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Breeding the Common Kingsnake and it’s Relatives

Lampropeltis getula getulaThe Common Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula, is one of the first snakes to have been bred in captivity on a large scale, and remains extremely popular.  Eight distinctly-marked subspecies range throughout the USA and into Central America.  All breed well in captivity – the California Kingsnake (L.g. californiae), a pet trade staple, is available in a wide range of “designer patterns”.  The other subspecies may be seen in their “pure” forms or as crosses with related snakes, and include the Black Kingsnake, Florida Kingsnake, Eastern or Chain Kingsnake, Mexican Black Kingsnake (the only race which is jet back above and below), Desert Kingsnake, Speckled Kingsnake and Yuma Kingsnake (sometimes grouped with the California Kingsnake, as the “desert phase”).

Husbandry

Despite the wide range of habitats occupied by the various Common Kingsnake subspecies, all may be kept and bred in much the same manner (please write in for specific information on the subspecies in which you are interested).

Common Kingsnakes do well at temperatures of 76-86 F, and, being fairly secretive, require a secure hideaway.  They may be raised on a diet of mice, but all are partial to other snakes as food – pairs must be watched carefully, especially at feeding time

Breeding

Kingsnakes should be subjected to a 2-3 month cooling off period at 59-68 F during the winter.  Copulation is most likely to occur from March-June, with eggs being laid 30-50 days thereafter.  A second clutch may be produced in late summer or early fall.  Clutch size varies from 3-21, with 9 eggs being the average.

Eggs and Hatchlings

Speckled KingsnakeEggs incubated in moist vermiculite (use a vermiculite: water ratio of 1:1 by weight – please see article below for details) at 82 F will hatch in 45-75 days.  The hatch rate is usually a pleasing 90% or higher.  The young, 9-13 inches long upon hatching, are large enough to take pink mice as their first meal.  Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 2 ½ years of age.

Further Reading

For further information on hatching snake eggs, please see my article Incubating Reptile Eggs.

Very interesting footage of wild California Kingsnakes is posted here.

 

Lampropeltis getula getula image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Dawson

Herp Nutrition – Calcium Sprays and Tips for Special Situations – Part 2

In Part I of this article, we discussed those situations in which a spray-on Calcium supplement might be useful. Over the years I’ve been shown, and have developed, a few other techniques that may help to boost the Calcium and vitamin content of reptile and amphibian diets. These strategies are based on observation and trial-and-error only, as solid research in this area is lacking, but have so far proven to be quite useful.

Calcium-Rich Insect Diets

Powdered Calcium mixes easily with tropical fish food flakes, and the resulting blend is readily consumed by crickets, roaches, sowbugs and earthworms. Try allowing your feeder invertebrates to load up on this nutritious diet for 2-3 days before offering them to your pets.

Mixing Your Own Calcium Supplements

In situations where additional Calcium might be called for, you can also mix powdered Calcium with a vitamin mineral supplement. I’ve used a 1:1 ratio (by weight) for animals recovering from Calcium deficiencies and as an occasional supplement for a variety of creatures, especially young individuals. Again, no hard evidence as to the effectiveness of this, but it may be useful as “insurance” (Note: different products vary in vitamin/mineral content).

Vitamin D3

Calcium cannot be utilized by reptiles and amphibians unless an adequate supply of Vitamin D3 is also provided. Heliothermic (basking) reptiles, such as Painted Turtles and Green Iguanas, make D3 in their skin in the presence of Ultraviolet B (UVB) light. Be sure to provide such creatures with a quality UVB bulb or unfiltered sunlight (UVB does not penetrate regular-grade glass or plastic).

Highly aquatic turtles (i.e. softshell turtles), nocturnal lizards (leopard geckos), amphibians and other non-basking species require a diet that supplies adequate D3, either naturally or with the help of a supplement.

Further Reading

Please see Part I of this article for a discussion of R Zilla Reptile Calcium Supplement Spray.

Recently, it has been shown that some chameleons regulate basking behavior in accordance with their Vitamin D3 needs. To read more about this fascinating research, please see Chameleon Basking Behavior.

 

 

Poison Frog Skin Toxins and Their Use in Hunting and Warfare

Central and South American frogs of the family Dendrobatidae secrete virulent skin toxins (histrionicotoxins, batrachotoxins and others) when disturbed.  Many people believe that the toxins of many species of Poison Frogs, known also as “Poison Arrow Frogs” and “Dart Poison Frogs”, were once used to coat darts and arrows used in hunting and warfare.  Actually, this is not the case – but the actual facts are no less interesting.

Origin of Frog Toxins

Poison Frog toxins are derived from the diet, being concentrated and synthesized from chemicals within the ants and millipedes (and possibly other invertebrates) upon which the frogs feed.  Wild-caught frogs gradually lose their protective toxins after a time in captivity… captive-born Poison Frogs do not develop toxic skin secretions unless they are fed the appropriate types of invertebrates.

Some years ago, I was fortunate enough to be at the National Aquarium in Boston when the origin of Poison Frog toxins was being investigated.  In one experiment, Green and Black Poison Frogs (Dendrobates auratus) that had lost their skin toxicity were liberated in the aquarium’s huge rainforest exhibit.  When recaptured some time later, the frogs had regained their potent skin toxins.  Studies showed that the source of these toxins were invertebrates that had been transported to the exhibit in soil and on tropical plants.

Toxin Use in Hunting

The use of frog toxins on hunting darts was first reported in the literature in 1823, by British naval captain C. Cochrane.  He reported that certain forest-dwelling people collected Golden Poison Frogs (Phyllobates terribilis) and confined and fed the frogs until toxins were needed.  The frogs were pierced with a stick in order to induce the secretion of the toxins, which appeared as white froth on the skin.

Up to 50 darts could be treated with the secretions from a single frog, and the darts were reported to retain their potency for at least 1 year.  A jaguar shot with a poison-coated dart was said to die within 4-5 minutes, and monkeys and smaller animals were killed instantly.

Darts, and not arrows, were utilized for hunting…toxin use on arrows shot from bows has never been observed.

Toxins were used in this manner by the Mucushi, Chaco and, possibly, other groups of people.

Toxins and Warfare

It comes as a surprise to many folks that frog toxins have never been documented as being used in wars or against human enemies.

Frog Species Utilized

Golden Poison FrogThe skin secretions of only 3 species of frog have been identified as being used as dart coatings.  These frogs are not, as often believed, the familiar Dendrobates species, but rather belong to the related genus Phyllobates.  Frogs belonging to this genus are less commonly seen in the pet trade than Dendrobates, although one, the Golden Poison Frog (P. terribilis), is fairly well-established in captivity.

Medicines from Frog Skin

The skin toxins of a great many frogs, related and unrelated to the Dendrobatids, are highly complex and are being studied with a view towards developing medications that may be useful in oncology and infectious disease research.  A compound derived from the secretions of the Phantasmal Poison Frog (Epipedobates tricolor) shows great promise as a pain medication…it is more effective than morphine, non-addictive and non-sedating.

Further Reading

You can read more about studies on the medicinal value of frog toxins here.

 

Golden Poison Frog image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Wilfried Berns

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