Reptile & Amphibian Forums

king snake.

i had just a regular heating bulb on it (it has no name as i dont know if its a boy or girl) but it burnt out after only having it 1 year, and i wanted to know what is the highest watt of a bulb it can have?

i ask because my mom bought me a westinghouse 250w infrared heat ray that comes with the stand so it would sit ontop of the wire cage top and im just conserned it might be too hot for it.

ive had it for a year and honestly dont know what im doing or how to care for him besides the basics and i dont have a tempurature thingy.

it hasnt ate in 3 weeks and all its doing is sleeping so im assuming its too cold and its trying to hibernate, and when i try picking it up or try getting it to eat the mouse it acts very agressive but has yet to bite me or eat the mouse

so any information would be veryyyy helpful as id really like to try what i can before taking it to the vet as i really dont have the money too but if i run out of options the only thing i can do is take it to a city 2 hours away as so far no clinics in tucson deal with reptiles but ill keep looking around

thanks
nikki

First, I'd recommend going to Wal-Mart and getting some 94 cent window thermometers. They don't look fancy, but they'll give you a reasonable idea how warm each part of your cage is. That information will help the more experienced people diagnose your issues.

My first thought is that a 250 watt bulb is overkill for most snake cage applications. However, if you put the heat lamp at the right distance from the cage, you could probably achieve the right temperatures. The important thing is getting some kind of thermometer so that you'll know the temperature.

Does your snake have plenty of places to hide? Most kingsnakes like to hide a great deal. If your snake has places to crawl under something to feel covered, he'll be more relaxed and eat better.

You might also post your question on the Mexicana forum if you haven't already. Those people are real experts in the variable kingsnakes.

Good luck,

Bill
-----
It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

thanks for the info, ill get to walmart hopefully in the next few days, what is their temp spose to be at?

it does have a hollow fake rock that was bought when we got it, i actually dont even know how old it is just that ive had it for a little over a year. its also got a layer of beffing deep enough for it to hide in

so maybe if i put it on my computer desk which is about a foot away from the cage on the floor it might work?

no i havent posted their as i was doing a yahoo search about the heating light and this site came up so i figured id try posting about it

I don't remember the right ranges for a variable kingsnake, but I believe that you would want the cage to be around the high 80's on the warm side an around the low 70's on the cool side. Those details are what the guys in the Mexicana subforum here on Kingsnake.com could tell you.

If you have a digital camera, you might want to take a picture of the setup and post it here with your question. The picture would help people understand things.

What kind of substrate do you use? What kind of water container do you have for him? How often do you change the water? How often do you change the substrate? Again, those are answers that will help the experienced keepers help you find a solution.

Bill
-----
It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

thats TOO HOT! Thayer's like it cool. Mine arent active until the light goes off. Get a temp-gun.
the hot "side" sould be around 82-84
cool side... 70's
-----
1 Eastern Blue Tongue Skink
2 Tarahumara Mountain Kingsnakes - Knoblochi
1 Thayer's Kingsnake - Thayeri
2 Golden Greek Tortoises
1 Pyxie Frog - 14 years old

Please check the post ahead of this one for more information about temperatures. This person responded to me because I had given a temperature range that he thinks is wrong. As I've said several times, I don't own one of these animals and don't know the temperatures. This person's advice will be more helpful to you.

Bill
-----
It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Bill is right. Definitely get a thermometer. Temperature control is essential. If your snake is a male and is old enough, he may just be not feeding due to a spring breeding response. Some of my males won't eat this time of year. He will eat in time if this is the reason. But make sure his temps are correct, keep them around 82 degrees. When is the last time he shed? he may be preshed.some of them won't eat until they shed. good luck. Rin

May I suggest no heating lamp at all? Use an under the tank heating pad instead. These go under less than half of the tank and provide a warm spot for the snake. You can get them at the big pet retailers, like PetSmart or Petco, but in Tucson why dont you go to a speciality shop like Reptile Specialists or Tropical Kingdom where they really know snakes? The temps on the cool side of your tank will be about room temperature (low 70's the temps on the warm side can be in the low to mid 80's. Heat lamps are too harsh, they dont do well at providing heating just in one area, and your snake doesnt like the light. Kingsnakes, especially variables, are largely nocturnal.

Greg

reptile speacialist said to replace its heating light and if it dont eat for 4 weeks bring it to a vet, i actually got it from them and they never told me its age or sex :/ and they told me to get the heating light instead of the heating pad

it shed last week but this morning it shed again and its never done that before, its actually moving around the tank now

ill try getting the thermomiters today or at the latest tomarrow

I might even just go to Walmart and get a heating pad put it on the lowest setting and put under about 1/8th-1/4th of the tank. The snake will choose where he wants to hang out. Put his hide and water on the opposite side of where the heat is. I'm not even sure you need heat this time of year if you're in the Tuscon AZ area? I seriously doubt that he's to cold.

As far as feeding, try a live fuzzy mouse and see if that gets him/her going. As already stated if its a male he may be smelling females wild snakes in the Tuscon area and is not interested in feeding at all. And if he/she just shed you may want to try again. Sometimes they won't feed until they shed.

-----
Vichris

Vichris Variables