First Kingsnake: looking for input.

[franks]

Hey guys. It's been a while since I have been on here. I am picking up a young Mexican Black King this week and he will be my first kingsnake. I know the care sheet basics but wanted to know if anyone had some good information or some pointers on them. Specifically, I build all my own enclosures and want to know your thoughts on how much water to provide, how much height, etc. Space is not an issue and I am looking to build something that would allow me to view him in as natural a way as possible. Thanks guys.

Btw the "kings of the forum" thread is what finally pushed me to pull the trigger. You guys have some great looking MBK's

[wrecker45]

I give my cali kings a water dish big enough to coil up in.

[Mikoh4792]

I agree I love all the MBK's on there. The florida kings are neat as well.

[jpsteele80]

Congrats on your new addition :D

[sharthun]

Congrats!! MBK's are awesome! I house mine in a Animal Plastics T10,48x24x15 in tall enclosure. Heated by Reptile Basics 40watt RHP. I keep the hot side around 86, 88 degrees. I use sani chips for substrate, and a large water dish. Post pics in the King's forum when you get the snake!! :cool:

[EL Ziggy]

Great choice with the MBK. They're really beautiful snakes. My girl is a real sweetheart but a monster eater. I keep my kings in 40 gal tanks for now but upgrades are coming. I agree with Steve/Sharthun. A 4x2 is great for kings. I like the AP T10 or a 4x2x2. They don't need much height but mine seem to enjoy some climbing space. Best wishes and please post pics :).

[Kera]

Just waiting for Kyle to come in...

Congrats on the addition, as always make sure you post pics ;)

[sharthun]

Just waiting for Kyle to come in...

Congrats on the addition, as always make sure you post pics ;)

Yep he's slacking Hannah! :p

[virtuousvixen]

Just waiting for Kyle to come in...

Congrats on the addition, as always make sure you post pics ;)

He needs an MBK trademark.

Good choice with an MBK. Kings are great to keep. Can't wait for you to post pics.

[sharthun]

He needs an MBK trademark.

Good choice with an MBK. Kings are great to keep. Can't wait for you to post pics.

Great idea! Lol

[franks]

Thanks for the responses guys. Kyle is ambit ' s keeper right? Ok so far it seems you guys would say a built in water aspect would be a waste, and that height would not be utilized enough to make the Hassel worth it? Do any of you guys offer different night and day temps with your kings? Anybody offer a varied diet?

[virtuousvixen]

i have a cali king and he loves climbing, so when i upgraded his enclosure i made sure i had one that had the extra height. He seems to enjoy climbing about on a regular basis. you may need to wait and see what your king likes and doesn't like. usually a bowl of water big enough that they can soak in will work fine.

I also have a day/night attached to my thermostat and it drops a couple of degrees at night. but i know a lot here will keep temps the same all the time round. So long as you are within ranges and keeping a proper gradient, i think it is just personal preference.

[sharthun]

i have a cali king and he loves climbing, so when i upgraded his enclosure i made sure i had one that had the extra height. He seems to enjoy climbing about on a regular basis. you may need to wait and see what your king likes and doesn't like. usually a bowl of water big enough that they can soak in will work fine.

I also have a day/night attached to my thermostat and it drops a couple of degrees at night. but i know a lot here will keep temps the same all the time round. So long as you are within ranges and keeping a proper gradient, i think it is just personal preference.

I don't drop my Temps at night, but if your thermostat has that option, it's fine for a small nighttime drop. My MBK doesn't seem to like to climb much. I put a good sized tree branch in her enclosure and she just went under it and around. Lol All snakes are different for sure. Just experiment and try different setups.

[EL Ziggy]

My kings do use their climbing branches, especially when they're hungry. I still don't think you'll need anything larger than a 4x2x2. I don't do a nighttime temp drop either. My kings have a decent sized water bowl but I've never seen them soaking. I used to feed my kings mice and rats but they're all on rats exclusively now. I got tired of having to feed multiple mice. I do want to get some quail as on occasional treat.

[nyjon]

juvenile or adult?

first and foremost i absolutely love my mbk. she is exciting. i have kept mine in room temperature in the winter and summer and so far so good as long as they have a hot spot. i keep my hotspot at 90 deg, a rubbermaid container with wet napkins for her moist hide, and 2 dog bowls cut with holes for her hot and cool hide. i am by no means a pro snake care taker but that set up has worked for me. she has always shed in one peice and has never rejected a meal since i got her. i keep her in a 10 gallon tank. she did escape once, so be sure there are absolutely no gaps, cracks, peeks where they can escape because they will do so. other than that good luck. this forum has been extremely helpful to me and i wouldnt hesitate to ask anyone on here for help. best of luck. post pics when u get a chance :)

[marvelfreak]

What no pictures????

[franks]

Sorry chuck. I have one of those new fancy enormous phones and haven't been on a real computer in months. This forum is the best, but loading pictures from phone or tablet is not the easiest. Maybe I'll jump on my wife's laptop later. Thanks for the input guys. I rough cut the frame at work yesterday. I am going with 4'x3'x2'. I want to do bioactive substrate with live plants. Anyone tried bioactive with their kings?

[drumcrush]

Yep he's slacking Hannah! :p

Yeeep... I have been slacking lol I just have been reaaaalllllyyy lazy lately

Anways...

Congrats on the MBK! The greatest king out there! I wish you luck on your new addition, can't wait to see pics :)

[Mikoh4792]

Thanks for the responses guys. Kyle is ambit ' s keeper right? Ok so far it seems you guys would say a built in water aspect would be a waste, and that height would not be utilized enough to make the Hassel worth it? Do any of you guys offer different night and day temps with your kings? Anybody offer a varied diet?

I would say kingsnakes will use all the space you give them, you just need to make it "easy" for them to climb. Ledges and forked branches are probably better than straight perches(like for carpets and gtp's). I used to own cali and speckled kingsnakes and they would climb everything trying to get into every nook and cranny. Your 4x3x2 should make for an interesting setup.

[drumcrush]

I would say kingsnakes will use all the space you give them, you just need to make it "easy" for them to climb. Ledges and forked branches are probably better than straight perches(like for carpets and gtp's). I used to own cali and speckled kingsnakes and they would climb everything trying to get into every nook and cranny. Your 4x3x2 should make for an interesting setup.

I agree, Ammit loooves climbing. This little shelf is her favorite spot, she is actually inside that little aquarium heater box right now.
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af280/drumcrush1/20140703_134309_zpszm4stl0v.jpg (http://s1015.photobucket.com/user/drumcrush1/media/20140703_134309_zpszm4stl0v.jpg.html)

[sharthun]

I agree, Ammit loooves climbing. This little shelf is her favorite spot, she is actually inside that little aquarium heater box right now.
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af280/drumcrush1/20140703_134309_zpszm4stl0v.jpg (http://s1015.photobucket.com/user/drumcrush1/media/20140703_134309_zpszm4stl0v.jpg.html)

Cool hides DC!:D

[drumcrush]

Cool hides DC!:D

ammit actually chose the aquarium heater box. I had her out one night and she slithered into it and wouldn't come out, so I just placed the box on her ledge and it is now her favorite spot haha

[sharthun]

ammit actually chose the aquarium heater box. I had her out one night and she slithered into it and wouldn't come out, so I just placed the box on her ledge and it is now her favorite spot haha

Those make the best ones! Medusa barely uses her hides anymore. She just plops down anywhere. lol

[drumcrush]

Those make the best ones! Medusa barely uses her hides anymore. She just plops down anywhere. lol

ammit did that before she got that hide lol

[Concept9]

Congo rats on the new MBK. :)

The basic formula for its enclosure should be length x with = the approx.,. length of the snake. Height for a MBK should be approx.,. 1/3 of its body length. Most Kings are not big soakers but as stated above I would add a dish big enough for it to soak in if needed.

EDIT: After your 90 day quarantine period I would use aspen as a substrate, they LOVE to burrow.

I had a MBK that morphed into a Black Pinesnake. Here is a pic of her setup.

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y424/adorian1000/20140305_070738_zps058944c2.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/adorian1000/media/20140305_070738_zps058944c2.jpg.html)

[franks]

Thanks guys this is all very helpful. At MBK I read the thread where that interesting development took place lol.
I will put a few shelves into this thing. Does anybody know of a few articles or websites they can link me to regarding kingsnakes in their natural environment? There's not alot of info that I can find. Pretty much it seems that they live in bushland and grassland around the deserts?
You said after quarantine to use aspen. Is there a disadvantage to using the substrate right away? I generally put my snakes right in finished enclosures.

[Concept9]

Thems live here. Sonoran Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora_Desert)

Mexican black kingsnake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_black_kingsnake)


The only disadvantage is that if your animal comes equipped with mites they are harder to detect and its harder to check their poops to see if its ok specially with smaller, younger snakes.

[franks]

Thanks. I switched him to paper towels for now. I was having trouble keeping humidity down with substrate anyway. Question- I weighed him today and he weighed in at 65 grams. He is 10 months old- is this about right?

[Concept9]

All snake grow a little differently. But that sounds like a good weight for his age. Its more important for snake to have good shape and muscle tone as apposed to weight.

Just feed him the proper size mouse every 7 days and he will be fine. :)

[EL Ziggy]

Thanks. I switched him to paper towels for now. I was having trouble keeping humidity down with substrate anyway. Question- I weighed him today and he weighed in at 65 grams. He is 10 months old- is this about right?
Frank-What substrate were you using that kept your humidity too high? I use shredded aspen or sani chips for my kings and my humidity stays around 30-40%. As far as the weight of your snake, they all grow at different rates. A lot of it depends on their feeding regiment, does he look thin?

[franks]

No he does not look thin, I was just curious. For substrate I was using those wood chips called forest floor or something. It is fine if dry but holds moisture for a oblong time. He is on paper now and I am drying out the substrate. I will probably use aspen bedding as suggested because it is easier to burrow in.

[EL Ziggy]

No he does not look thin, I was just curious. For substrate I was using those wood chips called forest floor or something. It is fine if dry but holds moisture for a oblong time. He is on paper now and I am drying out the substrate. I will probably use aspen bedding as suggested because it is easier to burrow in.

Sounds like a good plan franks. They definitely like to burrow. Post pics of your king when you can.

[drumcrush]

Sounds like a good plan franks. They definitely like to burrow. Post pics of your king when you can.

+1, I would LOVE to see pics!