the condition worsens, they are immediately taken out of wintering. If the wintering has ended successfully, then first the male is transferred to the terrarium, and after a couple of days the female is placed next to him.

At this time, the temperature is raised to 30-32 degrees. A week or earlier, the male shows readiness for mating, he begins to chase the female and bite her neck. If the female runs away from the male and hides in a shelter, she is put away for a while, where she is well fed with rat pups.

After 1-2 weeks, replanting is repeated, which, as a rule, ends in success. The mating process is repeated several times, then the male is removed. The gestation period is 48-70 days. By the end of the gestation period, the female stops eating.

The litter in the terrarium is replaced with wet sphagnum. The clutch usually contains 4-8 eggs. Glued eggs are carefully transferred to the incubator without turning or sticking.

The incubator is made from a plastic container with a tight lid. Sphagnum is laid on the bottom with a layer of about 10 centimeters or sand calcined in the oven. Maintained in the incubator constant temperature 28-30 degrees with incandescent bulb. The masonry is inspected every 7 days, while the mold is removed with a cotton swab. Moisten the substrate with boiled water, but it should not be wet.

Incubation lasts 45-60 days. The body length of newborn snakes is 20-27 centimeters, and in individuals from the southern part of the range, it reaches 35 centimeters. A week after birth, young milk snakes begin to hunt. Newborn mice are a good starter food for them. If they refuse mice, they have to give small lizards, their snakes eat them with pleasure. Gradually, food is transferred to mice.

Young animals grow quickly, already at the age of 7 months the body length doubles, and some individuals grow up to a meter.

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A variety of colors, a calm temperament, the size of the Californian king snake, comfortable for keeping in terrarium conditions, made it a favorite among terrariumists.

Description

A non-venomous snake of the family already-shaped reaches an average size of 150 cm with an average weight of about 1800 gr. Rarely seen individuals bigger size that reach 180 cm in length. Most terrarium snakes are 107-120 cm in size.

The color and pattern of the species Lampropeltis getulus californiae varies depending on the region of habitat. So for snakes that live in the coastal zones of southern California, alternating white and light yellow stripes in color are characteristic. Species found in the northern San Joaquin Valley and southern Sacramento Valley have a black belly and dark lateral stripes. Californian desert kingsnakes are distinguished by broad bands of deep black and bright white that alternate along the length of the snake, with almost the entire head being dark with a white spot between the eyes and the tip of the muzzle being lighter than the base color of the head.

In addition, there is a large number of morphs bred by breeders, among which there are individuals of yellow, coffee, black and yellow color and even albinos. The most common color characteristic of Lampropeltis getulus californiae is dark brown or black stripes alternating with light yellow or white stripes.

The scales of individuals of the royal snake genus are smooth and shiny. It is thanks to this that they received the name Lampropeltis - a derivative of Greek words"lampros" meaning shining, and "peltis" a smooth shield used by the Greek peltasts.

The body of adults is massive. The head is slightly wider than the body of the snake, elongated and slightly compressed on the sides.
There are no external distinguishing signs of dimorphism in California royal snakes, and therefore only a qualified herpetologist can determine the sex with the help of special tests.

The life expectancy of individuals in captivity reaches 15-20 years, subject to necessary conditions content.

Origin and habitats in nature

The subspecies Lampropeltis getulus californiae belongs to the species Lampropeltis getula of the genus Lampropeltis (King snakes) of the family Colubridae (Already)

The species is endemic to the southwest coast of the United States and northern Mexico. The main habitat of Lampropeltis getulus californiae is California, which is reflected in the name of the subspecies. Also, California king snakes are found in southwestern Oregon, Nevada, Utah, in southwestern Colorado, as well as in most of Arizona, and on several islands, mainly on the island of Sonora, Mexico. In addition, the subspecies has been introduced to the island of Gran Canaria.

The biotope of the subspecies is very diverse. California king snakes live on the ground among bushes, in meadows, in deserts, in swamps, as well as in agricultural lands and even near settlements. In the mountains, the subspecies occurs no higher than 2164 m in the eastern Sierra Nevada and no higher than 1852 m in the southern California mountains.

Lifestyle

California king snakes are predominantly diurnal. However, they can also be transferred to night image life when it gets too hot.

The period of activity of Lampropeltis getulus californiae falls on the period from March - early April to October - early November. IN winter time they may hibernate in caves, rock crevices, mammalian burrows, hollow logs, and old stumps. The process of hibernation in this species is called "Brumation" - when during hibernation the reptile wakes up to drink water, but does not eat anything. In the first year of life, young animals may not hibernate, but even in this case, the life process during the brumation period in adults is slightly slowed down in young animals.

L. californiae hunts mainly on the ground, but can climb bushes and trees. In addition, this species swims well.

If the king snake is alarmed, then it begins to writhe, hiss and rattle its tail so that the sounds are very similar to the sounds made by rattlesnakes. Being non-venomous, king snakes kill their prey through asphyxiation (suffocation). In addition, like all king snakes, Lampropeltis getulus californiae is immune to poisonous snakes, which does not prevent it from hunting them. For humans, the California king snake is not dangerous, but if handled incorrectly, it can bite and release fetid fluid from the cloaca.

California king snakes should be kept alone due to their tendency to cannibalism. The exception is the breeding season, when a group of snakes may consist of one adult male and two or three adult females. At the same time, the group must be constantly monitored, and the snakes must be removed for several hours during feeding. Young Californian king snakes should never be kept together.

Terrarium: for the California king snake, a horizontal type terrarium is suitable. The dimensions of the terrarium for an adult can be at least 70x50x40 cm. When choosing a terrarium for a snake, you should focus primarily on the size of the individual itself. If the size of an individual does not exceed 2/3 of the perimeter of the terrarium, then it is spacious enough for this snake. The lid of the terrarium must be securely closed to prevent the snake from escaping.

Substrate: mulch (cypress bark), coconut chips, and crushed corn on the cob are suitable as a substrate for an adult California king snake. Such a soil will absorb odors well, and it is also easy to partially replace it. If the snake can swallow the substrate while eating, then it is better to plant it in a separate terrarium. For newborns, it is better to use a rug, paper towels or newspaper to prevent soil from entering the snake's internal organs. In addition, on such a coating it is easier to observe the vital activity of young animals.

Lighting: avoid direct sunlight on the terrarium with a snake, this will create an uncontrolled rise in temperature. For illumination, it is enough to use fluorescent lamps. Light day during the activity of the reptile should be 12-14 hours. It is recommended to supplement daylight lighting with lamps with UVB 4-8%.

Content temperature: in a terrarium it is necessary to create a temperature gradient from 25°C in a cold corner to 32°C in a warm one. To maintain this temperature, you can use a warm mat, placing it under the terrarium in the place where there should be a warm corner. Overhead heating as such is not required, so only a daylight lamp can be installed above the terrarium.

Humidity maintenance: to keep the California king snake maintain high level humidity is not required. The substrate must be dry, especially in a cold corner. However, in a terrarium it is necessary to place a container of water close to a warm corner, in which the whole snake will fit, provided that the container is only half filled with water, in order to prevent water from overflowing. It is also necessary to organize a so-called "humidity chamber" in the terrarium. In this capacity, a cuvette with wet moss can act, where the snake can burrow. And to simulate tropical rains, the terrarium can be sprayed once a week with warm water.

Decor: the presence in the terrarium of a sufficient number of shelters and snags is prerequisite when keeping the California king snake. In a warm corner, you can place live tropical plants and sphagnum moss. In a cold corner, moisture must be avoided so that the snake does not catch a cold from hypothermia, and therefore the shelters here must be dry. Driftwood and a drinking bowl with water, in turn, will help the snake during molting. To make the reptile feel protected, it is recommended to close the three walls of the terrarium with decoration.

Feeding in captivity

In the wild, the diet of Lampropeltis getulus californiae depends on the habitat, as it is in more an opportunistic reptile and will eat just about anything it can swallow. So rodents become the prey of California royal snakes, small mammals, lizards and their eggs, snakes (including rattlesnakes) and their eggs, frogs, salamanders, birds, as well as large invertebrates, as well as eggs of birds and turtles.

In captivity, mice and rats of the appropriate size can be fed to these snakes. It is better to give prey slain or thawed to avoid injury to the reptile. For a variety of diet, you can offer a snake quail eggs. Prey bones and egg shells are a good source of calcium, but it can also be added as part of special vitamin-mineral complexes for reptiles.
Adults need to be fed once a week, or as soon as the snake has completely defecated. Young animals can be fed twice a week, so the baby will grow faster. At the same time, it is important to prevent obesity in adults and reduce the amount of food if necessary.

Breeding

Before breeding king snakes in captivity, they must be wintered. To do this, the snake needs to be prepared. For about a week, you can’t feed her, then turn off the heating and gradually lower the temperature. For king snakes, the minimum temperature for hibernation is about 12 - 15°C. For about a month, the snake should be kept at this temperature, and then in the reverse order - the temperature rises gradually over the course of a week, after turning on the heating, after a week, the snake can be fed.

You can winter snakes in special wintering boxes or in herpetological bags. There is a high risk that the snake will catch a cold, so it is advisable to prevent an increase in humidity during the winter. There is no need to put a large drinker, its size should only allow the snake to get drunk, and not bathe. All spilled water must be removed immediately, it is better that the drinker is as stable as possible.

After wintering, the female and male are planted in one terrarium. Pregnancy of the female lasts on average about 45 days. The female lays 2 to 12 eggs. Incubation lasts 45 - 60 days at a temperature of 27 - 29°C.

About a week after hatching, the newborns molt and can be fed. Previously, they should not be fed - they still have a supply of yolk in the stomach. You can not put the baby immediately in a large terrarium. It will be difficult for him to find food and hide there, it will be stressful for him. Therefore, it is better to make a small terrarium or keep it in a temporary plastic jig. Otherwise, the content of young animals is similar to the content of adult snakes.

The royal snake is a representative of the family of already-shaped, has no poison. Found in North and Central America and Mexico. To date, there are only 14 varieties of the Royal snake on the entire planet.

A distinctive feature of this species is the bright coloring of the scales. It is she who attracts lovers of reptiles. Some people keep a snake as a pet.

Interesting! The king snake is also called the sparkling shield for its specific scales on its back.

Appearance description

Smooth scales of bright color. As a rule, the pattern consists of alternating multi-colored rings. The most common set of shades: red, white and black. The length of the snake can vary from 50 to 200 cm.

The color of the scales can be different in subspecies. Each individual has its own individual appearance. There is no gender difference in scale color. The only way to tell a male from a female is by male the tail is thicker and longer than that of the female.

Average life expectancy is 9 to 15 years.

Where can you find a snake

Behavior

The main feature of the Royal species is that it can include other snakes, even poisonous ones, in its diet. IN biological research a case was recorded when the King's snake ate a rattlesnake, which is much more dangerous. The organism of this species develops immunity to poisons and toxins. Thanks to this fact, she got her name.
The snake can't stand extreme heat. Because of this, she can rarely go out to hunt. In hot weather, it can show signs of life only at night, early in the morning and at dusk. In the usual conditions, she leads a daytime lifestyle.

Nutrition

The king snake loves to eat small rodents(mice, jungariks, etc.) and small lizards. They are also able to eat other snakes that are poisonous. The organism of this species develops immunity to poisons. Adult reptiles can engage in cannibalism.

Subspecies and their features

On this moment In the world there are 14 varieties of the Royal snake, but only 7 of them have been fully studied.

The most common subtypes include:

1. Mountain royal. In length, individuals do not exceed 1.5 m. The triangular head is black, gray or steel. The body is very massive. The coloring is an alternation of grayish and bright orange rings.
2. Beautiful royal. The average length is a meter. The head is elongated, slightly flattened on the sides. Big eyes, slender, massive body. torso Brown with red or brownish rectangles.
3. Mexican royal. The average length of an individual can reach up to two meters. The head is elongated, flattened laterally. body gray or brown shades, decorated with rectangular red or black and white spots.
4. Arizona Royal. It is one of the smallest subspecies. As a rule, individuals do not exceed a meter in length. The black head is rounded. The color of the body is represented by a set of rings of red, black and yellow (sometimes white) colors.

Other subspecies are currently being studied. Information and facts about varieties are constantly updated.

Enemies in the wild

In most cases, the king snake is preyed upon by large predator birds: eagle, stork, heron, etc. Among mammals, such animals feed on the snake most of all: jaguar, leopard, wild boar, mongoose. The snake is also included in the diet of crocodiles.

snake as a pet

IN modern world more and more often you can find a situation where people start domestic snakes. Many are attracted by the bright color of the Royal. However, before purchasing, a person is obliged to buy some equipment so that the content of the reptile is as comfortable as possible.

Medium-sized individuals are better suited for home conditions. Each animal should be in an individual terrarium, as the Royal Snake has a predisposition to eating its own relatives.

Terrarium and accessories
The minimum size for an average individual is 80x55x55 cm. For small representatives, 60x30x30 cm is enough. An artificial rug is laid on the bottom or coconut shavings are poured. Paper for living snakes is not suitable. In one of the corners, you need to place a small pool so that the Royal can wash in it. A thermometer and a hydrometer are attached to the walls of the terrarium. It is necessary to constantly monitor the microclimate. best temperature during the day the air is 25-30 °C, at night - 20-25 °C. Humidity should be in the range of 50-60%. Periodically, you need to spray the terrarium, but do not overdo it.

A reptile needs good, dim lighting. Daylight bulbs work best. Incandescent lamps can serve as a source of heat, although a thermal mat placed in the corner of the terrarium is better suited for this function. Every day for 30 minutes it is necessary to turn on the ultraviolet lamps. This procedure keeps the snake healthy.

Nutrition
Cubs and young individuals need to be fed once a week. At this age, they prefer newborn mice. Malnutrition must not be allowed, otherwise there will be disturbances in the process of growth and development of the body. An adult feeds a maximum of 3 times a month. Her diet includes gerbil mice, jungariki and other medium-sized rodents. After eating, you can not touch the snake for 3 days, otherwise it may burp what it has eaten. Also, you can not disturb the reptile while eating. Instincts wake up, and the snake attacks the person. Young individuals can be aggressive in the first days, but then contact with the owner is established.

In addition to the usual meal, the King Snake needs nutrients that are not found in food. You can give her crushed eggshells and a calcium supplement. You can add mineral water to the water, but not often. Once a month, vitamins and minerals should be added to the feed. Follow the dosage according to the instructions. It is necessary to consult a specialist.

Safety
The king snake has a weak active poison. It can only paralyze the bitten. However, the reptile does not pose a particular danger to humans. Even in adults, fangs are so short that they, in most cases, do not injure a person. Once tamed, the King Serpent becomes a loyal and affectionate pet. You just need to be patient to make friends with the animal. Taming should take 15-20 minutes every day.

Age
If all the conditions for keeping the Royal Snake are observed, then its life expectancy will be 10 years. However, there are often cases when an individual lived up to 15 years.

home breeding
At home, the King Snake breeds well. Reptiles become capable of producing offspring at the age of 3 years. In winter, the air temperature should be slightly reduced. In the spring, you can bring the male and female. 2 weeks before crossing, you need to give individuals preparations with vitamin E. 7 days before wintering, you need to interrupt the snake's food and turn off the heating devices. The air temperature in the terrarium gradually decreases to 12-15 °C. A month later, the temperature returns to normal, and the feeding of the individual is restored.

The female lays from 2 to a dozen eggs. Incubation lasts about two months. The temperature required during this period is 28-29 °C. When the age of hatched individuals reaches 7 days, they begin to be fed 2 times a week. For young snakes, a separate terrarium is needed. Adults need individual housing, as royal look has a tendency to cannibalism.

Immediately after acquiring a reptile, it must be placed for some time in a quarantine terrarium. This is necessary to find out the health status of the snake. The best solution is to give the Royal Snake a separate room where there will be no other pets, as they can become infected by airborne droplets.

When buying, you need to find out if the individual has normal weight and does not suffer from anorexia. Staphylococcus can infect the oral cavity, so when examining you need to pay attention to this. It is necessary to check the reptile for ticks that provoke skin diseases. The buyer should ask the seller when the last time the snake shed its skin and how it went.

Recently, such a procedure as implanting a microchip into the body of a pet is gaining popularity. In this way, the owners track the location of the snake and better control its behavior. This operation is performed in veterinary clinics and is painless for the animal.

Video: king snake (Lampropeltis)

king snake belongs to the family of already figurative and is prominent representative genus Lampropeltis (which in Greek means "shining shield"). She received this name due to her specific dorsal scales.

Royal, in turn, this snake was nicknamed for the fact that in conditions wildlife her favorite delicacy are other snakes, including poisonous ones. The fact is that the body of royal snakes is absolutely not susceptible to the poison of its other relatives. There are reliably known cases when representatives of this genus ate even rattlesnakes, which are considered one of the most dangerous.

common king snake lives mainly in the deserts and semi-deserts of North America. It can easily be found in Arizona, Nevada and in the swampy areas of Alabama and Florida.

To date, seven subspecies of these snakes have been fairly well studied, which differ not only in color, but also in size, which range from 80 centimeters to two meters in the most major representatives.

Varieties of king snakes

California king snake. This variety has a number of differences from other representatives of its species. Firstly, they have a rich dark black or brown color, on which light longitudinal rings clearly stand out.

Pictured is a California king snake

There are even individuals of snow-white coloring with a beautiful mother-of-pearl shade and pink eyes. We can safely say that it is domestic king snake for the reason that it takes root well in captivity.

Therefore, it is very popular with terrariumists from all over the world. the globe, which sometimes collect entire collections of similar snakes of the most diverse colors.

Pictured is a domestic king snake

Under natural conditions, their main habitat falls on the territory of the state of California, from where they got their name. They live not only in desert and mountainous areas, but also near all kinds of agricultural land near people.

Content at home

Those who decide to keep such a snake in a terrarium should know that they feed mainly on small rodents, and the joint keeping of two or more snakes in one space is unacceptable because they do not disdain eating their relatives.

Royal milk snake. At the moment, scientists have counted about 25 subspecies of milk royal snakes, the sizes of which range from one to one and a half meters. Nevertheless, they are all extremely similar to each other and usually have a black, orange-red or white-yellow color.

Pictured is a royal milk snake hybrid

Since many representatives of these varieties can easily interbreed with each other, all kinds of hybrids can be found on sale. Recognized as safe for humans, because it belongs to the category of non-toxic.

In captivity, their life expectancy often reaches twenty years. They feed mainly on small mammals, snakes and lizards. Mexican king snake. The main color of this variety is rich brown or gray.

On their heads, they usually have a darkish pattern resembling the letter “U”, the whole body is described by quadrangular spots of different colors with a white border. Sizes vary from one to two meters. Big external differences between females and males is not observed.

Pictured is a Mexican king snake

IN natural conditions its habitat is concentrated in the state of Texas and in small provinces of Mexico, due to which it got its name. She likes to settle in subtropical mixed forests in which pine and oak species predominate.

During the day, she usually hides in narrow crevices of rocks, among thickets of shrubs and along slopes overgrown with dense vegetation. Peak activity occurs at night. This species reproduces by eggs, which the female lays at a time from 15 to 20 pieces.

In the photo, the incubation of eggs of the king snake

For those who want to purchase a similar snake for home use, you can easily find many offers on the Internet by entering the query “ buy royal snake».

For feeding when kept in a terrarium, small rodents, frogs and are used, which are a favorite delicacy of milk royal snakes. For illumination, lamps emitting an ultraviolet spectrum are placed directly in the terrarium.

IN summer time they can be taken out in the sun (only in good weather), in winter period it is desirable to provide additional space heating with the help of household or special appliances.

Vitamin E is added to the food for king snakes for a period of two to three weeks immediately after hibernation. Mating takes place from mid-spring to early summer.

For one laying, the female can bring from four to twelve eggs, which are later placed in an incubator, where the first babies appear after about 60-79 days.

Sinaloy king snake. This snake got its name because its main habitat is in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where it can be found in riverbeds, streams and among dry mixed forests.

Pictured is the Sinaloy king snake

Despite the fact that this species is virtually indistinguishable from the most dangerous coral asps for humans, it is not poisonous and safe for humans. Usually they are small in size and rarely reach more than one meter in length.

Their diet includes not only all kinds of small rodents, frogs and lizards, but also large insects. In the event that the Sinaloi king snake is purchased for keeping in a terrarium, then for it it is necessary to install a small tank filled with water in which the snake can swim. It is also desirable to place houses, various shelves and other shelters. The terrarium is sprayed with water once a day, they are fed about once a week.

Black king snake. This is a relatively small variety of royal snakes, reaching a length of half a meter to a meter. It is distributed mainly in Mexico. At the moment, it has been studied very poorly, so the features of her life are still a mystery.

Pictured is a black king snake

Honduran king snake. They live within the storm rainforests and forests of Nicaragua and Honduras, from which they got their name. They have a bright and unusual color, due to which this variety is very popular with breeders. They adapt well in captivity and can live up to twenty years.

Pictured is a Honduran king snake

striated king snake. Distributed in North America from Canada to Colombia. It has a medium size (the length usually does not exceed one and a half meters) and a bright color, similar to the coral asp, in contrast to which it is not poisonous. It hibernates for several months, after which it starts breeding. The average life expectancy of such snakes is about ten years.

Pictured is a striated king snake

Venomous king snake. King cobra like a snake It is considered the largest of the poisonous snakes on the entire planet. Its dimensions range from two to four meters, although individuals are known to reach more than five meters in length.

Their life expectancy is approximately thirty years, during which it does not stop growing and increasing in size. They often settle near human settlements, for which their poison is extremely dangerous.

Pictured is a king cobra

On the picture royal python

royal python snake. It is considered one of the smallest representatives of pythons. It is not poisonous and does not pose any danger to humans. It has a completely peaceful character, therefore it is very popular among snake breeders.