Some snake questions!

[BCollie]

Hi all! My name is Adri, I just joined here.
I own 1 Border Collie and 10 chickens(with more in the incubator)...I also have a 100 gallon aquarium in the main room of my house.
I have an empty 35 gallon sitting in my garage. It needs to be cleaned with vinegar to remove hard water stains, but other than that it's in good shape and I think it would make a nice terrarium.

I spent $165 on a beautiful Crested Gecko that I named King Charlie. I loved him and did everything right - misted his enclosure, gave him fresh food and water every other day, etc...and he passed away for seemingly no reason after just a month or two. He was just a baby





I miss having a reptile in the house but don't want another Crested Gecko. I'm gun shy now, so to speak. I'd like to try my hand at snake keeping, but am scared of having a baby snake die on me. Can anyone put me at ease? How difficult is it to keep them alive?

I have fallen in love with Reverse Striped King Snakes...i just need to find the ~$125 to buy one lol. It seems the most expensive part of snake keeping is getting the snake & setup? I'm a poor college student, I have $30 to my name right now. Sigh, at this point it feels like a snake is just an unreachable dream because it looks like I'm going to have to wait MONTHS to be able to afford one and all it needs.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Go easy on me, I know I have a lot to learn

Here's my questions...
Is the 35 big enough to hold the Reverse Stripe King Snake(OR Hi White, either one) for life, or will I eventually need to upgrade? It is 36" long by 12.5" wide. I keep finding conflicting information on this.

I can't find a screen top to fit the tank. I can only find 36x12 or 36x18! What can I use for a top on the tank?

How often should a juvenile snake be fed? I've found conflicting information on this, too.

Is Aspen Snake Bedding the best substrate to use? Why should sand not be used?

TIA everyone!

[alessia55]

Welcome to the forum! Please read our sSNAKESs forum rules.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by BCollie

Hi all! My name is Adri, I just joined here.
I own 1 Border Collie and 10 chickens(with more in the incubator)...I also have a 100 gallon aquarium in the main room of my house.
I have an empty 35 gallon sitting in my garage. It needs to be cleaned with vinegar to remove hard water stains, but other than that it's in good shape and I think it would make a nice terrarium.

I spent $165 on a beautiful Crested Gecko that I named King Charlie. I loved him and did everything right - misted his enclosure, gave him fresh food and water every other day, etc...and he passed away for seemingly no reason after just a month or two. He was just a baby





I miss having a reptile in the house but don't want another Crested Gecko. I'm gun shy now, so to speak. I'd like to try my hand at snake keeping, but am scared of having a baby snake die on me. Can anyone put me at ease? How difficult is it to keep them alive?

I have fallen in love with Reverse Striped King Snakes...i just need to find the ~$125 to buy one lol. It seems the most expensive part of snake keeping is getting the snake & setup? I'm a poor college student, I have $30 to my name right now. Sigh, at this point it feels like a snake is just an unreachable dream because it looks like I'm going to have to wait MONTHS to be able to afford one and all it needs.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Go easy on me, I know I have a lot to learn

Here's my questions...
Is the 35 big enough to hold the Reverse Stripe King Snake(OR Hi White, either one) for life, or will I eventually need to upgrade? It is 36" long by 12.5" wide. I keep finding conflicting information on this.

I can't find a screen top to fit the tank. I can only find 36x12 or 36x18! What can I use for a top on the tank?

How often should a juvenile snake be fed? I've found conflicting information on this, too.

Is Aspen Snake Bedding the best substrate to use? Why should sand not be used?

TIA everyone!

That size sounds fine, but bigger is always better. I would get a male, they stay a bit smaller, but not by much. For a juvenile, make sure you provide plenty of hiding spaces. Juveniles should be fed about every 5-7 days and as it gets older every 7-10. I highly recommend aspen, kings looove to burrow in it.

[sharthun]

Hey and welcome.

[BCollie]

Thanks everyone!!

Can a juvenile King Snake live in the 35 gallon from the time it arrives(if plenty of hiding spaces are provided) or should I start it out in my 15 gallon tall tank? Or a large critter keeper...? I keep hearing that they're fine to live in big enclosures as babies, AND that they shouldn't be kept in big enclosures as babies. I don't know what to believe!

I think I've decided on a High White King Snake, the more research I do the more it seems like one of those would be a good match for me.

[toddnbecka]

The enclosure size seems to me to be a difference of opinion more than fact. For someone who's breeding/keeping a number of snakes minimal enclosures are easier to manage, and don't do any harm to the critters. For someone keeping one or more pets it's a different set of considerations. I can't see why a larger enclosure would be a disadvantage to the animal, they certainly aren't confined to a tiny area in nature. A suitable size hide is a different matter though, they do need somewhere they'll feel secure, but I can't imagine having somewhat more room to move around when they want to would make them feel threatened.
Aspen bedding is great for any type of burrowing ground species, less critical for climbing or arboreal animals.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

I think a larger space is okay, as long as it's not mostly open space. I use a combination of fake plants, toilet paper tubes, and a couple of basic hides to 'clutter' up the space. Crinkled up newspaper can work, too.

Between cardboard tubes and maybe some Goodwill finds, you can do all that relatively cheaply if you don't mind things looking weird for awhile. Heck, my baby mostly hid under the substrate for a month. I don't think it's worth investing a lot of money in pretty hides for babies who are going to outgrow them, anyway.

I don't know about a top, really. Are you sure it's 12.5? I found a lid that was 36x12 on Amazon.

[BCollie]

Yep, I'm positive it's 12.5", it's a tank with very unusual dimensions. I may just end up buying a 40 breeder if it'll fit on my stand, once I can afford it...Months and months from now.
Cardboard tubes and newspaper, that's a good idea!

So right now my main concern is getting a snake that is healthy. I like the snakes that Backwater Reptiles sells, but I've seen some very bad reviews of them online. BUT they do offer a replacement if your snake dies in 7 days. However, I don't want to support a company that sells unhealthy animals if I can avoid it.

I see that BHB Reptiles also sells High White California King Snakes...
Are they better? It's $30 more, which is a lot when you are counting pennies, but I would rather spend a little more and get an animal that's going to be in good health.
I do NOT care about the animal being "show quality," I just care about health. This snake will just be a pet, not a breeder. As long as it looks like what I order, (ex I want a mostly white King Snake with some black markings on the body and/or head) and is in good health, I'll be happy. I'd really like a High White, but am also open to a Reverse Stripe. Only thing I don't see on the BHB Reptiles website is if they have any guarantee as to the health of their animals.

Of course, I'm open to other companies too, I just haven't found any others that sell what I want. I think I might not be looking hard enough lol

[BCollie]

Hmm, what size under-tank heating pad should I get? It gets pretty cool in my house, will that be a problem for a snake even if they have an under-tank heat pad?
I'm looking to get a Zoo Med ReptiTherm Heat Pad as they're well priced and have good reviews.I just don't know if I should get a small, medium, or large. I might start the snake out in my 15 gallon tall and then move him or her to a 40g once I can afford one.

[RyanReptile]

Originally Posted by BCollie

Hmm, what size under-tank heating pad should I get? It gets pretty cool in my house, will that be a problem for a snake even if they have an under-tank heat pad?
I'm looking to get a Zoo Med ReptiTherm Heat Pad as they're well priced and have good reviews.I just don't know if I should get a small, medium, or large. I might start the snake out in my 15 gallon tall and then move him or her to a 40g once I can afford one.

A good rule of thumb is that the heat pad should take up approximately 1/3 of the cage. colubrids typically require their hotspot between 85-90 so investing in a thermostat to keep your heat pad at those temperatures is an absolute must.

[toddnbecka]

Get a larger tank and use a cheap divider if you really want/need a smaller space for the time being. Check Craiglist for used tanks, or watch for the $1/gallon sales at petco. any reptile shows in your area? IME they're great places to find new pets at much better prices than pet stores.

[Pareeeee]

Beginner tip: be sure to get a thermostat for you heating pad. If you don't, you risk the temps fluctuating wildly and/or a burned snake! When I first came to this forum years ago I had no idea you needed a thermostat. Was very thankful to be given that information.

Always have a hide on the warm side and a hide on the cool side of a tank. Flexwatt heat tape is even better than a heat pad(and often cheaper). I have both.

As for a lid? I'd make my own. That's what I had to do for my crested gecko tank because, at the time, I couldn't afford buying one of those tanks that opens from the front. I'd go to home depot and get some plexiglass and MacGyver a lid

[BCollie]

Thank you everyone! Your help is priceless.
I've made some money and will be placing my order for my snake either tonight or tomorrow! I went out and got everything I needed today! I set up my 15 gallon tank with paper towels for the substrate, but will eventually change to Aspen Snake Shavings or whatever it's called. I'm using my Crested Gecko's old tank and some of his stuff, the tank with all the stuff in it has been empty for a long time, several months.




I have the heat pad turned on, it's warming up. Hopefully it'll get to the right temp, it's not adjustable at all - none of the heat pads at the pet store were.

Do I need to take everything, including the tank and the fake plants, and clean it all with a bleach solution since it housed a gecko several months ago? Or will it be fine with just having been rinsed off?

NOTE: This is not his permanent enclosure, I'm just using this until I can either buy a new tank with a lid that fits, OR make a lid for the 35 gallon. I hope to have it done within a month or two.

[toddnbecka]

I got a rheostat instead of a thermostat for my heating pad. Thermostats are more likely to fail eventually, and the room temp in the basement is quite stable anyway. W/out the rheostat the bottom of the tank over the heating pad was reading 100, now it's been dialed back to 85.

[BCollie]

Good idea! I want one of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...pr_product_top