I live in a good King snake habitat but with huge temperature swings from below freezing in the winter to over 115 degrees in the summer. Since I live in a poorly insulated Mobile home with no AC and only a small space heater to keep my bedroom and den warm in the winter, I have been thinking of ways to more effectively replicate the natural habitat for my king snakes, without breaking my piggy bank. I don't know if this has been done before, but I came up with this idea and thought I would run it by you more experienced guys: Since I do own a compact tractor with a loader, I could dig a 6 to 8 foot wide trench into the side of a hill on my acreage and lay several large PVC pipes in the trench side by side about a foot apart and sloping down towards the back of the trench, at about a 20 degree angle; then burry them so that the back end is covered by 4 or 5 feet of earth. the open end being just at the surface, would be enclosed in a fine mesh cage, including the bottom, around the entrance of each individual pipe. I could put one snake in each cage so it could enter the pipe and go down to whatever depth that it found comfortable. To be able to retrieve the snakes, I would install another, slightly smaller pipe into each of the buried pipes, with the deep end plugged off, that way I could slide it out and easily dump the snake. I would grade around the entrance, so that water doesn't flood the artificial burrow, and provide a water bowl that could be filled by a timed drip irrigation system, which I already have the plumbing for. Finally, I have a big roll of chain link fencing that I could use to enclose the whole works in, to keep out the Coons, road runners and Coyotes. I am thinking this setup would most nearly replicate the snakes natural habitat on my property, without having to build a well-insulated building or having to rely on electrical gadgets to maintain proper temps. Might even work year round, leaving feeding as the only maintenance. All serious comments appreciated.

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