Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This will be my first pet snake and im currently reading up on all information for california kingsnake care. Any help on the setup and the costs for the setup for my new baby cali kingsnake will be appreciated...
oh and by the way, im pretty low on cash, so if you could make the cheapest price as possible that would also be appreciated, but i will be upgrading the setup maybe in a couple months or longer...
thanks.

There is a care sheet for kingsnakes I think hosted here, but I'll show you what I'm doing.

I don't know what your budget it, but I recently set up a tank for a baby arizona mt king. Cal Kings get bigger, but for a baby, the setup I did should work.

I would not go smaller than 10 Gallon aquarium if you haven't already bought a cage.

Don't use a wallmart 10 Gal aquarium - they are cheaper than same size aquariums elsewhere, but the plastic ridge on the outside - it is too flexible for a lot of the clips that screen lids use, resulting in clips that don't stay in place (resulting in escaped snakes).

A lot of places sell 10 Gal setups that include a lid already that is appropriate for keeping these escape artists in - and yes, kingsnakes are escape artists. Most snakes are to some extent, but kings are good at it. So if you can get a tank built with snakes in mind - that's great. Just don't get a wooden tank with a built in light socket. Wooden is fine (but more $$$), but king snakes should be heated from beneath, not a light bulb.

The heating pad I'm using now cost ~ $25.00 or so at local pet store, and attaches to the bottom (heats through the glass). Thermostat controlled is better, but more expensive. The heat source should be on ONE SIDE of the cage, not in the middle - so the snake has warm and cool and can pick.

Needs a water dish. I tend to like the fancy ones that look like rocks, but the snake doesn't care what it looks like, a small dog water dish can be had for a few bucks at a typical grocery store and work extremely well. Water dish should be on the cool side of the tank.

Needs a hiding spot. I like to use broken ceramic pots that they can crawl under, but I just found a really neat product that I'm using with my young female Cal King (~ 30 inches) that she absolutely loves. It was ~ $30.00 and she will soon outgrow it, but it really looks good and she likes it so much I bought a second for my Arizona Mt. King. There should also be a hiding spot on the cool side of the tank.

For bedding - I like to use the Coconut Fiber product made by Fluker's. I pay about $4.00 (little less) per brick, but one brick is way way more than a 10 Gallon tank needs. It's a little bit of a PITA to work with because it has to expand in hot water, then have the water squeezed out of it and dried. But it's really nice bedding, I love it because it absorbs moisture well, and the snakes love to dig in it.

Picture of neat hiding cave - the two pieces are held together with magnets:

The 10 Gallon setup for my yearling Arizona Mt King (arriving Wedensday) is below. This tank is designed for reptiles, though I wish the screen were a stronger material.

That thing next to the water dish is a broken piece of a pot - so that the snake has a hiding place on the cool side of the cage.

-=-

For a cal king, it will outgrow a 10 Gal in a couple of years, but a 10 Gal. should serve for awhile. Lid needs to be tight, I like the kind that slide in and have hole for inserting a metal rod to keep them from opening. Hiding places can be cheap (like the broken plant pot) or designer (like the cave) - the snake itself doesn't really care too much, as long as it can completely hide. One on warm side, one on cool side.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata (gravid)

I would actually consider a 20 gallon long as that will lasst couple of years my CA king outgrew his 10 gallon in first 8 to 10 months.

This is his second year and he is now 30 inches so going for a 48 inch long enclosure . I think the 10 gallon baby size rule for Ca kings lots kings ,corns,rats is outdated .

They outgrow it so fast than slow down a bit and 20 long lasts couple yrs.

Well, imho a 10 Gallon is sufficient for a 30" snake.
I'm sure they almost always like more space if they can have it, but I'm not sure it can be justified to claim a 30" kingsnake is outgrowing a 20 gallon aquarium.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

get a 10 gallon tank with pine or aspen. A hiding place and a water dish and it should be set.

thanks for the help so far guys.
I live in the west coast, and my house temperature ranges from around low 70s to 85, roughly... i have friends who own red tail boas and burmese pythons? i think...and theyre doing fine without the heat pads...do you think it will be necessary for me to have one for my snake in this condition?
another thing, the bedding wouldnt be a problem with the impaction toward the snakes right? since ive read something about sand impactions and whatever im getting a bit irritated about the substrate issue... but im thinking pine and aspen for now.
thanks for the help.

I live in Redding and my house is cooled by a swamp cooler.

In the summer, when ambient temp is gets to 82F in the middle of the day, I don't use any additional heat for my snakes - and they do just fine. Spring and Fall when indoor temps are more to my liking (low 70s) I do provide additional heat.

I will be building new cages for all my snakes this winter (as part of my woodshop class at the JC) - and then, I will use flexwatt and an expensive thermostat, and just let it determine wether it should be on or off - but if your indoor temps are like mine, no thermostat probably means too warm in the daytime with additional heat.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata (gravid)

For a cheap setup, you can use rubbermaid plastic storage containers and drill small holes in the sides for ventilation (make sure the lid is secure!!!!). For an adult cal king, get a nice big one, 30-40 gallons in size. Babies will do fine in much smaller ones. These are cheaper than glass tanks.

Next, get a heating pad (either for people or reptiles), rheostat/light dimmer, and thermometer or temp gun (www.tempgun.com). This will probably cost you 50-75 bucks, the most expensive part of the setup. Having a good thermometer with a probe and preferabbly a min/max setting is important. This will allow you to ensure proper cage temps as the seasons change.

And yes, I strongly recommend using a heat source! You want to set up a thermal gradient so the snake can choose between a warmer and cooler side. This is what they do all the time in the wild. Depending on the season, cool side temps should range from the 60's to 70's while the warm side should be between 80-90.

For a substrate, Carefresh, aspen, paper towels, newspaper, and coconut bedding are all relatively cheap and effective. I use aspen, personally, although I am thinking about switching to coconut.

Water dish - use a deli cup, they are free.

Hide boxes - There are many ways to provide cheap/free hiding spots - clay pot holders with holes knocked in them, tupperware containers turned upside down, cork bark, etc. Avoid buying one from a pet shop, they are often too roomy/expensive. A good hide is tight, secure, and dark.

Buy mice in bulk online to save money on food.

But don't skimp on the important stuff, 'cause vet bills are expensive!!!

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- Andy
ToothAndScale.com - herp and underwater photography

1.0 Sandfire x Yellow Bearded Dragon
0.1 Albino Black Ratsnake
0.1 California Mountain Kingsnake

> Buy mice in bulk online to save money on food.

For one snake I don't think buying bulk frozen is practical.
For a dozen snakes maybe it is.

The quantity required means long term storage of the frozen rodents, which can be done with vacuum sealing - but even then, shipping cost on a such small quantity makes it a wash (even with vacuum sealing you don't want to keep frozen rodents for _too_ long).

For one snake, buying a months supply of frozen rodents from your local pet store is just a lot more practical, and is still cheap (less expensive than a months supply of cat or dog food).
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata (gravid)

I agree that a small plastic shoe box with several air holes drilled in is more than fine to house a baby king.. And, you will need a under tank heat pad in the colder months..

~ Mike Russo

Posted by: Mikerusso at Tue Jul 11 20:06:42 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I agree that a small plastic shoe box with several air holes drilled in is more than fine to house a baby king.. And, you will need a under tank heat pad in the colder months..

~ Mike Russo

real pretty snake . Arizona mt king?