SpeciesBlack kingsnake
Black kingsnake
Lampropeltis nigra
Uniformly black, active and with a hearty appetite. Close to the California kingsnake in husbandry and requirements, including its tendency to eat its own kind.
- Group
- Snake
- Level
- Beginner
- Origin
- Eastern United States
Where the species comes from
- World region
- Eastern United States
- Countries
- Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodland, forest edges, field margins and rocky slopes
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- A very escape-proof enclosure with a large floor area. The Animal Welfare Ordinance sets no minimum size for kingsnakes. The reference is the German 1997 expert report on reptile keeping: at least 1 × 0.5 × 0.5 body lengths, i.e. 120 × 60 × 60 cm for a total length of 120 cm.
- Temperature
- Basking spot 28–31 °C, cool side 20–24 °C.
- Humidity
- Around 40–55 %.
- Lighting
- A day–night cycle; UVB is advisable.
- Substrate
- A diggable soil and bark mix.
- Furnishings
- Hides in both temperature zones, cork, branches.
- Water
- A stable water bowl.
- Feeding
- Thawed rodents.
- Behaviour
- Active and food-driven.
- Handling
- Remove the scent of food before handling.
- Cohabitation
- Keep singly.
- Health
- Airways, mites, mouth and weight.
- Seasonal cycle
- Two to three months of winter rest at 12–15 °C match the yearly rhythm in the eastern USA. Stop feeding two to three weeks beforehand, cool down over two weeks and warm up again just as slowly. Not essential without breeding plans, but well tolerated.
- Safety
- It may eat other snakes.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The genus is on the list of harmless venomous snakes in the federal veterinary office’s ordinance on keeping wild animals (SR 455.110.3) and is therefore exempt from the permit requirement under Art. 89 let. h of the Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
No CITES listing
Not listed in the CITES appendices: Import and transfer require no species-protection papers. Keep the proof of purchase nonetheless
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not list this species. Among snakes the table names only giant snakes (pythons and boas), elapids, vipers and pit vipers, and a few venomous or dangerous colubrids; for the rest no figure appears there.
The general rule in Annex 2 (letter K) then applies: the enclosure must be large enough for everything the species needs (hides, basking spot, climbing branches) to be arranged sensibly. As a yardstick, the ordinance points to expert opinions on a scientific basis. There is therefore no binding figure. The guide values in the calculator come from the 1997 expert report. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office.
What the enclosure must provide
Provide species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where needed, suitable substrate, retreats, climbing or digging options, water and natural rest periods.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
