Which species should I get next?

I am pretty new to the world of kingsnakes (and milk snakes), so I don't know much about all the different species. Colubrids can be fun snakes as pets because they are more energetic than their bigger cousins like pythons and boas, and I want to start expanding my collection to have kingsnakes. There are probably a few different species of kingsnakes I would like to have in my full collection later on, but I'm not sure which species I should start with. Visually, I love the look of Mexican Black Kingsnakes and Gray-banded Kingsnakes. But I was wondering, out of all the different types of kingsnakes (including milk snakes) which ones generally have good personalities and are better with handling? What species would you recommend for me to get as my first kingsnake and why?

No Colubrids here (yet) but the one I'd want most is the Black Milk Snake from Costa Rica/Panama. Interesting how they start out red, black, white and/or yellow and turn completely black into adulthood. Since you like the Mexican Kings, I'd look into the black milks too... most owners rave about them in terms of personality/handling. Goggle black king vs. milk and most side with owning the milk.

I don't keep kings anymore but my Cal King and MBK were both awesome snakes. That speckled king is one gorgeous critter too. I've also heard great things about Black Milks and Honduran Milk snakes. Bull, pine and gopher snakes are other cool colubrids. They get quite a bit larger than kings though.

I'd go with a Cal King :) Some beautiful cal kings for sale on Fauna

Both my Thayeri-phase Mexican and our MBK boarder have great personalities. They were shy as babies, but now are almost always out front being busybodies - watching everything. And they’ve both always been sweethearts about handling, even as babies.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Oh, forgot to add, my Honduran Milk was a juvenile delinquent - biting, peeing, pooping, musking, which his breeder said was typical for youngsters, and with time and handling grew out of it. He also backslid, but that’s on me for inconsistent handling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This kind of depends on you. Do you want a larger species or a smaller? Are you set on kingsnakes or just colubrids in general?

In my opinion, there really is no better first choice for a snake than a california kingsnake. All the ones I have dealt with have never tried to bite me (though if you aren't careful during feeding time, you are liable to get tagged if you're holding the mouse by hand), they always eat when food is offered, are a very manageable size, and are extremely easy to care for. Even if husbandry is sub-optimal, they'll still take anything you throw in there.

There are also a bazillion morphs for them, much like the ball python (all black california kingsnakes do exist and look pretty much identical to an MBK). Perhaps not quite as wide a variety, but there's a lot. They are the easiest pet snake I have ever taken care of.

If you are open to other colubrids as well, there are some spectacular choices to choose from. Tiger ratsnakes, San Luis Potosi kingsnakes (so called "mex-mex"), California red-sided garter snake, any Drymarchon species, Blue Phase Kunashir Island Ratsnakes, Mandarin rat snakes....the list just goes on

I added a California king to my collection back in September. She is an awesome snake and very active. I'm starting to see why people say these type of snakes are garbage disposals... LOL :rofl: