Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi to all out there - just a question/clarification. I've wanted a snake soooo long, just got my first one a beautiful Thayeri king - probably young. He(?) likes to burrow, got him one of those magnetic hide rocks that you can take off the side from the outside to see in but he prefers his substrate.
I think I did a "boo-boo" by taking him out several times since I've got him, he was nice and mellow, very active in exploring his home when I put him back but then he burrows again. I take it by reading these posts that I shouldn't have done that???? and that I might have stressed him out...what should I do now - continue in taking him out? or let him recover from any stress and wait for him????
Thanks for any advice!!!

zoogirl,

Congrats on your new snake! That's pretty much normal behavior for the "Greyband group" if that's what you're talking about. They, like most kings, are fossorial and love to burrow, especially Greybands.

That's normal behavior - if he's going right into burrowing he's probably already found "his" place in his cage. You can minimize your costs by getting the right sized plant potter bottom (looks like a frisbie with a rim) from WalMart for like .30 cents to $1.50 depending on the size of your snake then make a little entrance on the side of it. They're easy to clean, inexpensive, and perfect for for letting a snake coil.

I'd just handle her/him a little every day or every two days, etc. until he gets used to you.

-John

thanks wizzking - let me clarify, you put the planter bottom with hole cut into it, upside down under some substrate and that makes the den?
also a lighting question - uv on during the day, light and heat during the day, to make about 80, 70 during the night, under tank heater on dimmer switch for eating times (kept on 24/7????)is this confusing??????

Make sure temp doesnt fluctuate too much. I keep all mine at about 85 night and day. One tank I use a flouresent UV during the day as well as the heat lamp. The others I use Uv heat lamps during the day and red heat lamps at night. You may not need under tank heaters if you can regulate temp with lamps.
As for the planter, just put it upside down on top of substrate. He/she will burrough in he/she fells the need.

Ed

I completely disagree. Leaving the temps high at night is not natural and is not good for a snake. Especially if you ever intend to breed it. It will also lower sperm viability in the males. I allow a very big temperature drop at night and always have and have never had any problems. It gets cold at night and always has in the wild. Especially for a desert species.
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International Snakes Meetup

thanks for everyone's input
Jones - If you let your temperature drop during the night to say about 70, how high to you get it during the day for this species?

Well, honestly I don'y have any desert species but the way I have my snakes set up actually it doesn't get any hotter in the enclosures during the day. I have heat tape ran up the walls and tupperware stacked against it so that just one corner has heat. So the temp stays pretty much the same throughout the box except on the wall that's against the heat tape. I don't really worry about how high the temp gets against the wall (as long as it stays below 95-100) because they can move to any other part of their box if they get too hot. This method provides a warm wall to snuggle up against instead of a warm area of the cage. All my snakes have no problem digesting food using this method. I used to use heat pads and lamps but besides being very expensive (now I heat my entire collection for the price I used to pay to heat one snake) I really like my new method simply because it doesn't heat up the enclosure hardly at all and still provides a basking spot for digestion.
Note: I still provide under tank heat for gravid females.
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International Snakes Meetup

Understand your argument. I'm good at leaving things out. My terrairiums do fluctuate slightly because of temperature changes in the house. We adjust the thermostat when not home. warmer in summer so the a/c isnt running constantly, and cooler at night in the winter, to save on heating costs. Not justifing my previous reply, just explaining.

Ed