 |
Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred
A site to share your Reptile experiances & ask questions
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kazcameron76
I've settled in...
Joined: 06 Oct 2007
Posts: 21
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:23 pm Post subject: New Snake Owner (Nearly) ! |
 |
|
Hi all, ever since I got my first reptile a few months back I cant seem to stop, lol. I now have a bearded dragon, a rescue leopard gecko, 2 crested geckos, 2 firebelly toads and theres also the 2 rats and the dog. After doing some volunteering last week with a guy from a local reptile rescue centre I have decided on getting a king snake and am picking him/her up over the next couple of days. I have done a fair bit of research online but was just wondering if anyone knows of any good caresheets etc that they would recommend, any other advice, info or help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance,
Karen
_________________
1.0.0 CKCS
2.0.0 Rats
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Crested Geckos
0.0.2 Firebelly Toads |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
negri
CaptiveBred Addict!
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 585
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | Kingsnake Caresheet
Characteristics
Kingsnakes in my opinion are one of the easiest snakes to care for. They need a temperature that can be obtained quite easily and a low humidity that doesn’t have to be watched carefully . They don’t grow too large and are not very aggressive.
They are known to be nocturnal species but I have personally seen all of my kings awake and very active during the day time and evening especially in the summer. They can be a very fast snake when young but with regular handling will soon calm down and slow down a lot more.
Kingsnakes can be very food oriented though so if not fed they will strike at you and once offering food they will want more.
They are a non venomous snake which isn’t easily startled and will make a great pet.
Description
There are many subspecies in the king family from the Californian kings to the Mexican black kings. They all vary in length but generally will grow 4-5ft and sometimes 6ft or more. Some of the smaller subspecies such as the variable and the Grey banded will grow between 3 - 4ft.
Kings are a slender bodied snake that even in each subspecies can come in many patterns. In captivity a king snake can live for between 10 and 20 years, the oldest being recorded at 23.
They are terrestrial snakes who will climb slightly given the opportunity.
Difficulty
I see kings as a great starter snake. They are fairly calm snakes who are active during the day so can be watched and enjoyed. Although kings can be great escape artists so even the smallest gap must be taped off or covered to prevent a missing snake.
Kingsnakes are also a very hardy snake that can withstand slight changes. They are also known for being great feeders so you won’t have to worry too much about them not eating.
Housing
Hatchling king snakes up to about 6 months will happily live in an enclosure of about 1 ft long x 10 in wide x 8 in high. They will need at least 2 hides on the warm side and 1 on the cool side and I like to add another hide to the middle so there isn’t too much open ground. A water bowl that they can fit nicely in on the cool side is also a must in any snake enclosure. I keep all hatchlings on paper towel for at least 2 months and even older snakes I buy I keep on paper towel for 2 weeks. This is to make sure they do not have any problems or have brought any parasites into the house such as mites.
As the king snake grows it is advisable to buy a larger home for them as they grow bigger. Kingsnakes will grow rapidly in the first 3 years and will grow from 6 inches at birth to between 3 and 4 ft so making sure they have a home to fit into is important. Preferably a 3ft viv is to be used as this should last them a long time if not all their life. Adequate hides should be placed in the viv like in a hatchlings home and a large water bowl for them to fit into.. I also have a branch added to each viv as they seem to use them a lot in the evening and will climb up and down it for quite a while. Other décor can be added to the viv such as plants and rocks to make the viv more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and give the snake more places to explore and hide behind.
Substrate is the owners decision but do not use saw dust or sand as the dust from this can cause respitory infections. Also cedar woods and other woods are bad for snakes so be careful which substrate to use. I use beech chips as they are pleasing to the eye and king snakes like to burrow and they can do this in fine beech chips. Other options are aspen and newspaper. Not pleasing to the eye but very easy to clean.
Heating and Lighting
King snakes do not need any artificial lighting but I use a low level UVB bulb in most of the vivs for day time viewing. It has no benefits for the snakes but does create a artificial day time and makes viewing the snakes easier.
Heating for kings depends on size of the snake and the viv. For kings up to 2 years old I use a heat mat. This should cover 1/3rd of the viv and no more than that. This should be run off a mat stat to control the temperature. The heat mat should be placed under the viv if plastic or glass and if wood should be placed inside the viv but under a protective mat of some kind to not burn the snakes belly. | use a cork tile taped down as these are cheap and readily available.
Adult kings I use a ceramic bulb protected by a bulb guard so that the snake cannot get burnt. This is kept on a stat to control the temperatures as these can get very hot. That should be on the far side of the viv so that there is a decent temperature gradient in the viv.
Kingsnakes do like quite a high temperature on the warm side of between 85 - 88 o f with a cool end of 75 - 80 o f. At night time the temperatures can be dropped by a few degrees but it doesn’t need to be done.
Feeding
As mentioned before king snakes are fantastic feeders. But the downside is they will go into a feeding frenzy after eating their meal. Do not offer more food to the king as they will eat until they die.
Some hatchlings may be reluctant to feed at first and if so use a product called lizard maker to kick start their feeding. Their diet in the wild would be lizards so the scenting can produce good results.
A hatchling should be able to start on 1 pinky mouse and as they grow older the food amount should be increased. The best way is to feed in 3s. For example you will start on 1 pinky and then onto 2 and then onto 3 as they grow and the lump inside from the mouse decreases. They should then be moved onto larger food which would be fuzzies. This is again taken up to 3 before moving onto the next size food. A full grown adult should easily be able to take a rat weaner possibly 2.
Kings are very fast feeders and will strike at the food and some will coil around and constrict the food. If they don’t it is nothing to worry about and they are just more gentle feeders.
|
taken from rfuk
_________________
Eyeless frogs welcome...
Crested Geckos 1:7:4 + 8 Eggs
White Treefrogs 0:1:0
Green Anole 0:0:1
Fire Belly Toads 5:6:0
Bearded Dragon 0.1.0
Leopard Geckos 1.1.2
Albino Cali King 1.1.0
And a Fish Called George... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kazcameron76
I've settled in...
Joined: 06 Oct 2007
Posts: 21
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for that, done a further google search for info etc and had a change of heart, came home from the pet shop on Wednesday with a Sinaloan Milk Snake instead, think I have found all the info I need on care sheets and in books, he/she seems to have settled in great and is feeding well, but thank you again,
Karen
_________________
1.0.0 CKCS
2.0.0 Rats
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Crested Geckos
0.0.2 Firebelly Toads |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Lynne
___________
Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 8265
Location: Kincardine-on-Forth
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
remember pics when she gets settled in. congragulations on the new family member.
_________________
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kazcameron76
I've settled in...
Joined: 06 Oct 2007
Posts: 21
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
This is just a quick piccy taken with the camera phone so not great, named him/her Milkshake (well the kids did, lol). Hope you like ! Will hopefully get some better pics over the next couple of days.
Karen
_________________
1.0.0 CKCS
2.0.0 Rats
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Crested Geckos
0.0.2 Firebelly Toads |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Lynne
___________
Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 8265
Location: Kincardine-on-Forth
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
she is lovely. congragulations. cant wait to see more pictures.[/b]
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
