It is a very calm snake, and very shy. Arizona 2018; Adult … Location in the Zoo: Herpetarium: Physical Description: The Gray-Banded King snake is usually about 3 feet long and has beautiful array of colored stripes. In wild, food resources are rodents, lizards, frogs, eggs and other snakes. My family has one that has been in our care for more than 26 years, and when it was acquired, it was probably already several years old. Grey-banded kingsnake → Gray-banded kingsnake – WP:TIES.This is a snake found in the southwestern U.S. (and nowhere that is far from the southwestern U.S.), so it should presumably use the U.S. spelling of "gray" (as do the articles about the gray fox and the Eastern gray squirrel).—BarrelProof 18:00, 13 March 2015 (UTC) Support per TIES. There are many variations on this basic morphology found in the wild and captive bred, with some specimens even lacking orange or red banding entirely. Because of this, adults of this species make wonderful captives for first time snake keepers. Gray-banded kingsnakes have a docile demeanor and usually feed readily on domesticated mice. The record length is 57 inches, although such behemoths are rarely seen, even in captivity. The Gray-Banded kingsnake occurs in the Chihuahua desert regions of northereastern Mexico and the Big Bend region of west Texas. Another snake is the Gray Banded Kingsnake. Mice are the typical diet for pet gray-banded kingsnakes. https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/gray-banded-kingsnake-care-sheet Finally, never use your pet gray-banded kingsnake to scare a person who is not a fan of snakes. gray-banded kingsnake may increase depending upon whether it originates from a more common or from a rare (such as New Mexico) collecting location within its range. Diet: Small rodents, frogs, and the eggs of ground nesting birds, lizards, and other snakes: Venom Fact: Nonvenomous: Breeding Season: Summer: Mode of Reproduction: Oviparous (egg laying) Clutch Size: 3 to 13 eggs: Incubation Period: 9 weeks: IUCN Conservation Status: LC: Grey-Banded Kingsnake Gallery. Feeding / Diet: Like most snakes the Grey-banded king snake can eat mice, rats, and some newborns prefer lizards; depending on the size of your snake and the availability of feed. A good strategy for maintaining the general health of a gray-banded kingsnake is to allow it to cool down for a few months during winter (brumation). L. alterna is oviparous, laying clutches of 3–13 eggs in early summer, which hatch in approximately 9 weeks. Diet Trait Count-Including ... 2020 AlternaXNelson'sXPueblan Milksnake Female Gray-banded Kingsnake '20. RE: My New Grey Banded Kingsnake - eat2muchrice, Oct 13, 2018. View: Grid; List ; Sort by. Grey-banded kingsnake → Gray-banded kingsnake – WP:TIES.This is a snake found in the southwestern U.S. (and nowhere that is far from the southwestern U.S.), so it should presumably use the U.S. spelling of "gray" (as do the articles about the gray fox and the Eastern gray squirrel).—BarrelProof 18:00, 13 March 2015 (UTC) Support per TIES. It’s not a very active snake so it doesn’t need much furnishings in the cage, but you can use rocks or dry wood to reproduce its biotope. Newly born pinkies should be fine to be fed on hatchlings. It is prudent not to handle your gray-banded kingsnake too soon after it has eaten, otherwise it may regurgitate its meal. A look at our Favorite of the snakes. These snakes have a rather small, wide head with large eyes and round pupils.Like other snakes lacking venom, the Grey Banded King Snake is adapted for constriction to subdue its prey. The gray-banded kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna), sometimes referred to as the alterna or the Davis Mountain king snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. A solution comprised of 95 percent water and 5 percent bleach with a little liquid soap added makes an excellent cleanser. Adults eat small to large mice. geroldandcindymerkerreptiles.com. Kingsnake species inhabit the Americas from southeastern Canada to southern Ecuador. Most snakes, including gray-banded kingsnakes, are retiring and will appreciate an area in the cage where they can remain hidden from view. It is useful to help maintain humidity, and especially if your gray-band is getting ready to shed its skin. The gray-banded kingsnake feeds primarily on lizards. [5] It has a relatively wide head (when compared to other kingsnake species), and has large eyes with round pupils. It has a unique coloration, protruding eyes and a post ocular stripe. Gopher Your Pet $150. Photo credit. Adjust the range if you notice your snake constantly moving about the cage; this may mean it cannot find a comfortable temperature. Juveniles eat fuzzy mice. Hatchlings are around 10 inches in size. You will likely discover, too, that locality-specific gray-banded kingsnakes cost more because a breeder has taken the time to breed snakes found at the same location. Gray-banded Kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) Written by Robert W Bryson Jr. alterna@brooksdata.net Introduction The gray-banded kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) is what many people consider to be one of the most sought-after and impressive kingsnakes of North America. Don’t grip it too tightly. You may need to jiggle the mouse a bit using 12-inch forceps, and this may take several tries before the snake accepts the mouse. Some sources list two distinct subspecies of Lampropeltis alterna, as L. a. alterna and L. a. blairi differentiated by patterning and locale, but research has shown them to be color morphs of the same species.[4]. We kept gray-banded kingsnakes in 10-gallon reptile terrariums with secure tops for many years with excellent results. Gerold Merker and his wife Cindy maintain a large group of gray-banded kingsnakes which they have been breeding for the past 33 years. It is non-venomous and scales cover all its body. Such enclosures are easy to clean, and they are great for maintaining the proper temperatures for gray-banded kingsnakes. Thus, the high value of the form known from southeast New Mexico makes New Mexico especially attractive to commercial snake collectors. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. RE: My New Grey Banded Kingsnake - eat2muchrice, Oct 13, 2018. Some of these localities include Langtry, Highway 277, Christmas Mountains, and the River Road, to name a few. Gray-banded Kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus) Desert Kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendida) Mexican Hognose Snake (Heterodon kennerlyi) Ball Python (Python regius) TERMS & SHIPPING; ABOUT ARC; CONTACT ARC; 2019 SHOW SCHEDULE; NORTH AMERICAN GECKO SYMPOSIUM; ARC YOUTUBE; FIELD HERPING . It is a common species, but nocturnal and quite secretive. Some gray-banded kingsnakes will not readily accept mice, and a couple “tricks” can be employed to entice a stubborn gray-band to do so. If your snake has a strong feeding response, however, to prevent it from mistaking your hand for food, before reaching into its enclosure gently nudge the snake with an inanimate object (such as forceps). L. alterna coloration and patterning vary greatly, but there are two main color morphs, which were once considered separate subspecies: the "blairi" which has wide red/orange banding, and the "alterna" which has thinner orange/red banding. L. alterna is oviparous, laying clutches of 3–13 eggs in early summer, which hatch in approximately 9 weeks. Gray-banded kingsnakes will usually accept live reptile food, such as feeder mice, but as hatchlings, they may require a few lizards to get them started. A winter cool-down can also help tremendously in stimulating a gray-banded kingsnake’s feeding response the following spring. Dry the cage, water bowl and hide, and the cage will be ready for new substrate — and your gray-banded kingsnake, of course! We provide two different hides: one in the warm region of the cage and one in the cooler region (read about temperature gradients below). Because cool temperatures inhibit digestion, failure to do this may result in a hazardous situation: undigested food sitting in your snake’s gastrointestinal tract, which can kill your snake. "A small to medium sized snake ranging from 3-4 feet in adult length, rear fanged snakes whose scales grow in uniform bands alternating from grey to a shade of orange or red and accents of black or white. There are many cages that are designed to prevent escape and it is wise to invest in one of these enclosures, so this is important to think about when purchasing snake supplies. Because this snake is calm, not venomous and very nice looking, many people keep these snakes as pets. Even though it has orange stripes, it can be very hard to find in the wild! Its natural range is sparsely populated with humans, and many regions are virtually impassable due to the mountainous terrain. Some kingsnakes are colored in muted browns to black, while others are brightly marked in white, reds, yellows, … Some sources list two distinct subspecies of Lampropeltis alterna, as L. a. alterna and L. a. blairi differentiated by … 4 to 7 days feeding frequency. The extreme variety and beauty of patterns and colors accounts for much of the Gray-Bands popularity, and is likely the result of mimicking the venomous snakes that overlap it's range (Trans-Pecos Copperhead and Mottled Rock … https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gray-banded_kingsnake&oldid=1003768971, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. You can keep Grey-banded kingsnake either in terrarium or racks. Having one will allow your snake to choose where to position itself along a range of temperatures. Captivating rep $450. After a few years of breeding the imported snakes to his own collection the offspring have become a much more vigorous colour and have larger … If you have many snakes, a rack system can be a space saver, and one can work very well when maintaining a colony of gray-banded kingsnakes. This means that they squeeze their prey to death and swallow it whole. And in 2007 produced the first “SnowBand”. Always support your snake with both hands so it does not feel threatened. Most captive gray-banded kingsnakes range from 24 to 36 inches, and gray-bands of this size are perfectly suited for keeping in a 10- or 15-gallon terrarium. Gray-banded kingsnakes are naturally found in west Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico. View Options. It will occasionally feed on small rodents, frogs, and the eggs of ground nesting birds, lizards, and other snakes. Simple caging works exceptionally well when maintaining gray-banded kingsnakes. In the field herpetologist community, finding this snake in the wild is often considered to be a laudable feat. Gray-banded kingsnake is a small-sized snake belonging to colubridae family. Chihuahuan Desert. The gray-banded kingsnake feeds primarily on lizards. It will occasionally feed on small rodents, frogs, and the eggs of ground nesting birds, lizards, and other snakes. Grey Banded Kingsnake Food and Feeding. Many alterna breeders are strict about keeping locality bloodlines pure, and will only breed snakes from the same region, though as market demand decreases, this is becoming less and less important to some breeders. Many snakes of these species have a black head … "Coalescent Species Delimitation in Milksnakes (Genus, This page was last edited on 30 January 2021, at 16:05. Height doesn’t really matters for this terrestrial species. In captivity, pinkies and lizards are recommended by the pet hobbyists. The easiest way to establish a gradient is by placing a heat tape or heat pad (Zilla Heat Pad) in a routed groove under one side of the cage. Christmas Mountain Gray-banded Kingsnake '20. All snakes are superior escape artists, and given even the slightest opening, most will take advantage and quickly disappear. … DIET: Babies eat pinky mice. Their variable patterns coupled with their often strikingly coloration intrigues just … Their lifespan is about 20 years. Gray-banded kingsnakes will usually allow gentle handling with no problem. Lampropeltis alterna is found in the Trans-Pecos/Chihuahuan Desert region of southwestern Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico. They are non venomous and have an immunity to rattlesnake venom. The grey-banded kingsnake, also known as the Davis Mountain kingsnake, is a nocturnal, semi-fossorial snake that is solitary in nature. I have no doubt that some gray-banded kingsnakes can live into their thirties. Feed your gray-banded kingsnake two to four times monthly during spring, summer, and fall (as mentioned, do not feed during the winter cool down). They are denizens of rocky haunts found in the Chihuahuan Desert. RE: My New Grey Banded Kingsnake - eat2muchrice, Nov 18, 2018. Another is that they suffocate it, squeezing the prey’s lungs too tightly to work. An "alterna" morph with lizard prey item. Diet: Frogs, lizards, rodents, and smaller snakes: Hibernation Period: Three months: Venom Fact: Non-venomous: Breeding Season: Early summer: Mode of Reproduction: Oviparous : Clutch Size: 3-13 eggs: Incubation Period: 55-60 days: Reproductive Age: 3-4 years: Average Lifespan: 19-20 in captivity: IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern: Grey-banded Kingsnake Pictures Gallery. An appropriately sized mouse ranges from a pink mouse for a hatchling snake, a fuzzy for a juvenile, and a small adult mouse for an adult gray-banded kingsnake. Reproduction. Showing 1 - 19 of 19 items. 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