California King Snake Breeding

California king snakes are popular pets for captive breeding. Easy to handle, they please both novice snake owners and long-time devotees. They grow to 2.5 to 3.5 feet in length and come in a variety of colors and patterns. California king snakes often have alternating brown and white or pale yellow bands. Some are speckled, while others are pretty albinos.

Things You'll Need

  • Temperature-controlled enclosure
  • Small container for nesting
  • Mice
Show More

Instructions

  1. Select Your Snakes

    • 1

      Select snakes that are at least 1 1/2 years old. You'll need to know the sexes of your snakes, and pick ones that are in good health and have few or no parasites. Since their patterns and colors vary widely, keepers like to experiment with the patterns of snakes they breed.

    • 2

      Fatten up your chosen snakes, starting in August. Feed females 12 to 15 10-day-old mice per month, as they need to gain as much weight as possible from August through the end of November. Males also need to eat more during this time, as they sometimes refuse food during mating season. Keep the cage temperature at 75 to 83 F.

    • 3

      Lower cage temperature to 55 to 65 F for a three-month cooling period, starting December 1st. Keep males and females in separate cages and do not feed them during this period.

    • 4

      Warm your snakes starting on March 1st. Raise cage temperature to a high of 83 F, then drop down to 75 F each day. Begin feeding your snakes 24 hours after the initial warming. Note when they shed their skins. Females usually reach maximum breeding potential three to 14 days after the initial shedding.

    • 5

      Introduce the female into the male's cage to determine if she is ready to breed. If she slithers slowly around the cage, stretched out long and allows the male to climb on her back, it's a go. If she bunches up her body and whacks him with her tail, best try again later. Introduce a receptive female at least three times, a few days apart. When her eggs begin to develop, the pregnant female will resist the male's charms.

    • 6

      Fill a plastic container with peat moss or sphagnum; cut an access hole in the top or side and insert it into the female's cage. The eggs will develop inside her for 28 to 45 days, the last few weeks of which she will not eat. Watch for shedding, which will occur seven to 12 days before she lays her eggs. As soon as she lays her eggs, usually in May, she will eat heartily again. She might produce a second clutch of eggs at this time.