Amorous Kings

[rolandslf]

Good Day

Well after last year where my King snakes totally ignored each other across the Board, I decided yesterday to have a go at pairing them up and seeing if this year would be different. I put 3 x different pairs together with fairly pleasing results.

Chocolate Stripe x Chocolate Stripe = Zero Interest. (Will try again on Friday)

Albino Stripe x Albino Abberant = Locked for 4 hours. ( Will put together again on Friday)



Eastern x Eastern = Locked for 6 hours. (Will put together again on Friday)



Subsequent locks will be added to this post, through to egg laying, and egg hatching.

[marc bt]

Those Eastern Kings look very different from the ones I owned in that their bands are very broad, my ones had thin lines. Is this just a variation in the species or do think you there might be some cross breeding of perhaps say a Cal king involved?

[Mehelya]

Good luck B! All the best! Some good looking snakes, by the way.

[rolandslf]

Thanks Rian

Marc , there could be CalKing involved, I got them as an adult pair. I also see what looks like normal Banded CalKing influence, but I think only readily recognisable in the thickness of the bands.

[rolandslf]

I put the Kings together again this weekend with great success as the pics will show.
I am a bit concerned, because with the Eastern Male the Hemipene took almost 20 minutes to retract, so fearing a possible prolapse, I will not be putting them all
back together for a third lock. I will have to trust that twice has done the job.

Some pics

Easterns, Second Lock



Albino's, Second Lock



Striped, First Lock

[Bushviper]

Yeah it is possible the retractor muscles on the male have been over extended. They are not easterns by the way. They are just a variety of Californian king snakes.

[rolandslf]

Thanks Arno

The main question is, will he be able to breed without any mishap next year. I would rather just keep him as a pet than let him get injured.
Thanks on the clarification of the eastern as to CalKing issue as well.

The pair that I was really hoping to lock, the Chocolate Stripes, finally gave some joy. There is just something truly beautiful about them.

Would you call the male albino striped, a lavender Albino, I ask because the female is just so yellow, and the male shows some purplish colour if seen at the right angle.

Lastly, why have Kings become so scarce at our Expo's.

[@ndy]

Beautiful Kings you have there Roland, Good luck Holding thumbs for you.

This is a Pic of my 2 year old Eastern female that I got from Graeme as a baby.

eastern.jpg

[rolandslf]

Very nice eastern you've got there.

The Chocolate Stripes locked for the second time last night.

Just as an observation. The total Time spent locked per pair, to the nearest hour, is as follows.

Albino Kings = 9 hours.
Banded Kings = 11 hours.
Chocolate Striped Kings = 13 hours.

Now the long wait for eggs .

[@ndy]

Sounds Promising, If the breeding is successful with them, i would really like a to get a Chocolate King from you, Currently a have got 1 Aberrant Lavender Albino Male Cal , and a Female Eastern Chain King.

this is my Lavender Albino

20130201_094213.jpg

Holding Both thumbs for you (and me)!

[rolandslf]

Wow, that lavender albino is nice. Is it male or female.
Will put you down on the list for Chocolates.

[@ndy]

Wow, that lavender albino is nice. Is it male or female.
Will put you down on the list for Chocolates.

Thanx Roland, the lavender is a male.

[Ross Padilla]

Beautiful Kings you have there Roland, Good luck Holding thumbs for you.

This is a Pic of my 2 year old Eastern female that I got from Graeme as a baby.

eastern.jpg

Andy, that head is too much like a Cal king to be an Eastern. Its probably a cross between the two.