Lipid deposition disorders, primarily atherosclerosis and xanthomatosis, are common in anurans, and occasionally encountered in reptiles, but have not been adequately described in snakes.1-4 A review of the archives of Northwest ZooPath identified 480 kingsnake submissions. Lipid deposition disorders were recorded in 28 snakes, of which 14 were kingsnakes (Lampropeltis spp.), including eight mountain, two California, and one each of desert, Florida, eastern and grey-banded kingsnakes. Twelve snakes had xanthomatosis in the central nervous system, four snakes had atherosclerosis in the aorta and one of these had atherosclerosis in the ventral vertebral artery. One snake had xanthomatosis and atherosclerosis. Most of the snakes presented with signs of central nervous system disease, including ataxia, abnormal posture, opisthotonus, and loss of righting reflex. Eleven snakes were euthanized, two died and the disposition was not stated for one snake. Kingsnakes in the wild are somewhat specialized feeders that prefer reptiles and amphibians. We hypothesize that kingsnakes in human care may have similar dietary requirements and that the steady feeding of rodents may result in hypercholesterolemia and subsequent lipid deposition disorders.