First Kingsnake: looking for input. - Page 2

drumcrush · 07-03-14, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharthun

Cool hides DC!

ammit actually chose the aquarium heater box. I had her out one night and she slithered into it and wouldn't come out, so I just placed the box on her ledge and it is now her favorite spot haha

virtuousvixen · 06-29-14, 02:07 PM

i have a cali king and he loves climbing, so when i upgraded his enclosure i made sure i had one that had the extra height. He seems to enjoy climbing about on a regular basis. you may need to wait and see what your king likes and doesn't like. usually a bowl of water big enough that they can soak in will work fine.

I also have a day/night attached to my thermostat and it drops a couple of degrees at night. but i know a lot here will keep temps the same all the time round. So long as you are within ranges and keeping a proper gradient, i think it is just personal preference.

sharthun · 06-29-14, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by virtuousvixen

i have a cali king and he loves climbing, so when i upgraded his enclosure i made sure i had one that had the extra height. He seems to enjoy climbing about on a regular basis. you may need to wait and see what your king likes and doesn't like. usually a bowl of water big enough that they can soak in will work fine.

I also have a day/night attached to my thermostat and it drops a couple of degrees at night. but i know a lot here will keep temps the same all the time round. So long as you are within ranges and keeping a proper gradient, i think it is just personal preference.

I don't drop my Temps at night, but if your thermostat has that option, it's fine for a small nighttime drop. My MBK doesn't seem to like to climb much. I put a good sized tree branch in her enclosure and she just went under it and around. Lol All snakes are different for sure. Just experiment and try different setups.

**EL Ziggy** · 06-29-14, 03:28 PM

My kings do use their climbing branches, especially when they're hungry. I still don't think you'll need anything larger than a 4x2x2. I don't do a nighttime temp drop either. My kings have a decent sized water bowl but I've never seen them soaking. I used to feed my kings mice and rats but they're all on rats exclusively now. I got tired of having to feed multiple mice. I do want to get some quail as on occasional treat.

nyjon · 06-30-14, 10:58 PM

juvenile or adult?

first and foremost i absolutely love my mbk. she is exciting. i have kept mine in room temperature in the winter and summer and so far so good as long as they have a hot spot. i keep my hotspot at 90 deg, a rubbermaid container with wet napkins for her moist hide, and 2 dog bowls cut with holes for her hot and cool hide. i am by no means a pro snake care taker but that set up has worked for me. she has always shed in one peice and has never rejected a meal since i got her. i keep her in a 10 gallon tank. she did escape once, so be sure there are absolutely no gaps, cracks, peeks where they can escape because they will do so. other than that good luck. this forum has been extremely helpful to me and i wouldnt hesitate to ask anyone on here for help. best of luck. post pics when u get a chance

marvelfreak · 07-01-14, 09:05 AM

What no pictures????

franks · 07-03-14, 07:29 AM

Sorry chuck. I have one of those new fancy enormous phones and haven't been on a real computer in months. This forum is the best, but loading pictures from phone or tablet is not the easiest. Maybe I'll jump on my wife's laptop later. Thanks for the input guys. I rough cut the frame at work yesterday. I am going with 4'x3'x2'. I want to do bioactive substrate with live plants. Anyone tried bioactive with their kings?

Concept9 · 07-03-14, 12:46 PM

Congo rats on the new MBK.

The basic formula for its enclosure should be length x with = the approx.,. length of the snake. Height for a MBK should be approx.,. 1/3 of its body length. Most Kings are not big soakers but as stated above I would add a dish big enough for it to soak in if needed.

EDIT: After your 90 day quarantine period I would use aspen as a substrate, they LOVE to burrow.

I had a MBK that morphed into a Black Pinesnake. Here is a pic of her setup.

franks · 07-03-14, 01:38 PM

Thanks guys this is all very helpful. At MBK I read the thread where that interesting development took place lol.
I will put a few shelves into this thing. Does anybody know of a few articles or websites they can link me to regarding kingsnakes in their natural environment? There's not alot of info that I can find. Pretty much it seems that they live in bushland and grassland around the deserts?
You said after quarantine to use aspen. Is there a disadvantage to using the substrate right away? I generally put my snakes right in finished enclosures.

Concept9 · 07-03-14, 01:58 PM

Thems live here. Sonoran Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mexican black kingsnake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The only disadvantage is that if your animal comes equipped with mites they are harder to detect and its harder to check their poops to see if its ok specially with smaller, younger snakes.

franks · 07-04-14, 09:56 AM

Thanks. I switched him to paper towels for now. I was having trouble keeping humidity down with substrate anyway. Question- I weighed him today and he weighed in at 65 grams. He is 10 months old- is this about right?

**EL Ziggy** · 07-04-14, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franks

Thanks. I switched him to paper towels for now. I was having trouble keeping humidity down with substrate anyway. Question- I weighed him today and he weighed in at 65 grams. He is 10 months old- is this about right?

Frank-What substrate were you using that kept your humidity too high? I use shredded aspen or sani chips for my kings and my humidity stays around 30-40%. As far as the weight of your snake, they all grow at different rates. A lot of it depends on their feeding regiment, does he look thin?

Concept9 · 07-04-14, 10:06 AM

All snake grow a little differently. But that sounds like a good weight for his age. Its more important for snake to have good shape and muscle tone as apposed to weight.

Just feed him the proper size mouse every 7 days and he will be fine.

franks · 07-04-14, 02:17 PM

No he does not look thin, I was just curious. For substrate I was using those wood chips called forest floor or something. It is fine if dry but holds moisture for a oblong time. He is on paper now and I am drying out the substrate. I will probably use aspen bedding as suggested because it is easier to burrow in.

**EL Ziggy** · 07-04-14, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by franks

No he does not look thin, I was just curious. For substrate I was using those wood chips called forest floor or something. It is fine if dry but holds moisture for a oblong time. He is on paper now and I am drying out the substrate. I will probably use aspen bedding as suggested because it is easier to burrow in.

Sounds like a good plan franks. They definitely like to burrow. Post pics of your king when you can.