Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, i've been lurking around for awhile but i just registered so i could as a question. I have a two year old female kingsnake and i live in NH so it gets very cold during the winter. last winter we decided to move her from my bedroom, which doesnt get heat, to the living room, so she would be warmer. However, i dont think that she is getting enough heat. the cage is only about 75 degrees during the day, and she is pretty inactive. Her cage is also fairly large to heat, its about 3x2x1.5 i would say and the top is plain screen. I use a ceramic heat lamp and an undertank heater. Any suggestions on how to get more heat in there?
thanks

Just got a few questions regarding your situation. How warm does the heat pad allow her to get? Is the heater on a dimmer switch? Also how cool is the night time temp? What kind of kingsnake is it and is it fattened up enough to hibernate?

I think 75 is a fine temp in the terrarium if the snake has a warmer spot to thermoregulate. Is the snake still accepting food?

-Chris

Your first move is to get a thermometer. Preferably an infrared one. Once you know what temps you actually have going on in diff areas, we will be able to help.

she didnt eat for about a month but she started again, she's definitely a healthy weight. shes a high white california king, and the thermometer is located in the warm end. most of the time she sits under her water bowl but shes always freezing and inactive when i pick her up.

Thats odd but I find my kind snake doing the same thing. Her enclosure has hides in it and only a heating pad but she just loves to hang out under the water dish. Always freezing to the touch but for some reason just stays there.
Foot Hill Reptiles

If it knows it is time to brumate, it may be doing what it wants to do.

The MBK I got from Tom in '07 has gone off feed and is staying on the cool side of the tub - the female '07 MBK right next to her is still feeding and keeping warm. I may brumate the one I got from Tom because it seems that is what she wants to do.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Don't worry about it too much - you can take her off feed and allow her to brumate, which she should be able to do no problem at typical winter room temperature.

She may end up laying a clutch of infertile eggs in the spring if you let her brumate, which can be problematic, that would be the only possible downside of allowing her to brumate. But even infertile clutches rarely result in binding.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly