Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi-Are there any mountain Kings that can go without a temp drop?I live in a building with central air. there such nice critters. Thanks,
Zach

Mtn kings do best when they have a cool retreat at all times. They thrive in collections where the room is kept in the 70s and a small heat strip is provided in the cage.

I know folks who have bred them in rooms where the air temp was kept at 82 deg all Spring and Summer. All of them kept the mtn kings close to the floor where temps were probably a few deg cooler, at least at night. In those cases, it seems they had better production with Ariz mtn kings vs Calif mtn kings overall.

The knoblochi seems to be the most heat tolerant, and the Ariz mtn kings a close second. That is my opinion anyway based on my experience with a snake room that gets very warm in Summer. Calif mtn kings are more sensitive to high temps of long duration. These animals really prefer to have access to a cooler area. They will use a heat strip of limited surface area upwards of 90-100 deg F for short periods but then like to be able to cool off when necessary.
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Mark

my apartment is always in the low seventies with all my other cages at their respective temps. Would that be ok?Thanks,
Zach

Hey Zach,

my recommendation is keeping mountain kings (both pyro and zonata) in a lower ambient temperature (such as room temperature or slightly above) with a warm spot (provided either under or over) at about 90F along with a moist hide (moist, not wet or damp) as well. Higher temps, for zonata, have been correlated with possible etiology of zonata disease. Sounds like you have a good starting temp zach, and work around that now. Best wishes.

Also, if you can, provide mtn kings with a tight layered hide as pictured below. It goes a long way. Best wishes....

for hatchlings......

for adults......

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Jerry Kruse
www.zonatas.com

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."

I can see how they would really like such a hide as that

You are in good shape for mtn kings. Pyros easily (as said, they can handle higher background temps easily) and also CA mtn kings will fare well. Same with ruthveni, thayeri, mexicana.

Whatever heater you use, just make sure most of the cage is not heated. Even an adult can coil up on quite a small basking area.
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Mark