Getting a king snake soon

[josefg]

Hello ppl,

I am getting a king snake soon, and apart from being my first king (don't know which variant yet), it is also my first snake. Can anyone please help me by posting care sheets, temperature requirements, links to sites with information about the king snake, and if possible pics of the different variants.

Also I am building a 31"x15"x16" (LxBxH). Is that enough for a king snake. What is the maximum length of a king snake? What do you recommend me to use as a substrate?

Another question, can one distinguish the gender of a snake without using the probe method (i.e. I would like to know the gender of my snake without inserting things in his private part ;) ).

Thankyou all and sorry about the ammount of questions in just one post.

Josef

[Big Mike]

Congrats on your choice of a kingsnake.

The size of your enclosure is fine. As for size, it will depend on which variant of kingsnake you get. I think the biggest they ever get is 6 feet but the average is closer to 4 feet long.

Temperatures should reach a high of about 85 deg. F and can be allowed to drop at night to around 72 deg. F. The most important thing is to give the snake a temperature gradient. Warm on one side, cool on the other. It's a good idea to have a hide box on both warm & cool ends of the enclosure. Humidity should range between 40% and 60%. As long as it's not really dry all the time, humidity shouldn't be a problem. Make sure to raise the humidity while the snake is getting ready to shed. Make sure to have a water dish and give it fresh water every day.

As with most common snakes, lots of things can be used as substrate. Wood chip bedding can be used. Aspen is good while cedar can kill. If it has smell to it (like cedar & pine) then don't use it. There is specially made reptile substrate available at pet shops. I use Astroturf (indoor/outdoor carpet). The cheapest way to go is to use newspaper.

Some people can take a good guess at the sex of a snake by the look of the tail but that's not for sure. There is a popping method to sex a snake but your better off getting someone whom knows what he or she is doing, to sex your snake.

Here is a really good web page that has most of the variants of kingsnake with pictures and sizes.
http://www.pitt.edu/~mcs2/herp/Lampropeltis.html

[josefg]

Thanks Mike

[josefg]

how do you know that a king snake is about to shed?

(sorry for these silly questions but it's my first snake)

Josef

[Tim_Cranwill]

It will start to look kinda dull for a couple days, then it's eyes will become cloudy and blue. A couple days after the eyes clear up, you can expect he or she to shed. It usually takes about 5-6 days and man, a kingsnake really shines after a shed!

Great choice of snake, I have 8 of them myself.

Good luck!

[josefg]

Thanks to you too cranwill

[Big Mike]

I forgot to mention that you should feed your snake in a seperate enclosure. There are two main reasons for this.

First, you don't want your snake to swallow any of it's substrate when it's eating, especially if you are using something like sand.

Second, if you plan on handling your new pet you will want it to be as tame as possible. If you just open it's enclosure and give it a mouse, it will associate opening with feeding and may get into a feeding mode every time open the enclosure. You don't wan't to get a bite, although it shouldn't hurt you any.

Kingsnakes are notoriously grumpy especially when they are young. They really don't like to be picked up but will calm down while you hold them. To get the snake used to you, pick it up for a few minutes every day or two but not after eating or right before shedding.

Hope this helps

Good luck

[josefg]

Lots

Thank you again Big Mike

[josefg]

For some reason i always forget to type my question when i thank someone!

How much should i feed my snake?

[Big Mike]

That depends on how big the snake is. If you are getting a hatchling snake then you will need to feed it very young mice (pinkies). One pinkie every 5-7 days. When it gets bigger you can feed it fuzzy mice, then hopper mice and finally adult mice. A good rule of thumb is too feed it a mouse that is as big (around) as the fattest part of your snake. Once a week is a good schedule to keep although snakes can go without eating for weeks and even months.

Feeding live mice is OK, although when the mice get bigger they may hurt the snake (or even kill it). Most people feed their snakes mice that have been frozen and thawed out. This is also cheaper because you can buy frozen mice in bulk and store them in the freezer. You could also feed freshly killed or stunned mice. Just put the mouse in a bag and whack it before giving it to your snake.

It is helpful if you get a snake that is already used to eating mice or what ever you going to feed it. Different kinds of kingsnakes eat different things in the wild and they may need to be coaxed into eating mice. Just try a mouse and see what happens.

[josefg]

Mike you are a life saver :)

Thanks again

[Tim_Cranwill]

As far as kings being grumpy, mine are about 50/50. Half are great and the other half need some time to get used to being handled before they calm down. Be prepared to get some poop on your hands until they get used to you. That's one of their deffence mechanisms.

[crimsonking]

Josefg, email me for a care sheet and more info on various kings. Mark

[crimsonking]

CARE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE FLORIDA KINGSNAKE (Lampropeltis getula floridana)


A medium to heavy bodied colubrid found all throughout the entire state in various forms and intergrades.It is a powerful constrictor that feeds on a wide variety of prey including rodents,lizards,snakes,birds,and turtle eggs.Hatchlings are 10-12" and can grow to adult size of about 60".

Although wild caught specimens may do well in captivity, captive bred animals are much better as pets.Besides being more accepting of casual handling,they are generally much more docile and feed readily on rodents.

Feeding: appropriate sized mice either live or freshly killed(to reduce chance of rodent injuring snake).Most will eagerly accept frozen/thawed mice also.
Feed once a week or so except when snake begins its shed cycle. (Typically eyes turn milky blue) This will last about a week.When snake sheds its skin, check to make sure it is completely shed from nose to tail. Make sure it has shed the scales covering the eyes.It is recommended to place a box with dampened sphagnum moss in the cage when you notice his eyes turning milky.This will aid in shedding.
Housing:A typical aquarium set up is good and easily maintained. Substrate may be aspen,pine,newspaper,or cage liners.NEVER USE CEDAR BEDDING.Too many toxins! This goes for the rodents you plan to feed your snake too!
*The cover/lid must be very secure!! (ALL snakes are escape artists) Make sure it is well ventilated but away from a.c. drafts or direct sun. Optimum temperature range is from 75 to 85 degrees F.
*Provide a hide box for the snake (cleaned empty butter containers with hole cut in top are o.k.)
*Clean water must be available at all times.
*Don't handle snake for a few days right after a meal.
*Don't house more than 1 kingsnake per cage.(They're cannibalistic)
*Always wash your hands after handling any animal! (note: this is not only common sense, but if you handle your snake say after you've handled your gerbil,and didn't wash, you may be mistaken for dinner and get a bite)
*Don't use "heat rocks"
Some websites well worth visiting: www.pythons.com,www.reptilesforsale.com,www.terrar iumweb.com,www.ssnakess.com.[/url] There's a lot out there.

Books: Kingsnakes and milksnakes (Markel),Field Guide to Snakes of Florida (Tenant),
Magazines:REPTILES ,FAUNA

[crimsonking]

Sorry, I never really finished the above. I wrote it off the top of my head to send someone earlier this year, but I hope it helps a little. Mark

[josefg]

Thankyou too crimsonking

You will receive an email from me shortly :)

Josef

[Cidah]

Second, if you plan on handling your new pet you will want it to be as tame as possible. If you just open it's enclosure and give it a mouse, it will associate opening with feeding and may get into a feeding mode every time open the enclosure. You don't wan't to get a bite, although it shouldn't hurt you any.



Good luck

Everyone has a different opinion on this. What's to say that if you fed in a feedbox that everytime you take the snake out he's not thinking it's food time. I personally feed inside the cages, but I also hand my snake often. That way only about 1 our of every 8 times that I open the cage I'm feeding. I've read horror stories about people with larger snakes using feedboxes and trying to get the snake back into it's enclosure afterwards. With a kingsnake this isn't going to be a problem. Just some things to think about.

[Tim_Cranwill]

I agree wilth cidah in a lot of ways. I feed mine in their enclosure and haven't had any problems, or even any close calls. But that's just my opinion.

[josefg]

thanks cranwill and cidah.

I will follow your advice and feed in the enclosure and use a feedbox only if my king starts attacking me everytime I open the cage.

After all, one learns by experience

Josef

[josefg]

After a trip to the pet shop i'm not sure anymore that i will get a kingsnake, i might be going for a corn!

[josefg]

....i got the corn

Still tnx everyone for the info, will get a king as soon as i finish university due to lack of space

Josef

[sophia]

Pictures! Pictures! Corns are sweethearts of a snake... what color phase did ya get?

Jon

[Tim_Cranwill]

Good choice. I love both, so you can't go wrong either way in my books. Do you have a name picked out?


Good luck!

[josefg]

Sophia: I was going to get an amelanistic corn but when i went for it it was already sold, so a got a normal one. As for the pictures.... i snapped a few but i don't have a digital camera so i have to wait till they are developed. However mine is very similiar to this pic from SerpenCo, the only difference is that mine's got more orange colouring between the redish brown patches

<IMG SRC="http://www.serpenco.com/pics/proj_15.jpg"></IMG>

Cranwill: for the name i haven't determined it's sex yet so it has to remain without a name, however i will take the snake to a friend soon that will be able to do it for me.

[sophia]

That one's a beauty, just about any corn is cute as can be... they are a very kewl snake - and a really good choice for a first one. My favorite has to be the Blood Reds though... I love the solid red color of the adults.

Jon

[josefg]

Tnx Jon but i don't like dark coloured snakes. That was infact the reason why i got a corn instead of a king as the only kings i could find in malta were the black kingsnake, the desert kingsnake, and the speckled kingsnake.

I would have loved to get a more coloured variant of the kingsnake, but still i am very happy with my corn. It is already getting used to me :), it's not trying to escape every time i handle it.

YEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[sophia]

Hey too each their own! That's the beauty of reptiles... really. Personally, I love em' all. I prefer the Boid family overall, but Corns & Indigos rank right up there as well.

Jon

[josefg]

I think it's a male as it has a long thin tail (2.5" out of about 14" total length)