California Kingsnake

[Moneek]

Hi there my name is Monique,my son has recently left me with a 1yr old Kingsnake to babysit for a yr.Im just looking for advice on optimal care seeing as he's his baby :freakedout:
Thank you

[DJC Reptiles]

Hi there! Happy to help you. California Kingsnakes are relatively easy to take care of, and can be easily maintained by any normal colubrid care sheet. However if you would like me too I can make a easy Care Sheet anyone can follow. They do take me some time though, so please contact me if you would like one. Thank you, hope you have fun with your son's Kingsnake!

[Moneek]

Awe Thank you..
I have a daytime light and nighttime I notice daytime is sitting at 80 which I think is still too cool right? Nighttime light sits 85 should I maybe just get stronger wattage for daytime ?

[DJC Reptiles]

The night time temp seems fine, but I would try to get at least a 90°F hotspot for day time temperature.

[DJC Reptiles]

Okay, I will make something short to allow you to take care of your kingsnake. Hope this helps!

Enclosure: Adult kingsnakes need at least a 20 gallon long enclosure while hatchlings can be maintained in a smaller 10 gallon enclosure. If you don't want to buy separate enclosures for different periods of time you can just buy the 20 gallon long tank. I recommend you either section off half of it, or provide a variety of hides to make the snake feel more secure.

Heating/Lighting: California kingsnakes require some amount of lighting/heating. Ambient temperatures should be 75°F-80°F on the cool side, and 80°F-85°F on the hot side. Surface temratures should be about the same, however there should be a hotspot on the warm side that gets up to at least 90°F-95°F. As long as the snake has somewhere to retreat to temps can even get a little bit higher then this. The easiest way to check temperature is with a reliable infrared temperature gun. UVB Lighting is not needed for snakes, they get their d3 through the whole prey food they eat.

Feeding: In captivity California kingsnakes can be maintained on a pure rodent diet. Rodents should be as big as the thickest part of the snakes body, and should leave only a slight noticeable gap. Of course you can always feed multiple smaller prey if you don't feel comfortable feeding bigger rodents. Cal kings can be given mice their whole lives so it isn't necessary to buy rats, and other feeders. If it isn't already, I highly recommend feeding frozen thawed, it is safer for the snake, and is more humane for the mouse. Cal kings can be fed appropriate sized rodents every week for adults. Seeing as your sons is still a little young, I would recommend feeding every 5-6 days, until he is at least two years old, then you can start feeding weekly.

Taming Process: Like most colubrids cal kings have a normally docile temperament, so it isn't too hard to get them well used to you. For best results try to handle him once daily, for at least ten minutes, (unless you have fed him on that day, in which case wait for at least 12-24 hours). If you follow these steps he should be nice in tame when your son picks him up.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask! I had a lot of fun making this by the way, and this should help you keep a happy and healthy kingsnake.

[Moneek]

Thank you DJC Reptiles sooo appreciated!!
So again I should get a 100watt for daytime ? I'm pretty sure that one is a 75 and obviously not getting warm enough or should I bump both of them up to 100's? Like I said low 80's is the warmest it's getting .He eats like a champ been feeding 3-4 pinkies a week.

[DJC Reptiles]

If you feel like you need a bigger wattage, go for it! Although you should be able to get good temps with the 75 watt, try to move it closer to the screen top. If you don't have one already the temp gun should help you find the exact temperature. Night time temps seem to be fine, it is okay if there is a slight temperature drop. If you can't reach desired temps with the 75 watt then I would go for a 100 watt. I use a 75 watt exo terra infrared bulb, and that works for me both day and night time, so maybe you have a 50 watt? If you are not sure, I would recommend going with the 100 watt just in case, just make sure you raise it up enough to provide the desired hot spot temperature.

Hope this helps!
-DJC Reptiles

[Moneek]

I thought I had to have a white daytime and red for night? I can leave the red one on all day and night ?

[Moneek]

I thought they were supposed to signify day and night for the snake? Sorry for all the questions, the snake w dropped on me with no notice lol

[EL Ziggy]

I use red heat bulbs for day and night also. They're on a dimmer so I turn them down a bit at night.

[DJC Reptiles]

The snake won't be able to see the infrared light, as long as there is a noticeable change in day and night in the room you keep him, then it should be fine. Most people use day and night time bulbs because it looks better. However, I have found that my day time bulbs burn out really fast, and are completely unreliable. So I switched to using pure infrared heat bulbs and that works well for me. Honestly it is whatever works for you, some stores even allow you to return day time bulbs if this happens. Hope this helps!

[dannybgoode]

The snake won't be able to see the infrared light, as long as there is a noticeable change in day and night in the room you keep him

Not true. Some snakes certainly can see red light and it is shown to disturb the circadian rhythms of some species of snakes. Some more that others.

Blue 'moon lights' are even worse as all snakes can see into the UV element of the spectrum.

I would not advocate any light emitting sources at night. There is no need as there are plenty of solutions that avoid such sources (rhp's, che's, true infrared heat sources etc).

You've made a number of bold claims in an authorative tone on a number of subjects some of which are incorrect and some unsubstantiated and a matter of opinion not fact.

The danger with this approach is that beginners may accept such advice without challenge or thought.

[DJC Reptiles]

Not true. Some snakes certainly can see red light and it is shown to disturb the circadian rhythms of some species of snakes. Some more that others.

Blue 'moon lights' are even worse as all snakes can see into the UV element of the spectrum.

I would not advocate any light emitting sources at night. There is no need as there are plenty of solutions that avoid such sources (rhp's, che's, true infrared heat sources etc).

You've made a number of bold claims in an authorative tone on a number of subjects some of which are incorrect and some unsubstantiated and a matter of opinion not fact.

The danger with this approach is that beginners may accept such advice without challenge or thought.

I did not say all snakes cannot see infrared light, I said [I]the[I] snake, referring to his California king snake. Please read what I said more carefully before complaining about it

[dannybgoode]

And your source for Cali kings not being able to see infrared light?

[DJC Reptiles]

And your source for Cali kings not being able to see infrared light?

(Note: Sources used can be found here Reptile Lighting Information (http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Habitats-Care/Reptile-Lighting-Information/))

The article states, "Infrared light is the sun’s warmth, and basking reptiles absorb infrared radiation extremely effectively through their skin. This part of the light spectrum is invisible to humans and most reptiles, but some snakes can perceive the longer wavelengths (above 5,000 nanometers) through their facial pit organs" (Baines). California kingsnakes do not have heat pits as with species of pythons, boas, and pitt vipers, as such they cannot detect infrared light.

[DJC Reptiles]

You've made a number of bold claims in an authorative tone on a number of subjects some of which are incorrect and some unsubstantiated and a matter of opinion not fact.

I feel as I provide good information for owners who are curious on how to properly take care of their animals. I do not pull these tips out of thin air. These are statements, and answers to questions that haved worked tremendously well with my animals for years. I am sorry if you find my tone authoritative, but I feel I should do everything I can to help anyone I can. I do not say anything that I haven't first, tried out myself, or second, I know will not work. Any one is free to argue with me, but I have found some of your comments to be rude and unfair. I do not wish this to escalate further, and as such, I wish to not receive anymore negative comments from you. If you have any serious questions, or challenges I will be happy to answer them.

[dannybgoode]

Light emitting red light sources can be detected by most snakes with our without heat pits. To suggest someone is OK using red light is an issue for a good majority of species.

[DJC Reptiles]

So you have no evidence to back up your claim regarding Cali kings then...

Please refer to my response on the last page,

Thank you,
-DJC Reptiles

[dannybgoode]

Not good enough I'm afraid. If you make claims and ascertations in such a manner as to state them as fact prepared to be challenged to back them up.

[DJC Reptiles]

Not good enough I'm afraid. If you make claims and ascertations in such a manner as to state them as fact prepared to be challenged to back them up.

Please refer to the last response on the first page, where I provided my sources and information on California kingsnakes. This will be my last response to this argument.

[EL Ziggy]

My question is if a snake is eating, shedding, pooping and growing without any known issues how can we know definitively if the light bothers them? I ask because I've used red heat bulbs for a few years with a couple of different snake species and they all seem to be thriving. I am planning on using RHPs with my new enclosures but are the red heat bulbs harmful in the interim? I have CHEs as backups but I like the IR bulbs because they help with night viewing and I was under the impression that they were harmless. I'll admit I'm a little confused on this one.

[DJC Reptiles]

My question is if a snake is eating, shedding, pooping and growing without any known issues how can we know definitively if the light bothers them? I ask because I've used red heat bulbs for a few years with a couple of different snake species and they all seem to be thriving. I am planning on using RHPs with my new enclosures but are the red heat bulbs harmful in the interim? I have CHEs as backups but I like the IR bulbs because they help with night viewing and I was under the impression that they were harmless. I'll admit I'm a little confused on this one.

Your absolutely right. If a snake is healthy, and doing everything they are supposed to, that is all that matters in the end. I have used infrared bulbs in my cornsnake's enclosure without any problems, and I highly suggest them as they seem to last longer, and provide better heat for my snake. It seems you have everything covered, as long as you continue to monitor temps, and your snake is doing everything it's supposed to, there is no need to change anything. If the light bothered them, they would show it, they would be extremely fussy about everything.

Hope this helps!
-DJC Reptiles

[TRD]

A red light =/= an infrared light. A red light bulb still emits visible red light, snakes and humans can perfectly see that. The red colored and branded "Infra red" aren't infra red lights at all. They are just painted red most of the times, but are just the same technology as any other incandescent light. All incandescent lights emit about 95-75% of their energy in infra red wavelengths, regardless of color of the light.

[TRD]

As for the Cali king, if your hot side is about 85F (ambient temp, surface temp can be much higher (95-100F) without issues) and your cold side doesn't go below 75 F during daytime, and without lights the ambient doesn't drop below 70 F at night, you don't need any night time heating. I would argue that night time can be dropping to lower temps, given their natural habitat. So basically there's no need to heat at night whatsoever when ample heating is provided during the day. Just provide a normal (not colored) heat light.

I already stated that blue, red, whatever color incandescent light source is the same thing, a color coating may change it's visual spectrum towards warmer or colder colors, but it doesn't change it's emittance in the IR spectrum (coating doesn't block IR wavelengths). The only true IR only emitting sources used for reptiles are UTH, RHP, CHE, Heat Tape, Arcadia Deep Heat Projector, out of which the latter is by far the best heat source after incandescent/halogen lighting. Reptiles can see blue and red colored light, it's not a good night time heat source.

They need about 50-60% humidity, which is quite typical for most households, though i would only worry about that if the snake has issues with shedding or when it's exceptionally dry in your house (~20%).

Provide drinking water always, feed once a week. Snake will do just fine.

[DJC Reptiles]

A red light =/= an infrared light. A red light bulb still emits visible red light, snakes and humans can perfectly see that. The red colored and branded "Infra red" aren't infra red lights at all. They are just painted red most of the times, but are just the same technology as any other incandescent light. All incandescent lights emit about 95-75% of their energy in infra red wavelengths, regardless of color of the light.

Yes, but I was referring to a pure infrared bulb, such as a ceramic heater. Not the red light bulb that is used. This is probably confusing for anyone reading through what happened. What I meant is, these snakes can not detect pure infrared light. You are correct however, these snakes certainly can see red light. I understand how my post was a bit confusing, and I apologize for any inconvenience.

[TRD]

I see, I think people get too easily confused with what IR radiation exactly is, certainly because of marketing people putting stuff like this on the market:

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51r9H3cr10L.jpg

That's about as misleading as it gets... and many people provide that with the understanding that that is an infrared light and reptiles can't see it. Reptiles have far better vision than most people give them credit for (much better than a cat for example, also during night)

This is also why I think danny got confused as the discussion was about red light bulbs, and you talk about CHEs, but it isn't clarified anywhere. Danny's point is that red light can be seen by reptiles and shouldn't be used as night time heat source. He has seen it as well more than once that people use blue and red light at night, thinking it's OK... it's not OK and messes with the animals circadian rhythm.

[DJC Reptiles]

You're absolutely right, I feel it is terrible that companies will trick unknowning customers into buying things with misleading names. It was certainly confusing enough for me starting out, and I understand I should have been more clear in what I was trying to say.

[Moneek]

Ok so now I'm very confused so don't use my red lightbulb at night?? It gives me perfect temps ..I was told use it 10pm-10am..

[TRD]

What is the temp of your room at night? If that doesn't drop below 70 F you don't need any heating at night for a Cali king.

[DJC Reptiles]

If it does drop below 70°F try to use a ceramic heat emitter which only produces infrared heat. Sorry for the confusion.

Hope this helps!
-DJC Reptiles

[dannybgoode]

My apologies DJC. Two things to bear in mind 1/ I'm a Yorkshireman so say things as they are and 2/ I'm prone to bouts of grumpiness. The 2 sometimes do not mix very well.

Yes, a pure infrared heat source such as a che is fine iro of non-visibility but they only emit far IR, IR-C, which is not the best for actually heating muscle and flesh.

In terms of light at night I quote the following from John Courtney-Smith who owns and does the research into Arcadia reptile projects. He has released a new, true ir heater that I know TRD has been playing with and we've been discussing a lot in the UK.

---
Light output; it is VITAL to the D3/Ca/Mg cycles and circadian rythems that all animals have a period of total darkness. By total darkness we refer to a level of light equal to or less than the reflected by the moon. Generally this is around 4lux. The Deep Heat Projector produces true Infra-Red at below 4 lux. As such it is very safe to use 24/7 and should be. Day/night stats help here of course.
---

I'm not saying that I won't come across as blunt in the future because I'm sure I will but no offence intended to anyone :).

[DJC Reptiles]

Hello Moneek,


First off, Apologies accepted, to dannybgoode, though I wasn't very clear in what I was saying either, I should have said I was referring to infrared ceramic heat emitters, and not infrared the bulb. But I agree, a ceramic heat emitter in my experience both costs less and lasts longer, and can be used 24/7 to provide appropriate heat in your reptile room (if your room doesn't drop below 70°F it may not be necessary to use the bulb 24/7, instead using it only in the day should suffice). Although I am not sure where you keep your son's snake? There should be a noticeable difference in day and night time so the snake can tell the difference, keeping him near a window will help this. Don't keep the snake directly in front of the window however, because in the summer the intense sunlight can build up heat and kill your snake. If you need to you can even use a low wattage fluorescent (not a heating light) to light up the cage a little bit (only do this if you think it is necessary, just make sure to turn it off at night. These lights would be used at the same time as the ceramic bulb for daytime.). No UVB lighting is required to keep most snakes, as their diet of whole prey will usually give them everything they need. In terms of california kingsnakes, they get their vitamin d3 in the whole prey they eat, such as rodents in captivity. Just make sure you provide a variety of hides and a water bowl, and everyone's advice should cover everything. Let me know if you have any questions ;).

Sorry for the confusion, hope this helps!
-DJC Reptiles

[dannybgoode]

Ooo don't get me and TRD started on the whole uvb for snakes :).

Have a search on the forum for some lengthy mass debates on the subject. In a very short summary there is a ton of research to show that uvb is highly beneficial for snakes and I provide it for all mine.

No it's not essential for them to live in the way it is for a lot of lizards but it is desirable imo to give the option.

[DJC Reptiles]

Ooo don't get me and TRD started on the whole uvb for snakes :).

Have a search on the forum for some lengthy mass debates on the subject. In a very short summary there is a ton of research to show that uvb is highly beneficial for snakes and I provide it for all mine.

No it's not essential for them to live in the way it is for a lot of lizards but it is desirable imo to give the option.

Yes, I understand a lot of people use UVB for snakes, it's not necessary though. Certainly it can only help them. There are proven studies showing how UVB can increase color, improve mood, and it is a natural way snakes get d3 should they decide to bask. I have absolutely no problem with people who use UVB, I think it is a great replication of what the snakes would expierence. All I am saying is there have been numerous documented cases of snakes not being given UVB lighting, and living perfectly happy lives. For certain species of snakes I would actually suggest UVB lighting to highten colors, such as Epicrates cenchria, Morelia amethistina, and Epicrates maurus who are all especially well known for their rainbow coloration under this kind of lighting. UVB lighting can certainly get expensive, especially because of how often they need to be replaced. The majority of snakes should be able to get their d3 from the diet they eat however, and there are many snakes that often don't bask at all and never come out to expierence much UVB even in the wild. In terms of lizards, UVB is much more important, especially in herbivores herps such as Iguanas. But you're right UVB is probably one of the most debated aspects of keeping reptiles, and we could probably go on about it indefinitely, so I'll end it off on this: UVB is not necessary, but it will not hurt the snake (could actually help it), should you chose to provide it. Moneek: If you do want to provide it, I recommend using nomoypet's reptile uvb bulb for 10.0. It is cheaper than anything else I have come across and works perfectly for my ackie monitor. dannybgoode: if you can check out my care sheet on ackie monitors, I would truly appreciate it, I would love for some constructive criticism so I can improve upon it.

Thank you,
-DJC Reptiles