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| Speckled Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki) - White-sided |
| Speckled Kingsnakes actually make fairly good pets,
and the reputation of having a "bad attitude" is extremely unwarranted.
In fact, they are less likely to bite and musk than 95% of the California Kingsnakes and 80% of the Florida
Kingsnakes that I have ever maintained
in captivity - plus the musk is much less pungent than in some of those
other subspecies of kingsnakes. Babies, once established on pinks,
are excellent feeders and typically thrive in captivity.
Obviously, the "multipeck" and not "banded" look is the goal in our
colony! White-sided (or "white-walled") Speckled kingsnakes are unrelated to the other white-sided kingsnake morphs, and they are (in our opinion) the best looking of all white-sided snakes. The white sides encroach high up onto the dorsal surface, and it is an immaculate, pristine, white! The high contrasting dorsal coloration of blacks and yellows (normal Speckled kingsnake coloration) stands out like a neon flag - the contrast is that stark and beautiful. |
| San Luis Potosi Kingsnake (Lampropeltis mexicana mexicana) - Normal |
| San Luis Potosi Kingsnake (Lampropeltis mexicana mexicana) - Speckled |
| These are, in our opinion, the best kingsnake of the "mexicana" complex (which includes grey-banded kingsnakes, Webb's kingsnakes, Variable kingsnakes, and Durango Mountain kingsnakes) for beginners and more experienced keepers. Whether you call them San Louis Potosi kingsnakes, Mexican kingsnakes, or "mex mex," the red coloration on many San Luis Potosi kingsnakes is a deep, beautiful, color not really seen on any other snake. They are one of the best feeders on unscented pink mice within this group, are one of the least likely to musk or bite, and reach that perfect size for a pet snake (around 3' in total length). Ours are all normal patterned animals from the Soderberg/Shores line of "speckled" San Luis Potosi kingsnakes. We really aren't breeding for the speckled phenotype (we like the deep reds of the normal patterned individuals more), but I'm curious to see what future generations from our line will produce over the next few breeding seasons. Whether ours carry the speckled genes are not, they have the beautiful deep red and charcoal black to light grey background colorations that make this kingsnake our absolute favorite. |
| Louisiana Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum amaura) 61 |
| Louisiana milksnakes are uncommonly bred in captivity because they can be extremely difficult to get started on unscented pink mice. Individuals from central Texas, near where they begin to intergrade naturally with Mexican milksnakes, are the one minor exception. On the other hand, problematic feeding of hatchlings is especially true for LA milks from the eastern parts of their range where they begin to intergrade with scarlet kingsnakes. Adult size is usually less than 2', but 3' monsters have been recorded. My females are wild-collected individuals from near Huntsville, Texas, and Lake Somerville, Texas; my male is captive-bred from southeast Louisiana stock. Therefore, I can offer offspring with a diverse genetic pool. This combines the brighter coloration of the SE Louisiana animals with the more stocky body shape - and larger hatchling sizes - of the deep east Texas individuals. Adults - even wild-collected adults - almost always feed readily on unscented fuzzy mice. |
