King or Milk?

What makes a better pet... A King or A Milk?

and what is the difference?

do they have good temperment when handled?


is breeding the same as ball pythons?... by this i mean with the heterozygous and homozygous...

It really depends on who you ask. Some people have had great experiences with Kings, other with Milks. Other like myself have had mixed experience with both, lol. California Kings are probably the most common and often suggested pet Lampropeltis. They come in a wide variety of color phases and are generally calm. Most Lamps will be squirmy, nervous, bitey and/or musky as babies, but generally calm down with age and handling.

As far as differences go, both Kings & Milks are in the same genus. Anatomically theres not much difference, with the exception that most milks are tri-colored and most Kingsnakes are not. Some sub-species get alrger than others, etc.

i like kings and milks cause of their bright colors but it is important that they have good temperment and dont bite

Well, some babies can be bitey, as with alot of snakes. Bu they generally calm down with handling.

ive been bitten by more baby kings than i can count... hell, i traded my milk for my cali king because he bit me seriously every time i got near him.

milks arent venomous... right?

No, they're not. Just don't buy a coral snake by mistake. :lol:

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Originally Posted by JLC

No, they're not. Just don't buy a coral snake by mistake. :lol:

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:lol: :roll:

yea thats the snake i was thinking of :lol: i knew some kind of snake with the 3 colors was venomous. i feel dumb now.... I feel dumb way to often.

Don't feel dumb....we come here to learn!

Black milks (Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae) kick MAJOR booty - they top out around 7' long & turn a gorgeous iridescent black as they mature. To ice the cake, they're big, sweet, docile, inquisitive snakes that are a joy to keep...even as babies they're not "typical" milks. While they may react by squirming or wiggling, they rarely musk, and bites are practically unheard of. The only bite I've ever taken from a black milk has been a feeding response.

K

You're making me drool, K.......

Black Milks are super-sweet....they start out as tri-colored babies and then turn solid black as adults. Very cool snakes.

What was that old rhyme for coral vs milk identification? Something along the lines of:

"Red touch yellow will kill a fellow,
Red touch black . . . "

And there's where the memory banks are blackened like halibut.

Red touches black, venom lack.

This however is not always the case....there are a couple of Coral Snake, Micrurus surinamensis is one I believe, that has red touching their black bands and they are of course, very venomous.

Hehe thanks.

And yes to every rule no matter how hard there is always an exception. Thanks for that one.

Yeah, I've heard that rhyme only applies to North American snakes.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Yeah, I've heard that rhyme only applies to North American snakes.

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You're absolutely right!! Corals from just about anywhere else show great variety in both color & pattern.

K

how serious is a coal bite?

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Originally Posted by JamminJonah

how serious is a coal bite?

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Pretty serious....venom toxicity varies by species but they are pretty potent all-around.

All North American Coral Snakes do not have fangs (per say), like Rattler have. In order for a Coral Snake to inject it's venom, it will grab you, skake it's head (like a dog does), and then releases you. I believe that it's fangs are located toward the back of it's mouth, and must ensure that it has broken the skin really good for it's venom to work.

I have heard that a bits from a Coral Snake can be worse than a bite from a Rattler, but not sure if that is true. Also Coral Snakes are very timid snakes. They will run and hide from you if they can.

Another great snake is the African House snake! Check this out! http://www.ball-pythons.net/PNphpBB2...ic-t-2583.html

(I'd like to thank the African House Snake awareness fund for their generous donation to me :) )

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Originally Posted by wolfman38

All North American Coral Snakes do not have fangs (per say), like Rattler have. In order for a Coral Snake to inject it's venom, it will grab you, skake it's head (like a dog does), and then releases you. I believe that it's fangs are located toward the back of it's mouth, and must ensure that it has broken the skin really good for it's venom to work.

I have heard that a bits from a Coral Snake can be worse than a bite from a Rattler, but not sure if that is true. Also Coral Snakes are very timid snakes. They will run and hide from you if they can.

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This is not totally accurate.....Coral snakes' fangs are nowhere near as big as a rattler and their venom differes greatly. I believe Corals have a neurotoxin......their fangs are located in the front of their mouth but are small compared to many other venomous snakes.

he (Wolfman) said that coral snakes don't have fangs like rattlers - it was a confusing wording though

Yeah I got that.....but he said they are rear-fanged which isn't accurate. They are definitely a front-fanged Elapid.

I belive that rhyme only holds true in the U.S. if I'm not mistaken.