Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it normal for kingsnakes to rattle their tail? It a 50 watt heat lamp suitable for heat? The snake is in a 55 gallon aquarium, is this large enough for its entire life? What should I feed it? Fuzzy mice ok? It's a california king.

(Is it normal for kingsnakes to rattle their tail? It a 50 watt heat lamp suitable for heat? The snake is in a 55 gallon aquarium, is this large enough for its entire life? What should I feed it? Fuzzy mice ok? It's a california king.)

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YES! they rattle thier tail alot they used to be reffered to as
"oak leaf rattlers"
no need for light just heat ,heat pad or room temp 72-75 n and
79 -88 day,
55 gal is perfect! yes , unless it gets over 5.5-6 foot
i'm feeding a 3 foot cal king 2 fuzzy a week, just upgrade in size acording to the snakes size ,
CHECK THE CARE SHEET AND CARE PAGE ON KS.COM

I just got a heat pad, but my room is always above 80 degrees should i install it anyway?

I just got a heat pad, but my room is always above 80 degrees should i install it anyway?@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
what about at night? or in the winter?
you need a gradient of , night above 72 and at the hottest part
of the 24 hour cycle below 88 ------
you don't want it to hot!! so if it's a constant 85 day in your room , and it falls to 75 at night , I would not use a pad

the temp rarely falls below 80, even when i travel I have a thermoregulater, so if it drops below 80 the heat turns on in the room. Nifty device i think. I still use heat pads for my boas and pythons however.

DJW is right curiosity. If your room stays 80 degrees at all times including the night then you shouldnt use the heat pad. Kingsnakes in general donot require tropical conditions like your boa's and pythons. Also a heat lamp should not be used. A normal incandescent bulb will be all you need. If your temperature rarely falls below 80 then donot use anything higher than a 15 watt or you might kill your snake. Warmth is good. TOO much warmth on the other hand is NOT. Your room should be fine for your king for the time being. If your room falls to lower temperatures in the winter you might want to consider using the pad at that point. Room temperature is adequate for kings although slightly warmer is ideal. Hope this helps.

Chris

thanks again