Babies can be housed in something smaller to start with like one of our Hatchling Starter Kits which includes all essential equipment. Their stunning dark appearance also gives them a beautiful sheen like glow. We recommend weekly feeding for juveniles and adults and feeding twice a week for babies as they do have ravenous appetites. The basic items to house a MBK would be the enclosure, water bowl, heating element and a hiding area. If you’re thinking about getting a pet Kingsnake, be prepared to make a long-term commitment.

Housing a Mexican Black King Snake is quite simple. There are many different kinds of Kingsnake, with many different expected lifespans, but on average, a captive-bred pet Kingsnake will live between 12 and 15 years. You can use a hygrometer to register the humidity levels in your enclosure. Next item will be some kind of heating element to keep the snake warm when it needs to thermoregulate. Humidity should remain around 40-60% any higher or lower can cause shedding or respiratory issues. You can also set up a clear spot bulb at one end of the vivarium and have it on a timer for 12 hours on, 12 hours off. Their stunning dark appearance also gives them a beautiful sheen like glow. Although they do eat snakes in the wild Mexican Black can survive perfectly well on a rodent based diet. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account.

Change ). Since most pet snakes are kept indoors in a cooler climate a heating element would be necessary to provide heat. You will need a 3 or 4ft vivarium depending on the adult size. They however do need a day and night cycle, this can be achieved by setting their enclosure up in a room that has light during the day and is completely dark at night. Branches, natural log hides and vines can be used to cover some floor space and also provide climbing enrichment. These snakes are 5ft of pure jet black beauty from head to tail. These snakes are 5ft of pure jet black beauty from head to tail. Other ways to increase humidity is to reduce the amount of airflow in the enclosure. That will prevent the snake from escaping the enclosure. Thank you for taking time to read this and please remember I am no vet or professional this is simply my experience and there are many ways to care for an animal so research should always be done to decide what is best for yourself and your reptile. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The meal should leave a small lump and should not be handled for two days once being fed. I will start by saying her personality is calm with a little attitude. They make an ideal beginner snake, however, do need regular handling when young.

When using heat bulbs always cover the light with a heat guard to prevent the snake burning itself on the light. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account.

Juvenile or adult Mexican Blacks can be kept easily on either Aspen or Lignocel for easy cleaning purposes or if you want more of a natural looking set up, desert sand mixed with coco fibre or bio life would be ideal. Zelda has never struck at me, she has only ever caught me when my hand has gotten in between her food. As hatchlings, your snake should be fed weekly on defrosted pinkie mice. Mexican Black Kingsnakes feed on a variety of prey items in the wild from reptiles to rodents. A humid hide or humid area on one side of the enclosure will be beneficial for when the snake goes into blue (shed). Best item to use will be a heat pad, that will be place on the underside of the enclosure. ( Log Out /  I keep Zelda’s ambient temperature at around 26 degrees Celsius and the warm spot a little hotter at 28 degrees Celsius. View all posts by Shannon Richardson. Make sure that the enclosure being used have a lid or door that locks. Mexican black kingsnakes lifespan in captivity can reach 15-20 years.

Mexican Black Kingsnake are just that, all Black.

A Mexican black kingsnake’s humidity should be between 40- 60%. Providing a warm under belly heating spot for them is beneficial for them to be able to digest their food properly. Heat rock and heat lamps are not recommended but can be used. We recommend to feed Mexican Black Kingsnake in their first year every 5 days and as they get older a regimen of once a week to maintain proper weight and growth. With any loose substrate there is potential to be swallowed so if you’d like to, you can always put a piece of kitchen roll or equivalent under where you’re about to feed them in their tank. If you are looking into these as a pet then please make sure you are able to care for it years down the line and determine whether it is the right reptile for you. Adult kingsnake’s can be fed every other week as some can become overweight if fed weekly, you should be able to determine when to feed your snake and look out for obesity. Digital thermometers are great to use to check the temperatures as they can be easily moved around the enclosure and give minimum and maximum temperature reading. Reason why we don’t like them is that the heat lamp dries out the cage which further down we will go over the importance of humidity and the heat rock itself must be placed inside the cage which can burn the snake if the temperature of the rock gets too high. Where do Mexican Black King Snakes Come From? Once your Mexican black king snake is used to you and it’s new home, I have found they slow down quite a bit, please bare in mind they can move quickly as hatchlings. As well as eating rodents Mexican Blacks also eat other snake species, in particular Rattle snakes are often on the menu.
That will reduce the chance of the snake regurgitating the meal.

This can be done by heat matts or heat tapes, please never use these without a thermostat. She is a very calm, loveable snake when she is not hungry; she will sit with me for long periods of time just chilling and she no longer rattles her tail.
Babies start off on newborn mice and move up to larger size meals as the snake gets larger. A hiding spot at either end of your enclosure will allow your snake to move freely to thermoregulate without feeling insecure. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. They cannot produce heat and need heat for cellular activity and biological process like digestion. We feed strictly rodents like mice and rats.