I got a snake!

ca161406

Member
kinda random. but my friend got it a week ago and moved to texas today and didnt want it anymore so i took it.
its an albino abberant ca king. about 14" long right now.
i have it in a 20gal with just paper towels for substrate, water bowl and a log hiding thing. i fed it 2 pinkies today and it ate them quick.
anyone who keeps snakes can you enlighten me on how to care for it? i dont have any lamps or heat pads right now. but have it by the window for light. room temp is about 80*.
so help would be appreciated.
 

ca161406

Member
haha i love that site!

thanks for the googleage. but ive read everything on those links already.
just trying to see if anyone has any first hand experience.
like with our reefs, reading sites can help..but talking with someone helps more
 

christinaja

New Member
Snakes are awesome :)
But my aquariums suck up alot of my money so I only had 2 garter snakes :p
But one just had 7 babies the other day :D
So now I have 9 snakes xD LOL
 

deon nyc

Member
i have a 4ft corn snake. they are many different kind of substrate u can use. it all depends on how much u willing to spend. u will need a heat source. i perfer a heat pad under the tank. as for a tank u wil need a 55gal atleast in a few months.also try to use frozen pinkey and mouse insted of live. live can damage a snake.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by ca161406 http:///forum/post/3144925
haha i love that site!

thanks for the googleage. but ive read everything on those links already.
just trying to see if anyone has any first hand experience.
like with our reefs, reading sites can help..but talking with someone helps more
your welcome.
I prefer to use aspen as bedding for my snakes, especially kings as they love to burrow through it. I generally use a 20 or 30 long tank to house them. I always feed my snakes in a seperate container so they dont get food aggression in their cages.
heat light at one end of the tank and a "hide" for them can be a couple stacked rocks (make sure they arent tippy) or a cut out shoe box or anything like that as long as the entire snake can fit inside. there isnt much need for a lot of humidity but some humidity helps come shed time.
here is a link to one of my snake threads.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/286894/my-lavender-kingsnake
I would think at 14 inches you could probably move yourn snake up from pinkie mice to fuzzy's how wide is your snake?
 

ca161406

Member
thanks for the input guys.
i was gonna go with the plan for 2 pinkies once a week because its only as big around as my little finger so its pretty narrow. i cant (well i can) get frozen, but they cost 8 bucks for 3 when live is a dollar a piece. so i guess ill just have to watch carefully
i have a 45 in the garage that i had leopard geckos in a long time ago that ill probably move it into. for substrate now i put down this washable stuff called reptile carpet or something, and shredded up paper towels on the two corners for burrowing. i dont have a heater/pad right now but its on top of my refrigerator so half of the tank bottom stays warm.(kinda ghetto lol)
nice, mine looks somewhat similar but has patterns instead of a stripe.
 

beazalbob69

Member
I used to keep snakes years ago. I would just use good old newspapers as bedding. Just lay it down on the bottom of the tank and change it out when it gets dirty. If you are afraid of the pinkys hurting the snake you could always kill them before feeding.
Also the post above about feeding in a seperate container is a really good idea especially if you want to handle the snake or put your hands in the tank often. A paper bag should work fine for this or a cardboard box.
As for feeding snakes dont need to eat too often. In the wild prey is scarce and a snake can go months between meals. I would just mabey feed it 1 pinky and wait for the lump in the snakes stomach to disappear and then feed again.
I would invest in a reptile light as all reptile's get vitamin D from light which helps with bone growth and the heat helps them digest food more efficiently. Much better than just a heat pad of stone. I would use both. And make a cave so the snake can thermoregulate its body temp (if it gets too hot it can cool off).
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by beazalbob69
http:///forum/post/3147177
I would invest in a reptile light as all reptile's get vitamin D from light which helps with bone growth and the heat helps them digest food more efficiently. Much better than just a heat pad of stone. I would use both. And make a cave so the snake can thermoregulate its body temp (if it gets too hot it can cool off).
no not all reptuiles require UVB light. many do but not all.....
it has nothing to do with them digesting food it has to do with them synthesizing vitamin d3 and processing calcium in reptiles that require it.
UVB lights are not generally used as a heat source as they dont really throw a lot of heat.
as for the months without food your thinking large constrictors that eat large prey. and when they go into torpid behaviour.
were talking a kings snake that should be fed once weekly or more depending on how large the snake and how large the prey is. kingsnake prey is quite plentiful..... there are lots of mice in the world.
 
Top