yep i do, but i'd not have one

Umm... Ok

Shall have a look for a breeder myself

Thanks for those suggestions. Im really wanting one at least in the South of England as i dont really want to drive to the other end of the country with petrol as it is at the moment And theres no rush, gotta get settled in my house first

king snakes are not an easy first snake if you've never had one.

They're greedy snakes, and anything that looks like food (i.e. fingers) will readily make for good eating. Once they latch on, they rarely let go. That is, until they've munched on your finger upto the knuckle. They then realise that they cant eat you, and regurgitate you back up. Now, on top of all that disgustingness, understand that you're being bitten by approx 250 teeth, all of which are backward facing, and so pulling away only makes them dig in more, and that each individual one feels like you're being stabbed with a staple.

Then theres the inability to crap in just one place. When they go, they lift their tail and waft it around pretending to be a muck spreader. Have you smelt snake poo, incidentally? :P

Finally, there is the musk glands, the need for daily handling to keep them tame and the costs of vets bills. Research if you actually do have a reptile specialist in your area. When I had my snakes, I lived in Sheffield, and my nearest vet was either Leeds or Moulton.

Dont let me put you off from getting a snake - far from it - I think they're truly amazing, very theraputic and far away as you can get from the 'their slimey awful things' that films make you believe. Just dont get a king snake until you at least know what you're doing and what you're letting yourself in for!

I've owned a king snake before and they really can suffer with mood swings. They are very fond of their food and therefore extremely territorial when food is about. They do give a warning if they're a grumpy because they like to immitate a rattle snake by wiggling their tail and rattling it off the sides of their vivarium. If you've got children you need to be cautious as well because reptiles can carry salmonella on their skin so you do have ensure you wash your hands well after handling them.

The snake I originally started off with to gain a bit of experience was a garter snake, they can be quick but they have a fantastic nature. Corn snakes are an easier snake to look after than a king snake as well but they are approximately the same size. Maybe one of those would be better suited.

Hope this helps.

Heidi

This is a first snake, far from it Just wasn't sure of the one i'd found that time!

I used to breed corn and rat snakes, as well as gekos, and had the CUTEST pet iguana called Diedre So i've had some experience of grumpy reptiles - the tails on those iguanas HURT when they whip

But thanks for that.

He is a lovely snake Jessica, I'm a chicken so only have a Ball python and a corn.

I agree Iggies tails do hurt, so do their claws when you're trying to remove them from the top of your curtains. My lord those things can shift when they want to. I must admit my favourite reptile I had was a leopard gecko, they are so pretty and such gentle beings.

Heidi

Hey....Patrick's son has one (black king snake that is)...............beautiful aren't they, I love that black. Mark also has 5 others (different kinds) but can I add his King Snake is a B*****D honest and it is handled too, it is the only one out of the 6 that he has, that has to be handled with care.
He can go a week handling it regular, then suddenly the 'git' has him.....very very unpredicable.

We also have snakes here, but luckily none are a King snake.

ps...last year his black King Snake was unwell....it took the vet ages to get any where near........ Mark had the same problem when trying to tend to it