Some expos require more self control than others

Last weekend I hit up a local expo intending to pick up some dry goods, and wound up with 2 new little buddies. (My husband isn't much help for self control.. he initially suggested just getting 2 instead of picking one if these, so here I am with both.)

I now have one of my original dream snakes, a male Mexican Black Kingsnake whom I have named Ganon.

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And a pretty albino California kingsnake female, whom I have named Zelda.
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Awesome additions! You have no reason to feel guilty...some temptations are just "above & beyond" our control, lol.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Awesome additions! You have no reason to feel guilty...some temptations are just "above & beyond" our control, lol.

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Yep, I've seen this breeder with MBKs now for 3 expos and I just couldn't stop myself. :) Ganon is very solid black for a 15g little worm, he only has a small white "soul patch" under his chin.

Since I already have baby tubs and equipment and my small mouse colony is out-producing what my current mouse-eating snakes require, I think I can justify it. ;)
"The only added cost is their purchase price and negligible water cost! We already have the feeders!"


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Or as I used to say, "there's ALWAYS room for one more..." :rofl: (plenty of rodents here too)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Or as I used to say, "there's ALWAYS room for one more..." :rofl: (plenty of rodents here too)

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Yep. I can always use some more voracious eaters too. My Graybanded kingsnake does not have the typical kingsnake appetite, lol. He is more finicky than any of my BPs even. But he's too cute to be upset at.
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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

Yep. I can always use some more voracious eaters too. My Graybanded kingsnake does not have the typical kingsnake appetite, lol. He is more finicky than any of my BPs even. But he's too cute to be upset at.
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I've always admired gray-bandeds but steered clear for that reason. He's a beauty though, & pretty snakes do get away with most anything.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I've always admired gray-bandeds but steered clear for that reason. He's a beauty though, & pretty snakes do get away with most anything.

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He's not hard to get eating mice. But over winter despite being size for lg fuzzy/sm hopper mice, he wouldn't eat anything with fur, pinks only.

Now that it is summer, he'll take hoppers, so I assume it is season, the goofball.

He's always been a very relaxed king, so that is a perk. Just much slower growing than other species.

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

He's not hard to get eating mice. But over winter despite being size for lg fuzzy/sm hopper mice, he wouldn't eat anything with fur, pinks only.

Now that it is summer, he'll take hoppers, so I assume it is season, the goofball.

He's always been a very relaxed king, so that is a perk. Just much slower growing than other species.

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That's not too bad then...he just wants "fast food" (easily digested) when the weather might turn cold. Very smart actually...good survival instincts.

I've had my share of finicky snakes over the years anyway. My tri-color TX longnose snake (not a natural mouse eater in the wild at all) does well on fuzzy mice all year
except he fasts some over winter months. Very predictable...& same reason as your grey-banded. He loses a little weight in winter & regains it eating like crazy the rest
of the time. He's even tried to "catch" my hand a few times! :rofl: (hilarious because of his small narrow mouth)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's not too bad then...he just wants "fast food" (easily digested) when the weather might turn cold. Very smart actually...good survival instincts.

I've had my share of finicky snakes over the years anyway. My tri-color TX longnose snake (not a natural mouse eater in the wild at all) does well on fuzzy mice all year
except he fasts some over winter months. Very predictable...& same reason as your grey-banded. He loses a little weight in winter & regains it eating like crazy the rest
of the time. He's even tried to "catch" my hand a few times! :rofl: (hilarious because of his small narrow mouth)

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For a while it seemed like he just had an aversion to mouse fur, lol. But now that it is hot out (~105 today, haha) he's alright with it, I guess. He also would not strike and often just.. failed to find it if I drop fed. Nervous eater, so I had to get his attention subtly with its then drop before he saw the tongs. Now he seems to tolerate the tongs, but definitely not a kingsnake feed response still.

This was my first whole winter with him since he escaped at 11g last year from early January until May. He weighed about 85g all winter and didn't seem to lose, but he'd wat 2 or 3 pinks every 2 or 3 weeks at best. Or a small 4g fuzzy once.

The guy I bought from has road based locales he has raised up and bred a few generations captive. When I got my guy, he told me he won't put hatchlings for sale that haven't had multiple mice without issue. If there's anyone I'd trust to buy one from in that regard, it'd be him. He was very good at answering questions and giving care info too. He has leiucistic ones too which are really neat. And also breeds some milks and hognose.
https://www.facebook.com/StusHerps/

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Congrats on the new additions... I also have a MBK and love him. Just an awesome snake that will not disappoint you. They are stunning with that glossy jet black. I guess that's why they are referred to as the poor mans indigo :D

Winner winner! Those are two beautiful snakes. Makes me miss my kings.

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Originally Posted by Bodie

Congrats on the new additions... I also have a MBK and love him. Just an awesome snake that will not disappoint you. They are stunning with that glossy jet black. I guess that's why they are referred to as the poor mans indigo :D

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I'm sure MBKs are better for me personally than an indigo. Not as big, eat less, and less poop, haha. MBKs are one of the snakes I wanted the most after I got my first, but never found any until this year locally and with 17 snakes before last weekend, I didn't really plan on expanding again... oh well, he's gorgeous even at his tiny 15g. Zelda is smaller at 10g. (Which is funny, since my smallest ever was a 5g corn, but the corn was stickier than she is, so I think she is actually thinner bodied right now)

So far, Ganon is the only one to musk me of the 2 in 1 handling session since they've been home (a week now), neither musked on expo day. He chilled out really quick after and was fine, so that will probably be a thing of the past sooner rather than later. Zelda spazzed, but no musking there.

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Winner winner! Those are two beautiful snakes. Makes me miss my kings.

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Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing them grow. You could always get another king. ;) [I'm a bad influence, feel free to ignore me there.]

The jet black + iridescence on Ganon even as a tiny dude is awesome. And the crazy pattern on Zelda is really eye catching and sure to get more so as she ages and shows her white and yellow. Right now she is quite transparent and I can see her main arteries and organs through her belly (and sides in some places).

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