Gray-banded Kingsnake

Overview

The gray-banded kingsnake, also called the Davis Mountain kingsnake, is a medium-sized, nonvenomous snake. It averages about 3 feet long, and some reach 4 feet ¹². Its gray body is crossed by orange or red-orange bands with black and white accents ¹³. The species is famously variable ¹⁴. Two classic forms are recognized: "blairi" with wide red-orange bands and "alterna" with thin ones ¹. Some animals lack the red bands entirely ¹.

Adults are described as non-aggressive and docile ¹. They live about 15 to 20 years ¹².

A note on our sources. We found no veterinary care sheet specific to this species. The natural history below comes from zoo, aquarium and state wildlife sources ¹²³⁴. The husbandry targets come from LafeberVet's kingsnake sheet, which covers the genus generally ⁵. Confirm the details with a reptile vet.

Natural history

Gray-banded kingsnakes live in the Trans-Pecos and Chihuahuan Desert of southwestern Texas, southeastern New Mexico and northern Mexico ¹³⁴. Their habitat is hot, dry, rocky and mountainous: desert hills, canyons, arroyos, limestone ridges and boulder piles ¹². They are nocturnal and secretive ¹³, and spend much of their lives underground in deep cracks and fissures ². They retreat there through long, hot, dry summers ¹.

They feed mainly on lizards. They also take rodents, frogs, other snakes and the eggs of ground-nesting birds ¹², often cornering prey in crevices and burrows ².

Enclosure

• Size. At minimum, a long 20-gallon tank for an adult kingsnake ⁵.
• Hides. Provide several hides for security. Kingsnakes live on the ground and don't need a climbing branch ⁵. Rock-like hides and crevices suit this rock-dwelling species ².
• Water. A water bowl big enough for the snake to immerse itself, and heavy enough not to tip ⁵.
• Shedding box. A humidity box, a hide half-filled with damp sphagnum moss and placed half on the heat, helps with shedding ⁵.
• House alone. Kingsnakes eat other snakes, so keep them singly except for supervised breeding ⁵⁶.

Temperature & lighting

LafeberVet's kingsnake guidance ⁵:

• Daytime gradient: 70–85°F.
• Night: a drop of 10–15°F.

VCA gives about 77–86°F for kingsnakes generally ⁶. Put heat sources on thermostats and measure both ends of the enclosure.

LafeberVet recommends a winter cool-down (brumation) for healthy kingsnakes ⁵. Utica Zoo brumates its gray-banded kingsnake for 10 to 12 weeks at a constant 55°F before breeding season ². Only brumate a snake your vet has checked and confirmed is healthy and well fed.

Humidity

Our sources give no species-specific humidity target. This is an arid-habitat snake ¹³, so keep the enclosure dry and well ventilated. Offer the humid shedding box described above ⁵.

Substrate

Commercial aspen bedding is recommended for kingsnakes ⁵. If you use a loose substrate, feeding in a separate tub reduces the risk of swallowing it.

Diet & supplementation

Captive kingsnakes usually eat mice. LafeberVet suggests one to three mice once a week for an adult ⁵. Feed killed or thawed prey rather than live ⁷. Whole prey is complete nutrition, so supplements aren't needed ⁷.

Picky hatchlings. Wild gray-bands are lizard specialists ¹², and LafeberVet notes that juveniles of some kingsnake species refuse mice in favor of lizards or snakes ⁵. Buy a captive-bred hatchling that is already eating thawed mice, and ask the breeder for its feeding record. If your snake won't feed, see a reptile vet rather than offering wild-caught lizards.

Handling & temperament

Gray-banded kingsnakes are generally docile ¹, and kingsnakes rarely bite ⁵. A stressed kingsnake may release a strong musk ⁶. Support the head, neck and body when you handle them, and wash your hands first so you don't smell like mice ⁵. Wash them again afterward: reptiles and feeder rodents can carry Salmonella ⁹.

Health

Common issues

• Refusing food, especially juveniles ⁵.
• Blister disease (pustular dermatitis) ⁵, and other skin infections from damp or dirty housing ⁸.
• Mouth rot, respiratory infections and parasites, including mites ⁸.

When to see a vet

See a reptile vet for weight loss, mouth discharge, wheezing or skin lesions ⁸. Open-mouth breathing or an unresponsive snake is an emergency ¹⁰.

Breeding overview

Gray-bands breed after winter dormancy ¹². Females lay eggs, with clutches of about 4 to 13 reported, and hatchlings are 7 to 12 inches long ¹. The sexes look alike ¹, so have a vet confirm sex before you pair snakes. Plan for hatchlings that may need help to start on rodents ⁵.

Genetics & morphs

Much of this snake's appeal is its natural variation. Keepers often refer to "blairi" and "alterna" forms and to locality animals ¹⁴. The Reptile Database notes that blairi is sometimes treated as a separate subspecies and sometimes as a variant of alterna ⁴. Our sources don't document specific inheritance patterns, so we don't list them here.

Legal & ethics

The IUCN lists the gray-banded kingsnake as Least Concern ¹². New Mexico includes it in its State Wildlife Action Plan ³. Collecting native reptiles is regulated in the U.S. and Mexico, so buy captive-bred and check your state's rules.

Sources

1. Gray-Banded Kingsnake · Aquarium of the Pacific
2. Gray-Banded Kingsnake · Utica Zoo
3. Gray-banded Kingsnake · New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
4. Lampropeltis alterna · The Reptile Database
5. Basic Information Sheet: Kingsnakes · LafeberVet
6. Snakes: Colubrid · VCA Animal Hospitals
7. Feeding Pet Snakes · VCA Animal Hospitals
8. Common Diseases of Pet Snakes · VCA Animal Hospitals
9. Salmonella, Feeder Rodents, and Pet Reptiles and Amphibians · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
10. When Should My Reptile See a Veterinarian? · Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center

Last reviewed 2026-10-24 by Novel Fauna. This guide is general husbandry information, not veterinary advice. When an animal is sick, see a veterinarian experienced with exotic animals.

Revision history

1. 2026-10-24 Library complete: 20 more cited guides (70 total), Invertebrates group, care targets migration 0020, source title fixes 5cf06a2

Evidence grades: Novel Fauna editorial: source classification, not yet expert-reviewed, 2026-10-25. What the grades mean.

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