Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If I were to make a enclosure for a pair of the black and white banded kings what would it be like?
20 gallon?
Substrate?

I have a good idea of everything from care sheets and reading the forums but I just want some info from the professionals.

Thanks
--Cody

Well I am not sure what you mean by professionals but if you mean breeders with a lot of snakes then most of them keep the snakes in rubbermaid type containers on a shelve system with heat tape in the rear.
For a fully grown snake like a cal king a 20 galoon is fine. You could even go smaller.. but if you want a decorative display it would be fine. Best advice I could give is make sure the lid is very secure as all kingsnakes are escape artists and will get out the first time you or someone in your houshold forgets to tightly secure the lid.

Cody,

Just re-read you post again and missed a few things.

You don't want to keep a "pair" of kingsnakes together unless you want one fat one.

As far as substrate.. anything is fine. Most people keep them on shavings like pine or aspen or even newspaper. Makes it easier to clean the cage. Stay away from sand substrate if making a decorative cage.

be sure to include a dinner table in any enclosure for a pair of kingnsakes, one chair and one plate will be enough
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Dennis

I honestly had no clue that you couldnt keep a pair together.
Thanks for the info.
--Cody

It's important to do research on any species of snake you are considering prior to making the purchase. There is a huge variety of snakes and they have vastly different requirements for successful keeping. You need to be certain you can keep them properly before making the purchase. While most snakes are not cannibalistic like kingsnakes, most snake keepers (including me) would agree that snakes should be housed individually. Also, when making a purchase be sure to talk to the seller about your plans for housing and caring for the snake. No reputable dealer would sell you a pair of kings without mentioning that they can’t be housed together if they knew that was your plan. Sorry if this is coming across as a lecture, it’s not meant to be; I just want your snake keeping experiences to be as positive as possible. Good luck with your snakes.
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Dennis

nope, not taken as a lecture. It was very much appreciated. Im probably just going to get one kingsnake and go from there. Im more of a pythong guy but I was thinking about getting into the smaller snakes and the white and black banded king caught my eye. I started off my small snake experience with a milksnake.

Thanks again
--Cody

what would be a good set-up for a banded kingsnake?