Enclosure suggestions

saturnascends · 04-22-17, 04:10 PM

Hello all!

Things are going pretty well over here with our two kingsnakes. They are both eating well for me and have shed succesfully. However I've been wondering if there is anything I can do to enhance/improve their enclosures. More specifically for our California.

Lazarus (the Cali) is housed in the left terrarium, which is larger than Balthazar's (the MBK). Since we got Lazarus first, I assumed bigger was better and I should spend the money on a home he can live more of his life in. Now this may be just personality differences between the two, but Lazarus is pretty damn shy even after living with us for a couple months. He is usually hiding and if he's out exploring and you come in the room, he is very cautious and usually will retreat. He hasn't been handled much because I don't want to stress him out. I get this is kind of normal snake behavior... but Balthazar on the other hand is Mr. Personality and generally likes to come out (though he's still only handled a couple times a week). I got to thinking - could Lazarus feel more "scared" because we don't have enough cover going on in his enclosure? As you can see, they've both got the vine/rock/black hide combo going. It seems to make B happy enough. But perhaps there is something else I can add to make L feel more comfortable? More rocks? Branches? Fake vines? Any suggestions would be welcome!

trailblazer295 · 04-22-17, 04:59 PM

For your cali king I'd cover the sides as well if he is shy. Also I'd add more decor to clutter the cage. Will help him feel more secure. How old/big is he?

saturnascends · 04-22-17, 05:26 PM

He's appx. 8 months old. Still a little guy, so I know that must factor into his hesitation to an extent. I'll cover the sides, that's a good start. And I guess I'll just pick random things to add otherwise

trailblazer295 · 04-22-17, 05:37 PM

Probably nervous because he is small in a big space. It impacts some more then others. If you cover it up and clutter it a bit with fake plants etc should help.

saturnascends · 04-22-17, 05:44 PM

Yes, I'm realizing the "bigger is better" train of thought doesn't always apply. I'm headed to the stores now so I'll beef it up tonight!

trailblazer295 · 04-22-17, 05:46 PM

Some snakes aren't phased by it, some are. Kings typically are bolder but it happens. Less hassle then constantly upgrading cages. Lots of people start with the adult cage and just clutter it like crazy until the snake grows and slowly remove stuff.

saturnascends · 04-22-17, 06:11 PM

Okay, I don't feel as bad now

Thanks for the input!

dannybgoode · 04-23-17, 12:07 AM

As per above just provide plenty of cover. Large spaces are not necessarily an issue (they are born into quite big spaces in the wild!) but open spaces are what generally make them nervous.

Cork bark, leaves, branches etc all make wonderful natural hidey places. The first place I always head for when planning a new Viv is the local forest to collect the branches etc. Nice weathered wood, good chunks of bark, leaf litter etc all for free

saturnascends · 04-23-17, 08:17 AM

Thanks Danny. I think you're both right - I just wasn't filling in the open space enough. So last night I got some insane unwieldy 6 foot vine and a piece of mopani wood. I will probably adjust the vine, but I just wanted to get it in there. I still need to get craft paper to cover the sides. I also decided to try out aspen as the substrate, so he got a clean new place from top to bottom. I am probably just projecting, but when I turned off the lights for the night, I sat and watched him..he was more exploratory than I've ever seen him. I'm sure it's just because it was new, but maybe it's a good sign. He're the updated setup, and the little brat himself!

dannybgoode · 04-23-17, 08:19 AM

Aspen works well for kings as they do not need particularly high humidity and they can tunnel in to it...

saturnascends · 04-23-17, 08:26 AM

I've been using Carefresh and like it, they can burrow nicely...but I thought some change up might be nice!

jjhill001 · 04-23-17, 12:34 PM

Someone already stole my patent pending fake leafy vine advice!

saturnascends · 04-24-17, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

Someone already stole my patent pending fake leafy vine advice!

Haha! I think I'll add another to the MBK's tank just to give him a little more security (even if he doesn't seem like he needs it).