On the popularity of Tarahumara Mountain Kingsnakes

Also called 'Chihuahua Mountain Kingsnakes' -- for the Mexican State they are native to -- Lampropeltis pyromelana knoblochi is by far my favorite snake to keep.  Docile, beautiful and calm, "knobs" are a fantastic captive for beginners or advanced keepers.  They thrive in basic caging -- tubs, glass tanks or plastic display enclosures.  Few snakes are as reluctant as a mountain king to bite defensively.  But knobs -- and all the montane kingsnakes -- are almost never found in reptile shops or even at most expos.  Why are they not more popular?

One issue is they are not all that prolific.  A corn snake clutch is 12-24 or more eggs.  A milk snake clutch is around a dozen, but some -- such as the Pueblan milk snake L. t. campbelli -- routinely lays three clutches a year.  But the current popularity winner among snakes, the ball python (P. regius) has clutches about equal in number to those of the Tarahumara mountain kings -- only six or eight eggs.

A more relevant consideration is that the hatchlings are challenging to feed.  In the wild, mountain kingsnakes eat almost exclusively lizards after hatching.  Starting hatchling montane kingsnakes is, frankly, a chore.  While some feed on day old mice right after their first shed, many will go up to a year after hatching to eat their first rodent meal.