Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

After almost a year of trying to talk myself out of it, and convince my wife, I purchased a Florida Kingsnake last week. (S)he is young, about 18" long. I did quite a bit of research and have a pretty decent tank setup, with a bark hiding spot and a hotspot about 85 degrees.

Here is my concern. Since I got him, he has stayed in hiding under the hiding spot. He accepts being handled when I get him out, but never seems to leave the hide. Until this morning, when I had to search for him and found him hiding under the water dish. I had to check on him and he is fine, but he went right back under.

I've only fed him once, but he ate well. 2 fuzzies. Otherwise, everything seems to be ok, but he hides all the time.

Any insight?

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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

when i first got my king he hid all the time too. he would burrow in the bedding so i couldn't find him. i kept thinking he'd escaped. gradually he started coming out more and more. now he's out and about all the time.

From what I have seen, the out of sight behavior is pretty normal among king snakes. However just to be sure, double check the temperature gradients at both ends of the tank. If the side he favores is warmer than the side he does not favor than it may be that his habitat is too cool. If the side he favores is cooler than the side he does not then it may be that his cage is too hot. a good range to stay in is 75 degrees at one end and around 90 at the other. Hope this helps!