Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, folks
I'm a new guy, thought I'd just jump right in, hope ya'll don't mind

i just purchased a cal - king 5050 last years baby, about 18 inches and
the width of a dime.
i have her housed in a 10 gallon for about another six months then will
move her to a larger housing.
my question is that (please imagine that your looking at the front of the housing)
on the left-rear is a water bowl which she can get under to hide and a small tree
display in front of the water bowl to climb on or from etc. and this is the cool side.
in the center are a 2 branches angled to climb onto the tree display.
on the right is where the undertank heater is, and a paper towel roll that is barried
under the wood chips and she uses this to sleep in and to obtain heat at night and she seems very happy with this, i have one of those small strips with the adhesive
backing to tell the temp. and the air in the tank stays at a good 75 to 80 degrees
and at night will often fall into the 70 range.
is this good or bad? and would a small heat rock be good or bad?

Thanks,
Dallas Wiebelhaus
wiebelhaus@wmconnect.com

Make sure you measure the temperature inside the paper towel tube to be certain it's not TOO warm. Under tank heaters can be VERY hot.

She doesn't need a heat rock. She could burn herself on that also.

Sounds like a very nice setup.
-----
~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

Yes, thank you,
the temp in the towel tube is between 100 and 105
on the right-(directly ontop of the heater) and
the left side (off the heater) is about 95 degrees.
most of the time
when she is in the tube she's on the left. there
are chips between the tube and the glass, should i just set the tube directly on the surface? instead of barring it? and
is 75 to 80 air temp sufficient?

Thank you, I'm a complete novice, iv read many books
before the purchase, each one said something different.
Her happiness is very important to me so anything that
would help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you, Dallas

The temps at ground level are much too hot for your snake. I live smack in the middle of Cal King territory, and about the highest we ever go is 105 degrees, and I assure you, neither man nor beast is out in the sun then! Many people think that snakes require very hot temperatures, but this is not true, especially for snakes from temperate climates.

You need to unplug your undertank heater, and go out and get either a thermostat, or a lamp dimmer so you can regulate your temps. Also get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer so you can check the temps at the ground level. If your ground temps are too high, your snake can burn itself or overheat (especially in a small tank), because Cal Kings will burrow under their substrate. Air temps are less important, because these snakes are terrestrial. Keep your substrate temps below 88 degrees. I have my Cal King at between 80 and 86 on the warm side and room temp on the cool side, and he is fat and sassy.

If I've given you any wrong info. here, I'm sure someone will correct me.

Good luck with your snake. Cal Kings are great!

Jeannie

Thank you very much for your response!
I'll do that, do you plug your heater into a thermostat?
And then regulate the temp? Or is it a complete new assembly?
and any other "real world" experienced advice would be great.
cage set up,arrangment ect.

Thanks, Dallas Wiebelhaus

or, as I said, you can use a lamp dimmer, which is cheaper (you can get a dimmer at Home Depot). I use a thermostat, but dimmers work well if your room temps are fairly constant. Um, let's see...make sure your undertank heater covers 50% or less of your tank floor. Feed in another container (a Rubbermaid shoe box with holes in it is what I use). Be prepared for your snake to grow pretty fast--kings will eat as much as you're willing to feed them. I see you posted another question about feeding, so I'll go check that one out.

Glad to have been of help.

Jeannie