The king snake is white. King snake - description, where it lives, features. Snake as a pet

Body length: 90 - 150 cm.

Lifespan: 20 - 25 years.

Californian king snake distributed in the western United States and Mexico. It was also brought to the island of Gran Canaria near Africa. She settles in deserts, forests, and swamps, but prefers to live next to people.

The reptile is active both during the day and at night - it all depends on the weather. Like many other snakes, in spring and fall, the California king snake is active during the day, and in the heat of summer it stays awake at night.

The coloring is usually two colors - light and dark. Light can be white, greyish-white, cream or light yellow. Dark - brown or black. These two colors either form transverse rings (this form is called banded), or, against a main dark background, they run along the back dark stripe(striped). Such snakes are most often found on the coast southern California. Also common are various aberrant forms and a completely yellow variant called banana. These are natural, natural color options. In addition to these, there are also captive-bred morphs.

If the king snake is alarmed, it begins to wriggle, hiss and rattle its tail so that it can easily be confused with a rattlesnake. These snakes are non-venomous, but are fluent in the technique of strangulation. In addition, like all king snakes, Lampropeltis getulus californiae is immune to its poisonous counterparts, which does not prevent it from hunting them. The California kingsnake is not dangerous to humans, but if handled incorrectly, it can bite or release fluid.

How to set up a terrarium

Talking about the maintenance of these snakes, first of all I would like to note that individual terrariums are required for them. They cannot be left with other reptiles even for a minute, since the Californian king snake has a healthy appetite and looks at any neighbor with exclusively gastronomic interest. The exception, of course, is mating time, but caution is needed here too.

These snakes do not have any special requirements for the terrarium. For an adult snake, it will be enough to provide a terrarium or container with a bottom area of ​​40x60 cm (but the larger the better, of course). For young people, take small containers of a suitable size. Young California snakes careful and secretive. Do not resist their nature, provide shelters in which they will feel calm. As the snake grows, it will show itself much more often. The substrate can be paper, coconut chips, moss, leaf litter - in general, any of the more or less accepted options, except sand. The good thing about chips for young animals is that they dig into them with pleasure.

The terrarium must have a spacious drinking bowl and a warm-up point of at least 30 C. Never keep snakes without a warm-up point! This is their physiological need. It is also very desirable to have a humidity chamber in the terrarium (a box filled with wet moss, coconut or other substrate where the snake can hide while molting). If there is a humidity chamber, no additional spraying is required.

California snake nutrition

IN wildlife The diet of Lampropeltis getulus californiae depends on the habitat. It is an "opportunistic" reptile and will eat almost anything it can swallow. Thus, the prey of Californian king snakes are rodents, small mammals, lizards and their eggs, snakes (including rattlesnakes) and their eggs, frogs, salamanders, birds, and large invertebrates, as well as bird and turtle eggs.

In captivity, these snakes can be fed with mice and rats of the appropriate size. It is better to give prey killed or thawed to avoid injury to the reptile. To diversify the diet, you can offer the 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 and mineral complexes for reptiles.
Adults should be fed once a week, or when the snake has completely defecated. Young ones can be fed twice a week, so the baby snake will grow faster. At the same time, it is important to prevent obesity in adults and put them on a diet if the snake gets fat.

Reproduction and breeding of the king snake

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

Snakes can be wintered 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 the humidity from increasing during wintering. There is no need to put a large drinking bowl; its size should only allow the snake to drink, and not to bathe. All spilled water must be cleaned up immediately. It is better for the drinker to be as stable as possible.

After wintering, the female and male are placed in the same terrarium. The female's pregnancy lasts on average about 45 days. The female lays from 2 to 12 eggs. Incubation lasts 45 - 60 days at a temperature of 27 - 29°C.

About a week after hatching, the newborns moult and can be fed. There is no point in feeding them before - they still have a reserve of yolk in their stomach. You can’t put your baby right away large terrarium. There it will be difficult for him to find food and hide, it will be stressful for him. Therefore, it is better to make a small terrarium or keep it in a temporary plastic tank. Otherwise, keeping young animals is similar to keeping adult snakes.

Pedigree of the king snake, popular types of snakes and their characteristics, tips for keeping them at home, purchase and price.

The content of the article:

It is no big secret that today it is good to be an individual, but this whole concept is perceived in completely different ways. For whom to be special means to have real friends or happy family, for someone the presence of two or more higher education and a monthly income above average is also to some extent an achievement. But there is another category of people, they try their best to show their individuality and unsurpassed taste in more aesthetic needs. For some, it is necessary to have clothes and shoes from the most latest collections famous couturiers, some buy extremely expensive cars or real estate that no one else has, while others use pets as a way of self-expression.

In our modern era, it is not at all a problem to see the most elaborate and original animals in the house of your relatives or just friends. Raccoons, hedgehogs, lemurs, monkeys and even hippos - all these representatives of the world's fauna have been living in human possessions for many years. But there are also those who want to contemplate something completely unique in their home every day. Living being. If you fall into this category, turn your attention to the king snake.

In relation to this reptile, everyone has completely different thoughts and impressions. Some consider her to be a majestic animal, while others consider her to be alive deadly weapon. According to many literary sources snakes live on our home planet twenty million years longer than humans. Many legends, stories and myths hover over the heads of these long living creatures, which say that there is no one more dangerous and terrible in all of them. globe. But there are also people who consider the snake to be a sacred animal, and it is not for nothing that snake venom was used in medicine as a panacea for all sorts of pathological conditions. Some will think that this cannot be or that this is pure fiction, then one only has to remember that it is probably not for nothing that a bowl entwined with a snake has become a symbol of healing.

Often the image of these living creatures can be seen in the image of family coats of arms and in illustrations of myths ancient Greece, maybe this snake is not so harmful, since people from the most ancient times have immortalized it as a symbol of health, justice and greatness.

Keeping a king snake in your home may not be the easiest thing, but it is always interesting. Such a pet will not give you a paw, bring you a stick or purr in your ear, but believe me, contemplating such a miracle of nature every day, you will not only get used to it, but also learn to love the snake and even admire it. Looking at these living creatures, it seems that you can draw inspiration from their graceful, elegant appearance and behavior of a king snake can serve as an excellent psychologist.

But before you bring such an exotic pet into your home, you should consult with other members of your family, and get to know the future inhabitant of your home better.

Origin and native range of the king snake

Scientists have been studying the world of snakes for many years, these mysterious creatures excited the interest of people even in those ancient times when there were no scientists as such. But the discovery of the genus of royal snakes dates back to 1843. Besides modern people sciences have classified these representatives of the animal kingdom into the class of reptiles, the order of squamates and the family of colubrids.

As for the native territories of these cute creatures, nothing can be said for sure. The genus of royal snakes includes over 20 very diverse snakes and each lives in its own territory and is suitable for it. climatic conditions external environment.

Types of king snakes and their characteristic features

Florida king snake

Lampropeltis getula floridiana - this inhabitant of the southeastern part of the USA considers the flourishing state of Florida as its Fatherland. For her comfortable and safe habitat, she chooses areas near which there are rivers and small lakes; she feels quite happy in the thick of a swampy wooded area and in the middle of a large number of reed thickets. Some individuals also inhabit locations located near sown plantations and fields.

This beautiful reptile leads a predominantly diurnal lifestyle, but if the summer turns out to be too hot, then this cunning creature goes out to hunt, either early in the morning or at dusk. Some individuals can and throughout daylight hours lie down in some secluded shaded corner, and late at night crawl out in search of food.

The diet of this long Florida native consists of small mammals, in particular rodents, small birds, reptiles, frogs, and sometimes they have the strength and courage to attack venomous rattlesnakes and even cottonmouths. But if food supply is very tight in the territory they occupy, then they can easily afford, without any remorse, to devour their relative, who turned out to be weaker and less agile and attentive.

As for the external appearance of this colubrid, it is a rather large creature, the body of which grows in length over 1.8–2 m. The skin of this snake is painted in grayish-yellow shades; there is no strict correlation of colors in the color of such reptiles, each individual can have its own individual amount of gray or yellow color. The scales on the body of this creature are usually contrasting - in the projection of the base their shade is noticeably lighter, while the edges are very dark. Some representatives of their species are painted by nature in completely different colors. In this regard, scientists sometimes classify them as completely new, hitherto unknown species. But after a while it turns out that these conclusions are erroneous and the object of their study was an ordinary Florida king snake, just with a peculiar color.

Royal black snake or Nigrita

Lampropeltis getula nigrita - as permanent place living, this species of colubrids has chosen for itself rocky areas, around which an abundant amount of lush vegetation grows. This scaly species can be found in Mexico, the Sonoran Desert and the southeastern United States.

Nigrites spend most of their time on the surface of the earth; occasionally they can climb out onto low bushes to inspect nearby areas; by nature they are excellent swimmers, so they can afford to plunge into a body of water.

By nature, these reptiles are very active and hardworking, so their period of activity lasts almost around the clock. If they go in search of prey in daytime day, then their main assistant is their vision, which cannot be called excellent, but at night, a well-developed sense of smell and tactile sensitivity becomes very useful to them.

At the end of the meal, these living “ropes” prefer to spend time in safe shelters alone with themselves. With the onset of cold weather, the metabolism of such scaly nigrita slows down greatly, and during winter it stops completely, and the snake gradually plunges into a sound winter sleep.

These beauties hunt small snakes, sometimes even poisonous ones, since in the process of life they develop the necessary protective reactions of the body to many poisons; they also like to feed on lizards, frogs, rodents, catching them directly in their burrows. They will not refuse to dine on some birds and their eggs.

The royal nigrita is completely non-poisonous, its main weapon is its strength and power, it simply crushes its victim with its muscular body, having previously immobilized it with its powerful jaw.

The appearance of this species of king snake may not be very striking, but it is still delightful. The skin of this snake is painted in one continuous, seemingly not very remarkable black or dark brown color. But as soon as this colubrid gets out into the sun, its skin begins to shine and shimmer with a beautiful shine and a slightly bluish tint. Very young individuals sometimes have some painted elements on the skin, in the form of yellow dots and spots, but with the achievement of sexual maturity they gradually disappear.

The body length of nigrita varies from 60 to 200 cm, it all depends on the conditions of the external habitat.

Thayer's king snake

Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri is middle length colubrid, grows in length to a maximum of 85–100 cm. If we talk about body coloring, then there is no consistency, in one social group Snakes of absolutely different colors can live here. But most often the main color tone is either silver-gray or delicate peach; occasionally there are individuals with regular stripes of three colors painted on their bodies. On the crown of the head you can see a small spot of light shades, and behind the eye socket there are dark lines. The skin of this royal scaly must have a specific pattern, which is represented by stripes or figures irregular shape, painted in different shades of red or brown.

In open nature, this snake is found in the foothills and mountain areas of Mexico. He tries to spend all his time during daylight hours in his holes, or carefully wrapped in forest floor. And with the onset of twilight on the ground, he begins to slowly go out in search of food. The favorite foods of this colubrid are birds, small rodents, and frogs, but young individuals are very capricious - they feed exclusively on lizards.

Mountain Huachuca kingsnake

Lampropeltis pyromelana woodini - This Arizona native chooses the Huachuca Mountains for its personal natural habitat, but can most often be seen in rocky areas slightly elevated above the ground. Leads a predominantly diurnal terrestrial lifestyle. When night falls on the ground, this creature is conveniently located in the crevices of trees and their rhizomes, as well as on completely legally can settle into burrows constructed by other animals.

The maximum body length of the Huachuca scaly is approximately 90 cm, although some individual individuals grow up to 120 cm. The entire body of this snake is painted with beautiful stripes of black, red and white. The white stripes number approximately 35 to 42. The black lines tend to taper towards the sides of the snake's body and never extend to the abdominal area. Projection abdominal cavity most often colored White color, against the background of which barely noticeable stripes of a light beige shade are drawn. The head, painted by nature in a coal-black tone, is only olfactory organ presented in a whitish color.

Magnificent king snake

Lampropeltis getula splendida - already, based on the name of this reptile, we can conclude that this is a very beautiful living creature, and this opinion is not wrong. This vibrant beauty grows to approximately 110–135 cm in length. On the black head of the snake you can see light-colored stripes in the projection of the labial scutes. The base color of the skin of the colubrid is chocolate brown or deep black. The scales, which are located on the sides of the body, have a large number of yellow color. Quite large spots are painted on the entire surface of the snake’s body, which have a completely chaotic shape, between themselves they are limited by thin lines of beautiful yellow color. Only part of the abdomen is devoid of ornament, which does not make this miracle of nature any less magnificent.

This living “splendor” is distributed from Texas to northern Mexico. The reptile feels very comfortable in places devoid of moisture, but still often makes its way to bodies of water, through dry plains and bushes. They feed on everything that other snakes do, and cannibalism is no exception in their society.

Caring for a king snake, keeping it at home

When bringing such a unique pet into your home, you first need to take care of where it will live. Since your king snake will not jump or run, a horizontal type terrarium is ideal for its personal roof over its head. When choosing the size of such a home, you must be guided by the maximum dimensions to which your pet can grow, but you should remember that at home, these natives of the wild tend to slightly outgrow their relatives from open habitats. Therefore, choose a house for the snake in which it can maintain its motor activity and at the same time, so that the walls of the terrarium do not restrict its movements.

One of the most important rules for keeping snakes at home is the correct temperature regime, which can be well maintained with the help of special heating devices; a thermal cord or a thermal mat are suitable for the latter. Which should be placed in one of the corners of the terrarium - this will be a more “tropical” corner, therefore, the further away from this corner, the cooler your pet will be. This way, you leave it to your long buddy to find the right conditions for himself at any given time.

Air humidity is no less important, especially during the molting period. To maintain the required moisture coefficient, it is necessary to spray the terrarium daily, just make sure that water does not get on the king snake, it can get very scared, and it does not need unnecessary stress. In addition to spraying, it is recommended to install a container with clean water, it will be both a watering hole and a personal spa for your friend. There he will take baths, and during the period of “changing clothes” he will not leave this personal pool at all.

As a substrate, you can use coconut soil, gravel, coarse sand, you can also place a small amount of sphagnum, good place there will be a hot corner for him, where the humidity will be minimal, and he will be able to slightly adjust it.
Don’t forget about shelters, because snakes also need somewhere to sleep and be away from prying eyes.

At home, king snakes must be fed either hamsters or laboratory mice, once every five days; under no circumstances overfeed your pet. He, of course, will not refuse an extraordinary meal, but this may negatively affect his health, and, consequently, his life expectancy. From time to time, you can offer your snake vitamin and mineral complexes; it is best to add them to the water.

Buying and price of king snake

Buying such a pet is not particularly problematic. The price for such a reptile ranges from 3,000 to 25,000 rubles.

The fight between rattlesnakes and kingsnakes in the following video:

In this article I want to tell you about such a pet as Honduran king snake. I will tell you about the character of this snake, how to tame it, how to choose a terrarium for it and how to arrange it, what conditions need to be maintained in the terrarium, as well as what to feed Royal Honduran snake.

So, let's begin. In nature, this snake is distributed quite widely, from the southwest of Canada to the north South America. They are harmless to humans; on the contrary, they help fight harmful rodents. King snakes are not poisonous; if you are suddenly bitten by such a snake, there will be no health consequences.

The Royal Honduran snake grows up to two meters in length. The body, compared to its length, is very thin. Life expectancy at good conditions maintenance for about 20 years. It is better not to keep these snakes in colonies, as cannibalism is quite common.

Keeping a King Snake is not at all difficult, but you will need to buy a minimum set of equipment. Let's start with the terrarium. The terrarium should be of a horizontal type with a minimum size of 80x55x55 centimeters for an adult snake. Of course, while your snake is small, it does not need such a large terrarium. For a small snake, 60x30x30 centimeters is quite enough. You can put an artificial mat on the bottom of the terrarium, you can sprinkle coconut shavings or coconut sawdust, or in extreme cases you can put newspaper.

The best decorative items would be to place a small cave, a piece of bark in the shape of a hole and small driftwood. In one corner of the terrarium you need to place a small pool. The snake loves to swim.

Next, you need to attach a dial or digital thermometer and hydrometer to the walls of the terrarium. The temperature for keeping the King Snake should be 25-32 degrees during the day, and 20-25 degrees at night. Humidity should be maintained at 60-35 percent. In order to maintain such humidity, it will be enough to spray the terrarium once every three days.

To illuminate the terrarium you need a lamp daylight. Do not install a lamp that is too bright. To heat the terrarium, you can install several incandescent light bulbs. Thermal mats are also very suitable for heating. It should be placed under one corner of the terrarium and turned on when heating is needed. All reptiles require a UV lamp to be healthy. Turn it on every day for at least 30 minutes. Special vitamins for reptiles can be added to the water in the drinking bowl.

Of the equipment, all of the above is the required minimum. Now about feeding the King Snake. While the snake is small, it needs to be fed every week and under no circumstances allowed to go hungry, otherwise this may affect its development. Newborn mice and runner mice are suitable food for a small snake. Adult snakes need to be fed once every 10-14 days with one or two adult mice. If you cannot find ordinary mice, then gerbils, dwarfs and other rodents of a suitable size will do.

The king snake (Lampropeltis) belongs to the genus non-venomous snakes and the family Colubridae. Today there are about fourteen species, the main habitats of which are Northern and Central America, as well as Mexico.

Appearance and description of king snakes

The king snake received its second name “sparkling shield” due to the presence of very specific dorsal scales. The king snake was nicknamed because in the wild, other types of snakes, including poisonous ones, became its favorite treat. This feature is due to the lack of sensitivity of the king snake’s body to the poisons of its relatives.

This is interesting! There are documented cases in which members of the kingsnake genus ate the most dangerous rattlesnakes.

Currently, only seven subspecies belonging to the genus of king snakes have been studied quite well. All types have significant differences not only in color, but also in size. Body length can vary from 0.8 m to one and a half to two meters. As a rule, the scales of snakes of this genus are smooth, have a bright and contrasting color, and the main pattern is represented by numerous multi-colored rings. The most common combination is represented by red, black and white.

King snake in the wild

All species belonging to the genus of king snakes are quite common in America and surrounding areas.

Range and habitats

Common kingsnakes live primarily in deserts or semi-desert areas in North America. Commonly found in Arizona and Nevada. A significant number of individuals inhabit the marshy areas of Florida and Alabama.

King Snake Lifestyle

The king snake prefers to settle in coniferous forests, in areas with shrubby woodlands and meadows, in semi-deserts. Meet on sea ​​coasts and in mountainous areas.

The reptile leads a terrestrial lifestyle, but does not tolerate heat very well, therefore, when dry and hot weather sets in, it goes hunting exclusively at night.

Types of king snakes

Several species belonging to the genus of non-venomous king snakes are especially widespread:

• mountain king snake up to one and a half meters long, with a triangular black, steel or gray head and a strong, fairly massive body, the pattern of which is represented by a combination of gray and orange shades;
• a beautiful king snake up to a meter long, with a laterally compressed and slightly elongated head, big eyes and a slender, massive body of fawn or brown color with brownish-red rectangular spots;
• Mexican king snake up to two meters long, with a somewhat elongated, laterally compressed head and a slender, strong body, the main color of which is gray or brown with quadrangular or saddle-shaped spots of red or black and white;
• Arizona king snake up to a meter long, with a short, somewhat rounded black head and a thin, slender body, on which a three-color pattern of red, black and yellow or white stripes is clearly visible.

Also quite well studied today are the common, Sinaloyan, black, Honduran, Californian and striated king snakes.

Food and prey

The king snake often preys on other species of snakes, including venomous ones.. This genus also uses lizards and all kinds of small rodents for food. Adults are prone to cannibalism.

Natural enemies of snakes

IN natural conditions The snake's enemies can be represented by large birds such as storks, herons, secretary birds and eagles. Mammals also hunt snakes. Most often, reptiles become prey for jaguars, wild boars, crocodiles, leopards and mongooses.

Keeping a king snake at home

Medium-sized varieties that are undemanding and quite easily adapt to terrarium conditions are best suited. The owner of the reptile will need to purchase a standard set of equipment.

Setting up a terrarium for a snake

A horizontal type terrarium will be optimal for keeping a king snake. minimum dimensions which is 800x550x550 mm. For small individuals, you can select a terrarium measuring 600x300x300 mm.

The bottom part should be covered with a special artificial mat or filled with high-quality coconut flakes. A less suitable option would be to use paper.

This is interesting! As decorative items, you can use small caves, large pieces of bark or not too large driftwood.

A small pool should be installed in the corner of the terrarium for bathing the snake.. A hydrometer and thermometer are attached to the wall of the terrarium, allowing strict control of the microclimate. Optimal temperature content during the daytime is 25-32 o C. At night, the temperature should be lowered to 20-25 o C. The standard humidity level should be within 50-60%. Spraying is carried out if necessary.

When keeping reptiles, it is important to have proper lighting using fluorescent lamps, which should not be too bright. To heat the terrarium, you can use several incandescent lamps, but it is best to use special thermal mats for this purpose, which are placed in one of the corners of the terrarium.

Important! To maintain the health of reptiles, you need ultraviolet lamps, which need to be turned on every day for half an hour.

Diet and basic diet

A small or young snake should be fed once a week, avoiding starvation, which negatively affects the growth and development of the reptile. Newborn mice and runner mice serve as food for small snakes. An adult snake needs to be fed somewhat less frequently, about two to three times a month, using adult gerbil mice and other rodents of suitable size for this purpose.

Important! Remember that after feeding a king snake, you should not handle the reptile for at least three to four days.

A young snake can be aggressive and at first tries to bite the owner, which usually goes away with age. Water must be available to the snake at all times. IN clean water it is recommended to periodically add special vitamin complexes for reptiles.

Precautionary measures

King snakes, as well as their related European copperheads, have a weak venom that helps the reptile paralyze common prey in nature, represented by lizards and snakes. Such poison reduces the resistance of the victim during the process of suffocation and ingestion.

The teeth are even the most large species very small and unable to seriously injure human skin. When kept at home, adult king snakes often become practically tame and show no aggression towards their owner at all. You need to tame such a snake gradually, spending about 10-15 minutes a day.

Lifespan of a king snake

Subject to the rules of maintenance and feeding, average duration The life of a king snake, regardless of the species, is about ten years, but, as practice shows, the age of some individuals exceeds fifteen years.

Breeding snakes at home

In captivity, king snakes reproduce well. At home, during the winter, the temperature in the terrarium should be lowered, and in the spring, the male and female should be placed together. A week before wintering, the snake needs to stop feeding, after which the heating is turned off and the temperature gradually drops to 12-15 o C. After a month, the temperature gradually increases, and the normal feeding conditions of the reptile return.

An adult female lays from two to a dozen eggs, and the incubation period can vary between one and a half to two months at temperature conditions 27-29 o N. A week after birth, the snakes molt, after which you can start feeding them a couple of times a week. A small terrarium is allocated for the young animals. In the future, king snakes are kept alone, which is due to cannibalism.

Newly purchased snakes must be kept in a quarantine terrarium, which will identify any health problems with the reptile. It is best to keep such a snake in an isolated area to prevent airborne infection of other pet reptiles.

Where to buy a snake and what to look for

The cost of a king snake may vary depending on the place of purchase, as well as the species and age. Average price in Moscow pet stores and nurseries:

• Californian king snake HI-YELLOW – 4700-4900 rubles;
• Californian king snake BANDED – 4800 rubles;
• royal Honduran snake HI-WHITE ABERRANT – 4800 rubles;
• Californian king snake Albino Banana – 4900 rubles;
• Californian king snake Banded Cafe – 5,000 rubles;
• royal Honduran snake HYPOMELANISTIC APRICOT – 5000 rubles;
• Californian king snake Albino – 5,500 rubles;
• Huachuk mountain king snake – 5,500 rubles.

Important! When purchasing, you need to pay attention that a healthy reptile has sufficient weight and does not suffer from anorexia.

It is necessary to examine the oral cavity, which should be free of oral fungus caused by staphylococci. You should check your reptile for mites, which cause skin irritation, and when and how it last time shed her skin. A completely healthy reptile must get rid of its old skin at one time.

IN last years Many owners of king snakes implant a special microchip in their pets, which allows them to track their location if necessary. This is very simple operation, and the unique number contained on the chip allows you to effectively control the reptile.