Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After forcing my son to do research when he stated he wanted a boa as a pet...he came back to me a week later and had changed his (excited) mind to a kingsnake. As I grew up in Cali and saw them often I thought cool. I joined in on the research...
We bought a 15" striped cali male. He is awesome and a real cool snake. Great eater and is now burrowed deep and hiding big time as he is due to shed anytime.
He's in a 10 gallon tank with a small (4X8) heat pad on one side. He has a nice hide on both the warm and cool sides. My son has put coco-husk on the hot side and Aspen on the other ( he likes the look and wanted to see if the snake preferred one to the other)
Questions:
The substrate is about 1.5 - 2 inchers deep...is this too deep? We know they like to burrow but will we ever see him?

With the hot pad on one side do we need to deal with themometers? I've read conflicting posts

Will/can the snake go into a self-brumation on the cool side?

Where can I find explantations of the 3.0.0 or 1.0 etc etc that most posters on this (and other sites) use when listing their families? It's driving me nuts trying to figure out

Thanks
John and Nick

After forcing my son to do research when he stated he wanted a boa as a pet...he came back to me a week later and had changed his (excited) mind to a kingsnake. As I grew up in Cali and saw them often I thought cool. I joined in on the research...
We bought a 15" striped cali male. He is awesome and a real cool snake. Great eater and is now burrowed deep and hiding big time as he is due to shed anytime.
He's in a 10 gallon tank with a small (4X8) heat pad on one side. He has a nice hide on both the warm and cool sides. My son has put coco-husk on the hot side and Aspen on the other ( he likes the look and wanted to see if the snake preferred one to the other)
Questions:
The substrate is about 1.5 - 2 inchers deep...is this too deep? We know they like to burrow but will we ever see him?

With the hot pad on one side do we need to deal with themometers? I've read conflicting posts

Will/can the snake go into a self-brumation on the cool side?

Where can I find explantations of the 3.0.0 or 1.0 etc etc that most posters on this (and other sites) use when listing their families? It's driving me nuts trying to figure out

Thanks
John and Nick

First I want to thank you for having your son do research on the snake he wanted. The depth of the substrate is good. I would get a cheap therometer to check the temp. You need to know if you have to much or to little substrate. The substrate will act like insulation so you need to know the temp at the level of the substrate. Do not forget a water dish. And, no you will not see him much if he is like my Cali Kings, until he gets older or bigger. From the first year or year and a half all mine do is hide in the aspen or in the hide.

3.2.1 means the breeder has 3 males, 2 females, 1 unsex.

4.2 means the breeder has 4 males, 2 females

Hope this helps
Fatman

Thank you Fatman for your time and input.
I (assuming from what I've read) am not real conserned about the temp on the cool side. I put one of those cheap suction cup aqurium themometers on the warm side and one on the cool saw no differential. I then buried the one on the warm side deep into the substrate and it rose to well over 90 in short order. I then brought it up a tad and it settled on just below 90. Granted I'm not using the best device to measure, but how deep should I be reading it at. Again the strate is about 2" deep.
He uses the hide on the warm side when returned to his home then after "x" amount of time moves towards the cooler side and burrows...seems right?
Also he is definitly ready to shed...what is a general time frame for a younging like that to shed; once his eyes go totally opaque. the last 3 mornings I've anticipating a shed but nada. Today I rearranged a little and put a salad sized bowl on the cool side full of water in case he needed/wanted to totally submerge himself to assist his shed.
Thanks again...just a rookie hungry for info
John & Nick

You may want to get a Dimmer or Thermostat and put it on the UTH(under tank heater)so the snake can not burn itself the bottom can get very hot. The top of the substrate should be about 85F on the warm side. The air temp does not matter but the substrate temp is very important. The burrowing is normal. All my hatchling burrow in the aspen even as adults to find the right temp they want. When you see him blue eyed it will be about a week may be a little longer or shorter each shed and snake is different. You need to keep water in there all the time on the cool side for him to drink.

You are nicer than me because I FORCE my daughter to research all the info on any pets that she may want. Then I quiz her on it. That way she and I both learn about the animal.

You can get the Dimmer at Wal-mart or any hardware store and they are cheap. The easyest is the in line type. It is just a light dimmer. Now as your indoor room temp changes alot you will have to change the dimmer settings. Like from winter temps to summer temps.

Hope this helps Fatman

So, just cut the wire to the UTH and slave in the in-line dimmer at a conveinent place...got it, simple and cheap; probably have one in my scrounge. I will search out a decent yet inexpensive themometer that will give me better readings before I do it too. Any suggestions on that?
Oh, thanks for the explanation on the:
1.0.0 lampropeltis getula californiae (striped)
John

The in-line ones I was talking about you just plug the UTH into the dimmer and plug the dimmer into the wall. However, if you know how to wire a dimmer into the cord than that is even cheaper.

I have a cheap Wal-mart digial with a outdoor probe. Like less than 20 dollars here.

Ah, didn't know they made a dimmer like that, sounds easier. I looked a wal-mart for a themometer like you mentioned but couldn't find one...maybe they are seasonal?
J

Oh, I didn't "force him" should of said suggested....