Mexican Black Kingsnake Care Guide!
Welcome to the Mexican black kingsnake Lampropeltis getula nigritis (MBK) care guide. My goal is to make this the most scientific MBK care guide on the internet! We use welfare science to guide our care principles to push for maximal animal welfare.
Figure 1: Adult female Mexican black kingsnake named Olivia (Authors own, 2024)
What Is a Mexican Black Kingsnake?
Mexican black kingsnakes are members of the genus Lampropeltis, a group of non-venomous colubrid snakes with characteristic shiny scales. The word Lampropeltis is derived from Greek and roughly translates to “shiny shield” in reference to the kingsnakes head. They are black in colouration with the occasional white ventral scale. Adults reach 3-4.5ft on average with hatchlings starting at 9-12 inches. Mexican black kingsnakes engage in ophiophagy, which is snake eating. However, their diet is likely much more generalist.
Figure 2: Range map for the Mexican black kingsnake. You could also depict their range much more northerly and into southern Arizona, USA. However, there is argument for that being intergrades with the Californian Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae). North-Western Mexico’s Sonoran desert is where this map focuses (Authors own, 2024).
Mexican black kingsnakes can be active during the day time or night time, but are more likely to be active during twilight hours. This activity pattern makes them crepuscular.
Figure 3: Wild Mexican black kingsnake iNaturalist observation in October (Jessica Lowery, 2022).
Mexican black kingsnake habitat is often arid and rocky, however it is not without areas of lush vegetation. The regions summer rains bring fresh growth in plant life.
Figure 4: Wild iNaturalist observation of a Mexican black kingsnake in July. Notice the lush vegetation in the background (Joe Girgente, 2021).
Their habitat use is generalist, making them a hardy species, forgiving of beginner mistakes or varying husbandry parameters.
Enclosure Size
Mexican Black Kingsnakes can grow 3 to 5 feet in length, so their enclosure must allow them to stretch fully. A 4x2x2 ft enclosure is ideal for most, but larger snakes may require upgrades. For juveniles, a 40-gallon enclosure is sufficient initially.
Shopping List
4X2X2 Enclosure USA:
New Age Pet ECOFLEX 48" Large Mojave Reptile Habitat Enclosure
4X2X2 Enclosure UK:
Viperia PVC 4X2X2
MBK Equipment List:
Figure 5: A black PVC 4x2x2ft enclosure for a perfect bioactive MBK setup by Kelly Herngreen (Kelly Herngreen, 2024).
Habitat Parameters
Understanding the climactic parameters of the wild will give you a good understanding of the environment that the MBK evolved to inhabit. Rather than just spewing out random temperatures, we hope to provide you with a contextual understanding of the recommendations to come.
Temperature
Climate data will vary from locality within the Mexican black kingsnake’s range. Therefore, its important to view data from a holistic viewpoint. Using the logic that the founding animals of our captive bred stock were likely to have been collected close to the US border, we have created an averaged dataset from two locations: Hermosillo and Nogales. We have collected weather data from as far back as 1985.
Disclaimer: Weather data is often collected from equipment on a mast or anthropogenic structure. Therefore, it is not directly representative of habitat microclimates that the Mexican black kingsnake may frequent. So it must be viewed interpreted contextually, more on that later.
Figure 6: Merged monthly temperature of both Hermosillo and Nogales in celsius (Authors own, 2024).
Figure 7: Merged monthly temperature of both Hermosillo and Nogales in fahrenheit (Authors own, 2024).
Mexican black kingsnakes prefer cooler air temperatures than one might expect. As soon as air temperatures go beyond 26°C/78.8°F I have found my snakes to shy away and retreat to cool humid hides. Equally in winter, Mexican black kingsnakes would retreat underground where it may be more insulated, temperatures as low as 10°C/50°F would be a safe conservative temperature for captive hibernation. This is why a contextual understanding of how the snakes use microclimates is needed to interpret the data. If one were to keep a Mexican black kingsnake at 36°C/97°F because of the sole reason its on the graph then it would be a disaster.
A day time ambient air temperature for most of the year can be anywhere in the 21-26°C/70-78.8°F range.
Heating & Lighting Equipment
The enclosure will only require a gentle basking spot on one end to offer the snake the choice to bask should they want to. A low wattage heat bulb such as the Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot Lamps or the Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp. Hook it up to a thermostat and place the thermostat probe into the cool/shaded end of the enclosure. Make sure that the probe is not touching other objects and is not under any lights that may warm it up to a false reading. Set the thermostat to 26°C/78.8°F. Doing so means the bulb will stay on and only be dimmed down once the ambient air temperature reaches the highest, acting as an emergency shut off. This can be adjusted at different times of the year.
Figure 8: An adult female Mexican black kingsnake basking under a heat lamp and UVB lamp whilst in blue (Authors own, 2024)
A UVB lamp should be provided, basking in UVB in the wild plays a role in managing health. So we should allow them to do so in our homes. While MBKs won’t drop dead without UVB, exposure enhances their health. UVB aids in Vitamin D production, supporting calcium metabolism and bone strength. Using a low intensity UVB bulb across only half of the enclosure allows them to move in and out of the shade to self-regulate like in the wild.
Figure 9: Merged monthly night time low temperature of both Hermosillo and Nogales in celsius (Authors own, 2024).
Figure 10: Merged monthly night time low temperature of both Hermosillo and Nogales in fahrenheit (Authors own, 2024).
At night turn your heating and lighting equipment off, the temperature can be allowed to cool. For most of us putting the enclosure in a bedroom or living room, our homes don’t get cold enough to ever need to offer supplemental night time heat. However, if you do, I recommend offering a non-light emitting heat source such as a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat set to 10°C/50°F. It will only ever be needed to kick in when we hit hibernation temperatures.
Humidity
Figure 11: Merged monthly humidity of both Hermosillo and Nogales in fahrenheit (Authors own, 2024).
Figure 12: Merged monthly rainfall of both Hermosillo and Nogales in fahrenheit (Authors own, 2024).
Humidity in the wild shows a clear correlation with rainfall. The monsoon season in the summer brings lots of lush vegetation to the habitats, as seen in figure 4. In captivity, managing humidity is very simple. Mexican black kingsnakes can handle high humidity as they often retreat underground where it may be >80%. An average humidity of 30-50% with a humid hide means that the snake can just self-regulate their needs. Make sure they have a water bowl large enough for them to soak in should they feel the need to.
Substrate
MBKs love to dig, so provide a substrate that supports burrowing and moisture retention. Topsoil mixed with play sand or premixed products like Reptisoil are excellent options. Alternatively, you can use dry substrates like aspen shavings, but ensure a humid hide is available to compensate for the lack of moisture. Make sure its several inches deep for tunnelling.
Decor
A cluttered environment helps the snake feel more secure whilst offering it a myriad of options to express motivated behaviours. Be sure to include things like cork bark, branches and hides. Make sure to offer some opportunities to climb so that the snake can use those muscles. Mexican black kingsnakes are terrestrial its true, but 2ft of height is well within the realms, a fallen log in the wild might be taller than 2ft!
Figure 13: A wild MBK climbing a fence (miguelrosas, 2020).
Mexican Black Kingsnake Diet
Mexican black kingsnakes eat a variety of prey in the wild. Unfortunately, there is not study on the composition of their diet. There is however, one for their close relative, the California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae).
In a study published in 2019, researchers found that 29% of 447 diet items were mammals, 29% were snakes, 25% were lizards, 11% were birds, 4% were squamate eggs, 1% were unidentified squamates, and 1% were amphibians.
It would be a logical assumption that the diet of the MBK would be similar. Therefore, I recommend offering a varied diet in captivity. Historically they have done very well on rodents alone, so use that as a foundation and mix something else in now and then.
You can feed Mexican black kingsnakes:
· Mice
· Rats
· Hamsters
· Gerbils
· African soft furs
· Day old chicken chicks
· Quail chicks
· Quail eggs
· Older quails
· Reptile eggs
· Frogs legs
· Anoles
· Reptilinks sausages
If you have a young MBK you can feed them a prey item that’s 10% of total weight of your snake. So, if you had a 100g snake, you’d feed them a 10g prey item every 5 days, shifting into 10 days with adulthood. This will often look like pinkie mice, then hoppers, then small mice, medium, large, then xl mice.
Now as an adult I recommend feeding them every 10 days as maintenance. If you notice your kingsnake acting constantly hungry or biting unusually for them. Then id feed every 7 days. If you notice them getting fat, take it to 14 days, and if they’re still getting fat take it down a prey size. Of course, there’s other reasons for feeding more frequently such as reproduction or either side of brumation. See figure 13 for visual representation. What I’ve noticed is it generally takes them 48 hours from eating to pooping. You’ll learn when to look for faeces.
Figure 14: pendulum of kingsnake feeding (Authors own, 2024).
Hibernation
Hibernation is not only beneficial for breeding, there is also some evidence that it may extend lifespan. A study on rat snakes found that hibernation extended captive lifespans by 33%. Yes it was not specifically on MBK’s, however, they are closely related enough to create viable hybrid offspring, its likely they will receive the same benefits from this close relation. And if not, well no harm done.
To hibernate in captivity, it is pretty simple. Feed their last meals around Halloween, then leave them to digest and empty themselves for a week or so. After this point, air temperatures are likely to be dropping as you naturally head towards winter. Slowly each week reduce the max ambient air temperature on the thermostat. Also reduce their day light hours alongside it. Around mid-November turn the tank off completely and allow them to get cold.
The enclosure can be allowed to remain at 10°C/50°F all winter if you can do that. If not you can box them up in something like a really useful box with some substrate, a hide and a water bowl and put them somewhere it will get cold enough. Most people use basements.
Leave them until end of February time, put the snakes back in their enclosures and over the course of a week slowly turn lights back on and gently raise the temperature on the thermostat. By March, everything is back on and the snakes are awake again.
For the first couple meals after hibernation give them small meals as a means of easing them back into things.
Breeding
Disclaimer: If you want to breed Mexican black kingsnakes make sure you have a plan on where the babies will go or make sure you have the means to house these animals for an extended period of time whilst you look for homes. Bringing life into this world should always be done responsibly.
Preparing Adults & Pairing
Figure 15: Successful lock of MBK’s (Authors own, 2024).
Breeding Mexican black kingsnakes is relatively straight forward. Once both male and female has awoken from hibernation you want to feed the female heavily for breeding condition. After you are done with a couple small meals, feed her every 5 days with a decent sized meal (10% of body weight).
The male can be fed every 7 days normally if he does not refuse food, often males have girls on the mind this time of year.
You are waiting for the female to have her first shed cycle of the year, this is often called the pre-ovulation shed. After this point you can introduce the male into her enclosure. You will see lots of jerky movements between the pair as the male follows the female. The male will often bite the female by the neck and align himself with her before mating.
This period can last a couple hours. Some people cohab the pair for a period during this time to make sure repeat locks are made. I work in the room that my snakes are in so I just wait until they separate and I pull the male from the enclosure. A few days later I introduce the male again for a second lock. I am happy with two visual locks I don’t bother with more.
After this I keep them both separate and carry on feeding the female on the 5 day schedule. The humid hide also acts as a lay box, some people introduce this at this time but i leave it all year round.
Egg Laying
Figure 16: 10 perfect eggs laid by a Mexican black kingsnake (Authors own, 2024).
Often the next shed after this is called the pre lay shed. 10 days or so after shedding the female may lay her clutch. If you are successful and get eggs, the female will often look deflated. Pick her up and run your thumb down her belly to make your she does not have any retained eggs. If all is good, remove the eggs from her and proceed with the feeding schedule until her condition recovers.
Egg Incubation
Figure 17: Clutch of 10 MBK eggs in the incubator (Authors own, 2024).
The trick to incubating MBK eggs is to provide humidity without having too much stagnant air. I like to use a plastic tub with vermiculite as a substrate. Moisten the vermiculite by adding water, you want it to be a sand castle building consistency, enough water that if you squeeze it the form holds without excess water dripping from your hand. Cover the bottom of the tub with an inch or so of vermiculite.
Next drill or poke some holes on opposing sides of the tub so that cross ventilation is provided. A couple of holes on all four sides should be enough. More is better as you can always tape them up. If fact you can tape and untape holes throughout the incubation period to modulate ventilation. If you notice lots of water forming and dripping onto the eggs, increase ventilation. If it dries out too quickly, tape up some holes.
Place the entire clutch on top of the vermiculite. I recommend not separating eggs. There are studies that show that the neonates communicate with each other whilst still in the egg. The studies also showed that eggs incubated in isolation affected the hatchlings demeaner, resulting in a “only child syndrome”. Lone incubated snakes had differing heart rates from group incubated snakes and meant they utilised less of their yolk, potentially affecting growth rate. Plus its just easier.
An old tip is to put athete’s foot powder on eggs that show signs of moulding. However, there are much more effective, easy and modern alternatives. The wound healing/disinfectant spray Leucillin is made from hypochlorous acid (natural white blood cell secretions) and is 100% safe. It is 99.99999% microbial reduction. A quick spray over the clutch and you are good to go. It is a game changer! You can find Leucillin on amazon here.
After around 60 days of incubating at 26-28°C/78.8-82.4°F the neonates will hatch.
Neonate Care
Figure 18: Eggs pipping after 60 day incubation (Authors own, 2024).
I like to place each neonate into its own tub with a water bowl, hide and paper towel substrate. I spray this paper towel town so its moist as I wait a week or so for the neonate to absorb its yolk and have its first shed.
After this point I put them on a loose substrate and add a humid hide stuffed with moss. I keep them with a small low wattage heat mat with a warm spot at 26°C/78.8°F, the ambient air temperature I let drop to room temperature.
I first offer very small pinky mice, that are sometimes called “red hots”, by leaving them in the enclosure overnight. Sometimes they eat straight away and sometimes they don’t. Wait a week and repeat.
There are a series of tricks I employ to encourage feeding in the neonates. I will offer washed pinky mice that have been defrosted in water with a drop of scentless eco-friendly dish soap, US breeders often use dawn dish soap. Quick since off under water to remove any soap and leave the “scentless” pinky overnight.
Next I will defrost them in boiling hot water so the pinkies effectively cook via boiling.
Next I will soak in tuna juice after boiling.
Next I will try braining pinkies, this involves piercing the brain and squeezing the head gently so some brain juice leaks out.
Next I will put a pinky in a small tub with the neonate and leave confined in the tub overnight.
Finally If that doesnt work I will hibernate the snake in the hopes it will wake up in March with a new found hunger.
I have had one baby snake refuse to eat and starved until it died 6 months later. So you have a lot of time before then to patiently try all of the above steps. Sometimes if an animal just won’t eat you can begin with assist feeding and then force feeding.
The other ethical question is if it is worth it? Do you want such a poor feeder to carry on its genetics in the gene pool? Or rather is it better that the good feeders that gave you no trouble are the ones that should be proliferated?
Once they are feeding, they wolf down everything in front of them quite happily. Not all clutches will grief you so, I’ve had some clutches that were painful and others that all at on week one.
Figure 19: Hatchling starts to eat after being confined to a small tub with a pinky (Authors own, 2024).
Conclusion
Mexican Black Kingsnakes are resilient, captivating reptiles that thrive with proper care rooted in science and understanding of their natural behaviors. By providing the right enclosure, diet, and environmental conditions, you can ensure your MBK lives a healthy, enriched life. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced reptile keeper, these snakes are a rewarding companion for those committed to their welfare.
