New to Snakes

[Jackins]

Hello!

I'm a merchandiser for Nabisco and part time student; nothing terribly exciting here. I've been interested in snakes for years, but finally have the opportunity to get into them whilst house-sitting for family for a few years.

I am doing my best to get research done before I even consider purchasing an animal. My goal is to have tank and everything set up and ready to go hopefully around late July, early August. Should be plenty of time to get everything I need and be confident that the set up will work out. I was directed here by Karighan as we happen to be searching for serpents at around the same time.

I currently have my sights set on a striped california kingsnake; they have a gorgeous pattern and kings supposedly make a decent starter snake (at least I hope so). Mostly prowling about for more information on temps and proper heating for them before I settle on anything at all. Any and all information that could be shared on housing for these guys would be fantastic.

[infernalis]

sSnakeSs.com - Rules

[drumcrush]

Hey, welcome! Kings are GREAT snakes

[jpsteele80]

Welcomes aboard and kings are awesome snakes

[Pirarucu]

Welcome aboard!

[Karighan]

Hey! Welcome to the forum!

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome to the forum J. Kings are great snakes to keep. The husbandry is pretty simple. Get a decent sized enclosure, preferably one that's made for snakes. There's lots of different substrates you can use. I prefer aspen sani-chips myself. I keep my temps in the low-mid 70's on the cool side and my warm side stays between 86-90. You can use an under tank heater, radiant heat panel, or ceramic heat emitter to provide warmth. Any heat source should be controlled by a thermostat. I'd advise at least 2 hides (my snakes each have 4), a heavy water bowl, and some fake plants for cover and decor. You may also want to invest in a temp gun to accurately monitor the temps in your enclosure. I've had my two kings for a little over a year now and couldn't be happier with them. Kudos for doing your research before purchasing an animal. It'll serve you well in the long run. There are a lot of nice people on the forum that can help with most questions you might have. Welcome to the hobby and best wishes!

[sharthun]

Hey and Welcome! ^^^Ditto on what EZ said above!

[Trent]

hi and welcome!

[Kingsnakechris]

Hey, welcome! Kings are GREAT starter snakes! They can be pretty shy at first so make sure to give them plenty of time to settle in their new home! (About a week or so.). Smaller baby kings will do fine in a 20 gal. Long tank, i recommend using an under tank heater and a dome style light for the basking area/hot side. They dont require too much humidity so a mister once in a while will be just fine. During a shed tho you may want to mist daily. Now, when you start handling your new king, a few things may happen that are very common, 1) they may be a little nippy, they are nervous and at this point arent sure if you are a threat or not. This usually passes fairly quickly and getting nipped by a king is absolutely pain free. The second thing that is 99.999% sure to happen is MUSKING! That in itself is 10x worse than the bite lol. Anyone who has ever owned a kingsnake will tell you that! Its a horrible liquid that the kings will excrete and it smells AWFUL! But after daily handling and letting him get used to you, you will have a GREAT snake that will be awesome to watch grow up!

[Jackins]

Love how helpful everyone hear has been. Thank you so much.


@Kingsnakechris: Musking is awful; my basement has become the occasional home to garter snakes that go for a dive in the sump pump, so not a stranger to it-hopefully the new addition won't be too distressed.

[Charis]

Hello and welcome!

[Kingsnakechris]

You should be okay. Lol. The first few handling are the worst, then its just a matter of keeping up with handling. Good luck!