howdy, advice for a new snake owner?

[thesnakeinblack]

hey guys, new to the forums here from jersey, just got my first snake this weekend at the westchester rreptile expo, i am super excited and very happy. i know some people hate a long thread, but i want to take good care of her and make sure i am doing it good and correctly ,like many other new snake owners i have a couple of questions that i would appreciate if some of you veteran snake owners can answer. i happened to get a california king snake, a couple months old, and gave him his first feeding sunday night as the man at the stand said he was ready for a feeding(man was that awesome), anyhow first things first, i use a tankwarmer on the bottom of my tank, and am currently using a 50w bulb on a lamp ontop of the tank

should i keep his hideaway on the warm side or the cool side? for the first few days i have had him, hes spent most of his time on the cooler side(my warm side usually reads 80-83 degrees,and my cooler side usually stays between 65-70 degrees) is my hot side too hot? or does he just like to hang out? i have read many people say that their snake also spends alot of time in the cooler side, only to come out to the warmer side to warm up and/or digest. i do have a smaller hide away on the warmer side, perhaps not big enough? ive attached a picture of my setup, the right side being the warm side, and a picture of my snake if anyone is interested haha.

also, i was told i could feed her two pinkies a week if i want to get her going, is this something i should start doing immediately, or should i keep her on one a week until she gets bigger? when you do start do you feed both pinkies at once? or 1 pinkie one day and another pinkie a few days later?

like i said sorry for the long thread, but i would appreciate anyones time and advice.

[millertime89]

Welcome! I'll answer your questions in order.

Re: the hides
I would try an experiment to see what happens. You say that you have a larger hide on the warm side and a smaller hide on the other. If he starts using the hide in the cool side that says, most likely anyways, that the hide on the cool side was too small or that he didn't like it for some reason. If he doesn't use either hide then for whatever reason he doesn't want to use it. Maybe add additional hides of different shapes/sizes/materials to see if he prefers one or just had extra ground cover and see if he burrows or hides in fake plants.

I'm not too familiar with the temp requirements so I'll leave that to others.

To determine the appropriate amount/size of food to feed I would get a small digital kitchen scale from target/walmart/bed bath and beyond/etc. I would feed 10-15% of your snake's body weight weekly.

[Minkness]

I'm not experienced enough to answer your questions, but wanted to say hello, and WOW! That is a neat snake with the spots going down her back! Congrats on your awesome new friend, but beware the addiction she may bring

[drumcrush]

Hey, welcome awesome King! I agree with Kyle( millertime89) as far as food and hides go.I would actually bump up the temps a hair, around 85-90f for the warm side. And when feeding multiple pray items feed one and when the snake finishes it completely, offer the other.

[sharthun]

Congrats and Welcome! to add to what others said above,a thermostat is necessary to control your heat source. Nice looking snake!

[thesnakeinblack]

Thanks for all te replies so far , I have two thermostats and a humidity gauge in my tank a the moment , one on the warm side and one on the cooler side, or do you actually mean digital thermostats?

[millertime89]

Originally Posted by thesnakeinblack

Thanks for all te replies so far , I have two thermostats and a humidity gauge in my tank a the moment , one on the warm side and one on the cooler side, or do you actually mean digital thermostats?

Do you mean you have two thermometers? You need a thermostat to measure and control the heat output of your heat source, but only one is needed. Digital is always preferred for accuracy as the mechanical ones are... flaky and slow to react. You can get a digital ir temp gun on amazon for pretty cheap. This is the one that I have and I use it for more than just my snakes.
http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Accuracy-N...ds=ir+temp+gun

[D Grade]

Welcome to the forums!

Your temps seem to be up to par for the most part. You want your hot side about 85-86F and a cool side of about 70F ideally but the cool side is not as crucial as long as there is a good heat gradient within the tank (the snake will move spots as it needs to warm and cool itself). As for the heat lamp, Im personally against using them with Kings and prefer to stick with heat pads. As for feeds, some use weight to determine feed size and some use snake size. I use the latter and you want 1-1.5x the size of the widest part of the snakes body. If your snake begins taking pinkies easily, up the feed to two pinkies per feed and then up to fuzzies and repeat that trend when they are ready, then up to hoppers. I recently upped from two pinkies to one fuzzy without issue.

Good luck and welcome again!

[bigsnakegirl785]

I'd stick to one pinky per feeding, or if he's ready to move up a size I'd feed one of the next size. I prefer to feed one rat/mouse that may be a bit smaller than what they need until they're big enough for the next size rather than feed multiples. I also prefer a more conservative feeding schedule, so I tend to err on the smaller side of food than the larger, and feed slightly less often.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes with your new King. She's a real beauty. Sounds like you've already gotten lots of good info. Make sure you have a thermostat for your uth. I'd also swap out the white light for an infrared one that you can use 24/7. I keep my warm side between 86-88. I feed my young colubrids 10-15% of their body weight every 5-7 days until they turn 1 then I feed them 1-2 appropriately sized prey items every 7-10 days.

[Pareeeee]

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