Facts on Baby Eastern King Snakes

Features

• With a well-known propensity for eating venomous snakes, the name kingsnake is well-earned. In fact, they are unique among North American harmless snakes in possessing immunity to the bite of a venomous snake. Most of the fellow snakes eaten by kingsnakes are harmless. Kingsnakes don't target venomous species, and they readily accept whatever turns up while out hunting. Young eastern kingsnakes are lizard-eating specialists. They are especially fond of a group of widespread small-sized lizards called skinks. Skinks are well-known for having tails that break off readily when seized. This works out well for the young snake. The snake gets a meal, and the lizard gets to live. The skink's tail does eventually grow back.

Geography

• Found throughout the southeastern United States, eastern kingsnakes range from southern New Jersey through southeast Alabama. It generally avoids the higher elevations of Appalachian Mountains in favor of the lower coastal plain. The eastern kingsnake occupies a variety of habitats within its range. You can most commonly find them associated with low-lying wet areas such as swamps, grassy marshes, and bogs; however, the eastern kingsnake is equally at home in upland pine forest, although it is harder to find in this habitat. Where they occur, young eastern kingsnakes can be found by looking under ground cover (such as rocks and logs) as well as by driving seldom-used roads during warm weather.

Identification

• Young eastern kingsnakes generally resemble their parents and change very little as they grow older. This is especially true in individuals from the northern portion of their range. Toward the south, young eastern kingsnakes often have a lot of orange coloration which gradually fades as they age. Their overall background color is typically dark brown to black and they have a series of thin white or yellow bands across their backs. These bands are usually linked together along the sides, giving them an overall chained pattern. Like all other kingsnakes, they have smooth shiny scales and their anal scale (on the belly, just before the tail) is not divided.

Size

• Hatchling eastern kingsnakes are 6 to 8 inches long. Like all snakes, eastern kingsnakes grow continually throughout their lives. The rate of growth is especially fast when they are young. Young eastern kingsnakes that are kept warm (at least around room temperature) and fed regularly (they prefer small lizards and pinkie mice in captivity) will nearly triple their body size in the first year. This exceptionally fast rate of growth isn't realized in the wild because of the seasonal changes in weather (they are inactive for many months of the year) and food is not as readily available.

Considerations

• Young eastern kingsnakes make excellent pets. Unlike dogs or cats, kingsnakes don't have to be cared for every day, but there are certain aspects of their husbandry and biology you should consider first.
  They get large (up to six feet). The space requirements of their cages will probably need to be upgraded as they get larger. Additionally, you won't want to keep other pet snakes in the same enclosure. The largest kingsnake will eat everything smaller. The cage should be kept dry and free of feces. A large water bowl should always be present and large enough for the snake to soak in.
  They only eat once a week, but their food is a little more difficult to obtain than that of common household pets. When the snake is young, you'll need to have an accessible supply of small lizards or pinkie mice available. As it gets older, it is better to shift it to a diet exclusively of mice as they are generally easy to come by.