Buyer question
Is a Gray-banded kingsnake good for beginners?
It can be: our Animal Library rates the Gray-banded kingsnake 3 out of 5 for beginners (better as a second snake).
Source: the Gray-banded kingsnake page in the Everybarn Animal Library. Gray-banded kingsnake in the Animal Library
The detail
The gray-banded kingsnake is a small, shy kingsnake from the Trans-Pecos region of Texas and northern Mexico, with gray bands and orange saddles that vary by locality. Keepers prize that variety, and locality names follow the animal.
- Best fit
- Keepers wanting a locality project
- Handling
- 4 out of 5 (Shy, rarely bites)
- Setup complexity
- 2 out of 5 (Locked lid, house singly)
- Feeding ease
- 2 out of 5 (Hatchlings may want lizards)
What to weigh
Hatchlings can refuse mice and may need scenting, because wild young often eat lizards. It is a nocturnal hider, so it is not much of a display snake.