Got a banana phase!

I picked up a California kingsnake at the Daytona show on Saturday :snake2:

I had actually seen the cal kings in a recent issue of Reptiles mag and fell for them. I thought, this should be my next snake.. and I want a high-yellow/banana phase :pick: You know how sometimes you're walking around a show and you're thinking, I'm not even browsing 'cause I ain't buying nothin'? And then, there she is... And you can't resist. Especially when you have a sister that says she'll spot you the cash (talked the guy down to $65) :D

I got a 15 gallon long for her on the way down; I had checked craigslist and sure enough, someone was looking to get rid of one for $15, not too far from where I live. At the show I bought some goodies, like a UTH and bowl, and a hide. She'll have a better home in about a month. She already made herself at home (pooped), I didn't like it too much as it was a liquid consistency and I'm used to my boa's solid gray stuff. I don't know what's normal for her. I'll keep an eye on her but she seems quite healthy.

I've named her Buffy, since she's a California blonde. (I know, the top of her head is actually dark brown, but she has no hair anyway so it's all a moot point, lol.)

Some more pics:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/dscf1463.jpg

Preliminary measurements have her at just under 3 feet long, and the vendor said she was a yearling:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/dscf1461.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/dscf1464.jpg

We weren't the only ones tired from the trip back. Yawwwwn!

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/dscf1475.jpg

Right at home now:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/dscf1469.jpg

Hmmmm, nice snake, though if it's a yearling it's probably the biggest I've ever seen.

I don't think I'd call it a banana, those really need to be 90% yellow in my opinion.

I do think it's aztec though, or dang close which is a much more uncommon morph at the moment.

No matter the pattern though, they are fantastic snakes.

Oh, and they do tend towards loose poops.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Hmmmm, nice snake, though if it's a yearling it's probably the biggest I've ever seen.

I don't think I'd call it a banana, those really need to be 90% yellow in my opinion.

I do think it's aztec though, or dang close which is a much more uncommon morph at the moment.

No matter the pattern though, they are fantastic snakes.

Oh, and they do tend towards loose poops.

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Thanks. Brian Hubbs (Common Kingsnakes) happened to see her at the show right after I had gotten her, and he said it's called a banana phase by mistake sometimes, but it's really a high-yellow phase, also known as a "newporter." I don't know enough about them just yet, so I'll have to go with what I'm told until I finish doing some more research. He really seemed to like her, though.

But I agree, the pattern doesn't matter as much as her being a cool snake does - she's really easygoing, though very curious.

And her being a yearling sounds odd now that I've roughly measured her. She's almost full size already!

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Originally Posted by freelancer

Thanks. Brian Hubbs (Common Kingsnakes) happened to see her at the show right after I had gotten her, and he said it's called a banana phase by mistake sometimes, but it's really a high-yellow phase, also known as a "newporter." I don't know enough about them just yet, so I'll have to go with what I'm told until I finish doing some more research. He really seemed to like her, though.

But I agree, the pattern doesn't matter as much as her being a cool snake does - she's really easygoing, though very curious.

And her being a yearling sounds odd now that I've roughly measured her. She's almost full size already!

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Yeah, newport is close too, but she's not quite there for that one either.

Still, get an aberrant male and who knows what you'll get.

Cool snake though.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Yeah, newport is close too, but she's not quite there for that one either.

Still, get an aberrant male and who knows what you'll get.

Cool snake though.

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I'm never too interested in what kind of morph the snake is, only whether I like its personality and what it looks like, but further research is definitely required here so that I know what to call it. My issue of Reptiles magazine with the article in it has a much yellower snake as a "high-yellow."

:confused:

I fed her today, 2 f/t fuzzies. I only had to leave them on top of the hide for her to come out and grab the first one. It took her a little while to find the second mouse - maybe it had "cooled off" too much and she was having trouble tracking it down - but once she found it, it was gone!

Now that I know how to get her out, I'll make it easier for her next time and wait for her to come out, then start moving the mice around so she can spot them quicker.

And possibly for the first time ever, the boa ate a f/t too 8-) Guess it's time to make some room in the freezer; looks like I can now stock up on these mice.

Woohoo! Meanwhile, my male BP that hadn't touched food since breeding season was over (& used to be on F/T) took a live mouse today. Oh well...

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

Woohoo! Meanwhile, my male BP that hadn't touched food since breeding season was over (& used to be on F/T) took a live mouse today. Oh well...

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Excellent :gj: It's always good when they eat.

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Originally Posted by freelancer

I'm never too interested in what kind of morph the snake is, only whether I like its personality and what it looks like, but further research is definitely required here so that I know what to call it. My issue of Reptiles magazine with the article in it has a much yellower snake as a "high-yellow."

:confused:

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Seeing as Wes has been breeding king snakes for many years, I'd trust what he said she is.

She is beautiful, that's for sure!

Sweet looking king. Love all the yellow:gj:

Thanks, guys. I fed her again a few days ago, took three fuzzies quite easily. Afterward, I peered in on her and she started rattling her tail when I got too close! :) That was the first time she'd done that. I let her be, but she hasn't done it since.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Seeing as Wes has been breeding king snakes for many years, I'd trust what he said she is.

She is beautiful, that's for sure!

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He most likely is right. I haven't had a chance to look into it, since I recently started school again, but I'll be getting a better book on kings soon which could help clarify some things for me.

An overview of the setup:

20g long tank
aspen bedding, thick layer
heat emitter, 40W
basking spot, elevated platform
UTH under the platform, for belly heat
hide
water bowl, big enough to soak in, one inch of water

Right now, the heat emitter may be a little too warm (86.6 degrees) as I have not seen her get on it over the weekend. She's staying in her hide. I think I will have to find something to clamp it to so that it's not directly on top of the terrarium screen.

Any other suggestions? I have the semi-tropical setup for the SIGB pretty much on the money, but the King is, well, a different animal.

You can probable get rid of one heat source entirely. With the babies I keep heat underneath them and the adults are room temp year round, no artificial heat at all.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

You can probable get rid of one heat source entirely. With the babies I keep heat underneath them and the adults are room temp year round, no artificial heat at all.

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Really? My room temp is, on average, somewhere around 77. I live in an efficiency apartment so there is no separate room I can put them in. The garg gecko is OK with it, and the boa is at a pretty constant 80 due to a UTH and a permaboard top with a 12" screen cutout, but I thought 77 might be too low for the Kingsnake. The emitter is on a timer to match the photoperiod, and the terrarium cools down to 78-80 at night.

What do you think?

What's the hotspot in your tank?

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Originally Posted by wilomn

What's the hotspot in your tank?

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The hotspot's the 86.6, right under the heat emitter. The ambient is 80. The emitter is all the way to the left, so she can get away from it easily if she wants to.

If I'm clear on this, your hot spot, on one end of the cage is 86. Correct? The ambient is 80, or thereabouts.

That's fine for the snake, even a couple degrees cooler is acceptable.

By the way, she does stick around the platform for a while sometimes, so she doesn't completely avoid it, but she won't curl up under the emitter or anything. I half-expected her to bask under it like snakes will do in the wild, hanging out on a rock under the sun. Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Another question: I just noticed she's going opaque. Just the blue eyecaps for now. This must have started sometime yesterday, after she disappeared into her hide. It's not going to be very humid in the tank, maybe 50% or so (I don't have a hygrometer in there, as no one seems to recommend it). The boa gets misted twice daily to keep the humidity up in his tank, but Buffy doesn't.

Should I mist the cage lightly once every couple of days to help her along?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

If I'm clear on this, your hot spot, on one end of the cage is 86. Correct? The ambient is 80, or thereabouts.

That's fine for the snake, even a couple degrees cooler is acceptable.

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Yes, that's what I have. That's good to know, thanks :gj: I'll make something to clamp the emitter to so I can control it a little better, though. I know if I turn the ceiling fan off it goes up a couple more degrees in there.

Your humidity is probably fine. I live in So. Cal and we are not that humid. Mine do fine. You could also use a lower wattage bulb.

OK, I'll just keep an eye on her to make sure she sheds ok. I appreciate all the help, man. Glad yer on the board.

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Originally Posted by freelancer

OK, I'll just keep an eye on her to make sure she sheds ok. I appreciate all the help, man. Glad yer on the board.

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No problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Your humidity is probably fine. I live in So. Cal and we are not that humid. Mine do fine. You could also use a lower wattage bulb.

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Well, you were right. She had a perfect shed sometime today. I just removed it, no breaks, and the eyecaps on her are gone. Thanks again. :D

Feeding time tomorrow!