Found a snake in the skimmer - what species?* PIC POST 1 *

[Goat_Walker]

black and yellow broken pattern i think

 

[TCollier]

I am thinking a little king snake. Looks close to the one my son had while he was growing up.

 

[Gerbil]

Quote:
Yep, it sounds like a baby king snake.

 

[Goat_Walker]

So what do i need o know about this guy???

 

[SummerChick]

King snakes are not poisonous...i don't know what they eat though....hopefully not chickens!

 

[Gerbil]

Other poisonous snakes, rats, mice, eggs...... But who doesn't like an egg every now and then?

 

[SummerChick]

I found this information about the kingsnake;

There is nothing common about the common kingsnake. For instance, with the kaleidoscope of colors and skin patterns among the subspecies and even within a single subspecies, common kingsnakes would rate high on any list of "best dressed" among the serpents. With their choice of prey, they might also rank high among gourmet diners of the serpent clan.

Hunting during the day, especially around sunrise and sunset, or through cool summer nights, the common kingsnake will prey on just about any creature that it can overpower with its constricting coils. It feeds, most famously, on other snakes as well as on lizards, small turtles, frogs, birds and small mammals. It also eats the eggs of reptiles and birds. Equipped with an enzyme the breaks down the venom from poisonous snakes, minimizing the damage it suffers from bites it will eat rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouth water moccasins and even coral snakes. Its practice of eating venomous snakes makes it exceptional among the reptiles

Laurie

 

[Goat_Walker]

well can i handle him?


Can i keep him? if only for a week to study him. What kind of environment? Food? temps? light?

 

[SummerChick]

In selecting a common kingsnake for a pet, you should choose one bred legally in captivity, not one captured illegally in the wild.

Realize that the snake may grow to several feet in length, and will require some replication of its natural habitat. It may live for 20 years.

As Lianne McLeod, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, said in "Kingsnakes and Milksnakes: Choosing a Snake," you should select a snake with:

A firm and uniform body with smooth movement, free of tremors
A glossy skin, free of sores and parasites (especially mites)
No open-mouth gasping for breath
Mouth interior uniformly pink, free of mouth rot
Clear eyes, free of discharge
Clean vent, free of swelling

Kingsnakes are "escape artists," said Melissa Kaplan in her Herp Care Collecting Internet site, "Kingsnakes and Milksnakes," so for an adult, you will likely need a 60-gallon enclosure with high sides and a tight fitting and locking top.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Im not looking for a life time pet - I just want to have him set up in my room for about a week so i can study him and his activities, maybe get a better understanding of snakes since i live side by side with them. My mom is terrified and they give me the heepy jeebies if they arent confined. So I figure if i can watch them i can learn and hopefully slowly overcome that little fear.


I just need the imformation that is required to keep him healthy for a week before i release him next to our mouse filled barn.