Topshelf Reptiles

Ready to ship and are up for local pickups. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞
𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐬? Western Hognose snakes should be fed once a week. For the grownups, a small thawing mouse will suffice. The size of the meal should not exceed the width of the snake's head. You'll notice a bump after eating it, but it should go away in approximately 24 hours. Feed th

e hatchlings once a week. Feed them a pinkish mouse from your local pet store that has been thawed. It's possible that they will not accept it right away. Use the contents from a tuna or salmon can to scent the mouse if you're scared they won't eat it. This should make it easier for them to prepare their meal.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲? 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
These snakes are great for first-time snake owners because they are so easy to handle. They very rarely bite and are not aggressive. You can handle them with ease. Just be sure to start by touching them from underneath. Don’t scoop them up. If you touch them from overhead, it can startle them. They don’t climb well, so give them some support when holding them.

𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞
Western Hognose snakes should be fed weekly. The adults will do well to have a small thawed mouse as its meal. The size of the meal should not exceed the diameter of your snake’s head. You will notice a bump after it has been consumed, but the bump should go away after about 24 hours. The hatchlings can be fed once a week. Feed them a small, thawed, pinky mouse that you can purchase at your local pet store. They may not take it right away. If you are concerned that they are not going to eat it, scent the mouse with some juice from a can of tuna or salmon. This should help them warm up to their meal.


𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟑 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞
𝟏. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. One of the safest snakes to have as a pet is a kingsnake. They can readily learn to tolerate and like being lifted up and petted with the right training. Furthermore, even if you annoy your kingsnake to the point that it attacks you, the bites are not only nonvenomous, but also generally harmless. Unlike a larger python's bite, which can be quite painful, you should be able to shrug off a kingsnake's pinch. Of course, you'd prefer not to be bitten in the first place, so good training and socializing are essential.

𝟐. 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤. Even an adult kingsnake must eat at least once a week, unlike other larger snakes that can be fed once every few weeks. Younger kingsnakes should be fed every 3-4 days, while an underfed fully adult kingsnake (backbone or ribs visible, not rounded enough) should be fed twice a week. This is OK for most people, but if you plan on traveling for more than a few days, you'll need to locate someone to feed your snake for you. Getting in touch with other snake owners in your area is usually the best course of action. A kingsnake's diet consists of what it eats. As with the majority of snakes. What does a kingsnake eat? As with most snakes, you should feed your kingsnake mice or baby rats. The size of the meal is easy to judge – the body of the rodent has to be as long as the snake Is wide in its widest part (not counting the width of the snake’s head). Live or dead prey? Some people like feeding their snakes live mice. The reason is either for the love of the sport or cause “it’s natural”. We definitely recommend pre-killing your snake’s prey or even keeping it in the freezer and thawing it before mealtime. There are several reasons for that:
Feeding your snake live prey stimulates her hunting instinct toward warm-blooded creatures and makes the animal more likely to bite you. Even a small mouse can harm your snake if it’s alive by scratching the reptile’s scales, eyes, etc. Keeping your snake’s food frozen is much easier and more manageable in the long run. All in all, kingsnakes are easy to feed and have a simple and economic diet.

𝟑. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞

Kingsnakes and even smaller milk snakes should be kept alone in their tanks as they can often try to fight, kill, and eat the snake they are kept together with. It’s both a gruesome and an unfortunate sight if you’re fond of both snakes so invest in separate confinements if you want to look after more than one snake.