Providing Choices:

Kingsnakes are constantly seeking out the correct humidity and temperature to perform and thrive.   There is a difference in thriving and just living in captivity. Kingsnakes need a true temperature gradient.  I cool my snake room to around 70F.  Each of my snake enclosures have a hot spot of 90F.  Your snake will tell you what it wants.  You just need to be able to identify what the snake is trying to tell you.  When you as a snake keeper provides all the necessary options you can learn from the snakes.  The snakes themselves have been around longer than us humans and have adapted to live in many diverse conditions. Providing humid, dry, hot, cool, light, dark and combination of each is the correct way to keep a kingsnake thriving.  Placing a piece of Newspaper or a plastic plate or lid on top of the substrate serves two different purposes.  Placing prey items on top of the newspaper, plate or plastic lid allows the snake to feed without swallowing substrate.  It also allows for thermal regulation from the bottom to the top of the enclosure, not just from the back to the front of the enclosure.

Many people ask me how I let my snakes tell me what they need.......
Here are some examples:  
If your snake is hiding under the water bowl or in very tight places it is protecting itself.  It is not protecting itself from would be predators or from you.  It is protecting itself from the air itself.  A kingsnake can dehydrate very fast.  When they are doing this they are telling us that it is too dry in their enclosure or that there is not a suitable moist area for them.  Soaking in the water bowl all the time is a sure sign of a very low humidity level as well.  A box of damp sphagnum moss set lengthwise in the enclosure will fix this.  The snake will have a warm/wet area and a cool/wet area....See pictures above.....

If your snake is pressed up against the glass on the cool side (the front) of its enclosure it is seeking cooler temps.  It is seeking these cooler temps to conserve energy.  This is when they are telling us they want food.  This brings us to the next topic "Feeding" below.

Feeding:

You may hear me complain about folks that have a schedule they feed their snakes on.  Once a week or once every 4 days or 10 days.  I am not going to tell you that a this is wrong but I will say that this is YOUR schedule and not the snake's.  If you learn to let your snakes tell you when they are hungry you will find yourself having to feed growing snakes two and three times a week.  You will also see an adult snake only wanting to eat once or twice a week....sometimes less.  

With all that being said prey size should be about the diameter of the snake's girth.  Many think offering many smaller prey items is better than offering one large prey item.  I offer my snakes multiple prey items usually around 2 or 3 when they are hungry.  These prey items are the same size or larger than the girth of the snake.  If they eat all of them and the husbandry is correct they will not regurge.....When a kingsnake regurges there is something wrong with your husbandry or the snake is ill.

There are times you will see your snakes wanting to eat more than usual.  
Females out of brumation will need to be fed multiple prey items very often......High caloric intake yields egg follicles.  After a female has laid eggs many meals as soon as possible will result in a second clutch....Some female will even triple clutch with this feeding regimen.

Prior to brumation the males should be fed enough so that they can go an entire 3 months of brumation plus two months of breeding season without eating.  Many males will go off feed when they are in breeding "mode."  Don't let this alarm you.  If the male snake has good weight prior to brumation he will be fine.  After breeding you will see him want to eat lots and often to gear up for another cold season.  Remember all this can be achieved successfully if husbandry is correct.

Brumation:

Kingsnakes DO NOT hibernate.  They brumate.  If you want your Kingsnakes to successfully reproduce I suggest a brumation period.  Kingsnakes do not sleep during brumation.  They merely conserve all their energy and stop their metabolism.  Males use this conservation of energy to produce viable sperm.  Many people use the natural temperatures outside to brumate their snakes but I live in South Texas and cannot rely on our winter temps to suffice a brumation period.  I have a brumation chamber built in my snake room with its own window unit air conditioner.  I place pairs together and some singles in 16 qt. tubs full of Aspen shavings.  I place a shallow water bowl in the tub on top of the Aspen as well some newspaper and/or a plastic plate.  The snakes will burrow in the Aspen and/or will lay just under the newspaper or plastic plate.  Occasionally they will drink water.  I feed my snakes around the first of November and let them clear their stomach prior to placing them in brumation on Thanksgiving Day.  The temperature in the brumation chamber is around 45F to 55F.  It also important that the snakes have a light cycle.  I keep them in total darkness, with no food and at these temperatures until Valentine's Day or later, depending on the temps outside.

Breeding:

When it is time to bring them out of brumation I gradually bring them up to room temperature which is around 75F during breeding season.  I never turn on the heat.......heat can and will kill viable sperm (my educated opinion).  Then they are ready to be fed and bred.  Males will usually not want to eat this time of year due to having only one thing on their mind.  Females will need to be fed more than usually to create egg follicles.  When the female sheds her skin the first time after brumation she is releases pheromones.  This is called her pre-breeding shed.  I usually keep my pairs together through  brumation.  When I warm them up to room temperature I separate them while fattening up the females.  I always pair them up prior to the pre-breeding shed so that there is no missed window of opportunity.
Some people will bring their males out of brumation earlier than the females so they will be already producing viable sperm.  Usually after this pre-breeding shed the males and females are introduced.  Mating will occur rather quickly when the female accepts the male's advances.  Once mating occurs I keep them together and I only separate for feeding.  This breeding period lasts about 3-5 weeks then the female will go into another shed cycle.  This is when a nesting area or lay box should be introduced into the female's enclosure.  I use moist sphagnum moss in a shoebox for the smaller females.  For the larger females I fill the back half of their enclosure with moist sphagnum moss.  Anywhere from 2 to 14 days after the pre-egg-laying shed the female will lay her eggs.

Incubation of Eggs:

Duration of incubation varies upon incubation temperatures.
I have hatched kingsnake eggs as quick as 49 days.  I used 82F-85F for this short incubation period.  The hatchlings were very small and hard to get on f/t pinkies.  I've also incubated at room temperature (72F) and had eggs hatch at 80 days.
So I adjusted the temperature over the years to shoot for a 60-70 day incubation period.  At a constant 80F eggs should pip around 60 or so days.  At this incubation duration neonate kingsnakes are much larger and are easier to get to feed on f/t pink mice.  Always allow the snake to emerge on its own.  It will sit in the egg for a couple of days some times absorbing the yolk.

Feeding Hatchlings:

Here is a Document I put together years ago.....I use it to this day for Stubborn/Picky Feeders......

Allow your hatchlings to know it is Summer.  Raise the heat up.  I keep my hatchling enclosures at 90F on the hot side and 80F on the cool when trying to get them to feed.

STEP 1:  Offer a f/t newborn pinky.  If it refuses then…

STEP 2:  Offer live newborn pinky. If it refuses then....

STEP 3:  Offer brained, live pinkie.  Yes brained & alive. The brained pinkie is cut from snout to base of skull. If it is taken, reduce the incision each time until it is no longer necessary to stimulate feeding. If it is refused then....

STEP 4:  Offer the brained, live pinkie under a dark, non translucent bowl with the stubborn feeder. Cover the snake and the prey and check in about 30 minutes or so. This has been the most effective method w/o scenting involved. If the snake refuses then...

STEP 5:  A lizard has to be obtained. I use Med. House Geckos. Freeze the lizard in a deep freeze right away for about 1 hour. Remove from freezer and get a live newborn pinky and put the frozen mouse and a pink in a container.  Keep them together until the lizard thaws out completely.  The warmth of the pinkie will absorb the scent. Place it under a dark bowl with the snake and check in about 30 minutes or so. Rubbing the pinkie on the lizard or just keeping them together for a day will scent the pinky as well, but this method mentioned above has worked well for me.....If the snake refuses then....

STEP 6:  It starts to get gruesome here.   Thaw out the lizard and cut its abdomen open. Dip the head of the pinkie into the guts of the lizard. Place some skin from the lizard on the pinky's head and place under the dark bowl with the snake. If this fails then....

STEP 7:  Feed small live lizards or lizard parts. I have had luck feeding them about 4 to 5 lizard meals then scenting pinks with such lizards.  

STEP 8:  If three months have gone by and the hatchling has not eaten a meal a short hibernation will usually do the trick.  Drop its temps to around 55 or 60 degrees for about 6 to 8 weeks. After removal from the temps repeat all the steps above.

Once a hatchling has taken a meal try the method in the step above the one that was successful.

Some other techniques:

Remember if you start forcefeeding you will have to continue to do so to keep weight on the snake. It also stresses the snake out and it is harder to get them to start feeding on their own. Also, forcefeeding will kick in their metabolism and they will need to keep eating to keep on weight. They can live for months on the eggyolk absorbed in the egg. Just letting them wait on a winter cooling usually helps alot for spring feeding. I hear of people forcefeeding mouse tails successfully, but I have never even attempted it. The only force feeding I have done has had a low percentage of success. I have blended pinkies and used pinky pumps. I have even used Veal Gerbers baby food mixed with Pedialyte and Multivitamins successfully, but again it stressed the snake.  I've made lizard puree and dipped live pinkies in it as well.

"A friend reminded me of an old trick I'd forgotten about. It really works better for cornsnakes but it did the trick for me in this instance. I dipped the pinky in chicken broth. She took it the first time......." - Chris Garcia

"I have lot's of success simply tease feeding  thayeri with a F/T pink. Hold the snake in your left hand at mid-body, grab a pink with foreceps and tap the snake on the nose and neck with the pink. Once the snake grabs the head, release the pink, let the snake dangle for a few seconds with the pink in his mouth, then very slowly lower the snake into his shoebox....and DON'T MOVE! Once the head is down the throat then you can step back or put the box back on the shelf without the snake spitting it out. I recommend dimming the lights too....don't tease feed under bright light. Good luck........" - Dan Vermilya

"The tease method with 12" forceps seems to be working well with most.  I just slowly corner the snake in their box, move the pink back and fourth slowly, to get the snake to strike and bite the pink. slowly let go of the pink and slowly move back out of site untill he finishes eating the pink.
Once he grabs it he will eat it. The forceps works better then grabbing the snake and getting it all upset. Its important to let the snake feel like he's the predator. Get him to come after the pink and grab it. Try not to scare the snake.
Have patients, if it don't work after a few min. or the snake spazzes out, try another day.
If you try to cover the box, they will spit it out and run." - Bob Bichler

Genetic Breakdown

With Kingsnakes & Milksnakes we have three distinct pigments to work with.
Erythrin - Red Pigment
Xanthin - Yellow/Orange Pigment
Melanin - Black pigment

We use prefixes to describe what type of pigmentation morph a certain Lampropeltis is.
A or An - Total lack of described pigment
Hypo - Reduced described pigment
Hyper - Exaggerated described pigment

Examples:
Anerythristic (Anery) - Means that a phenotype is lacking the red (erythrin) pigment.  The red must be replaced by the lack of color (white).
Axanthic - Means that the snake has no yellow pigment and is white where the yellow is normally.
Hypomelanistic (Hypo, Extreme Hypo or Lavender) - Means that the black pigment (melanin) on the snake is reduced to a gray/lavender/silver/mocha look.  The pattern is not reduced the pigment is.
Hypoerytrhistic (Hypo-E) - Means the red pigment (erythrin) is reduced to a Salmon, Lavender or Pink coloration.
Hypermelanistic (Melanistic) - Means the snake has an exaggerated amount of melanin (black pigment).
Amelanistic (Amel or Albino) - Means the snake is lacking all black (melanin) pigment and the black area is now white.

There are double homozygous Lampropeltis as well.  Meaning the snake is expressing two mutations at the same time.
Ghost - Hypomelanistic and Anery or Axanthic at the same time.  Reduced black and lacking red, orange or yellow pigment
Snow - Anery or Axanthic and Amelanistic at the same time.  Lacking all black and red, orange or yellow pigment.
Hybino or Sunglow - Hypomelanistic and Amelanistic.  Very hard to differentiate from an amelanistic animal....Sometimes the red is reduced to orange in Hybinos.

There are other mutations that Lampropeltis have that don't fit into the above mentioned pigment morphs.
White Walled or White Sided
Pied
Black Phase
Striped
Mosaic
Granite
Speckled
Yellow Amel
Aberrant
Reduced Black Pattern