No need to spend a bunch of money but there are some things you will definetly need and some important things to know.
1) buy an undertank heater. Pet shops carry the zoo med brand for $12.
2) you can pick up used aquariums at yardsales. get a new screen lid (designed for repttiles) from a pet shop. Make sure it fits tight.
3)Buy aspen or pine shavings for bedding.DO NOT BUY CEDAR! best deals are from horse supPly stores or farm equipent supply stores. You can get a bail for $7. and that will last a long time. Otherwise you will be spending big bucks just to change the shavings.
4) you can just use an old bowl from your cuboard as a water dish. A snake does not know or care if it is drinking out of a cereal bowl or a doggy bowl.
5) Don't use overhead lighting. This will dry the snake out. Snakes need humidity. Dehydration is the most common ailment in captive reptiles.
6)The size of the tank depends on the size of the calif king you are getting. if you are not getting an adult then don't place him in a large 10-20 gallon tank. Get one of those plastic shoeboxes from Walmart or supermarket. Make sure it has a tight snap on lid. For airholes..Burning holes in it works better then drilling holes. Drilling tends to crack the plastic. I just heat a fork on the oven and melt through the plastic.
7) Place the heat pad on one end of the encloser so the snake can CHOOSE hot or cold.
8) really any type of encloser will work as long as it is escape proof. Most herpers use the sterlite or rubbermaid boxes which range in size from shoebox on up to sweater boxes. A large 4-5 ft Cal king needs a sweater box size.
10) Mice are usually purcahsed frozen from suppliers who advertise here on KS. i reccomend www.Rodentpro.com
use the search function here on this forum and read up a bit before asking questions.
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