First off I bought a kingsnake about 5 days ago he is about 1.5 feet long and about as wide as your index finger. I have him/her In a ten gallon tank with locking screen lid, aspen bedding, 2 shelters one on the hot side one ontop of the underneath heater, water dish, and 2 thermometers. the temperature in the day is on the hot side around 80-82 and the cooler side around 72 and durring the night on the hot side its around 75 and on the cooler side 70.. i know this is a bit cold so any tips on warming it up? i have a undertank heater big enough for a 20 gallon tank.. so i think it would work. He shedded the day i got him, and i fed him yesterday and he hasnt regurgated yet.. so i think thats a good sign. i havent seen him poop yet and have only seen him drink water twice. i am feeding him one pinky every 4 days. he is very gentle and loves being held, so im just wondering if there is anything else i need to do or if there is something im doing wrong, ive done alot of reading so yea
2007-07-10 19:47:22 · 7 answers · asked by misterchyme808 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Thanks for the help.. everything i read said to feed him 1 pink every 4 days so ill step back the feedings, and he is on aspen bedding not wood chips.. and yes there is spacers and ill remove those, and im pretty sure he isnt ready for a full grown mouse considering he is only about the width of my pinky finger.. and i have yet to see him poop. lol what should i look for ?
2007-07-11 04:49:01 · update #1
you are doing everything right. unless that is if you secretly torture your snake in complete darkness and abuse it and are not telling me in your list of things. if you are doind that then no you are not doing everything right. dont worry too much about being too cold, its being too hot that is deadly. coolness dosnt matter too much for most snakes and just do what you can to warm it a little for it and if it dosnt work out he'll be fine. he'll get used to it soon...my snake did..
2007-07-10 19:56:10 · answer #1 · answered by jonathan ko 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think this is the first time I've seen a question from a responsible snake owner. I'm proud that some people (like you) care enough for their pets to do proper research before a purchase. About the heating problem, check the gap between the bottom of the tank and the surface it's on. If it's elevated by any kind of spacers, you can remove those, and the surface being flat against the tank will hold in more heat(just pay extra attention to the thermometer afterwards). Also, if the tank is on a non-solid surface, like a steel wire rack or similar, that can let out heat too. Try and set it flat on a level, solid surface(no wood or papers though, these things have a remote chance of starting a fire). And step back the feedings a day or two. If you overfeed him, it could cause digestive problems, lethargy, and unhealthy weight gain. Good luck, and keep up the great work.
2007-07-11 04:38:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you are doing the most important thing - researching - just fine. You know and are meetng the basic needs of your snake. I'm personally very glad you care about your snake so much to read and plan and still ask questions.
The only thing that makes me wonder is the feeding every 4 days. You can over feed a snake, and although smaller snakes eat more often, it's usually more like once a week they eat. If you want to feed more often, wait until they poop before you feed them again - this signals that you will not overwhelm or overwork their digestive tract. Don't worry about the water - as long as it is clean, they usually sneak to the waterbowl at night, and they always take a nip of H2O when they bathe. If he's shedding okay (all in one piece or all pieces come off quickly) then your humidity levels should be okay (did you buy a humidity gauge with the thermometers?) and he probably isn't dehydrated.
Keep up the good work and enjoy your new family member!
2007-07-11 04:13:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I will echo the others and say great job. The temp on your warm side is probably warmer then 82F on the surface of the substrate. It sounds like you may have wall mounted thermometers and they will read cooler. Just put a thermometer right on the substrate over the pad until you get a reading. Unless you've got several inches of substrate your surface temp. is likely in the mid to high 80's F
2007-07-11 06:07:22 · answer #4 · answered by Thea 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its not a good idea to use wood bark or chips as beding for snakes . If they swallow it while eating it could end up get stuck and killing them. You aslo can not keep wood chips clean.
A king snake a 1.5 long will take a full growen mouse with no problems its time to move on from the pinkies.
2007-07-11 11:39:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you are doing great so far. Don't change anything.
I sell these small snakes and I wish more customers would do like you and do research.
care sheets are free on my web site
http://www.artsaquaticsandanimals.co.uk
2007-07-11 04:34:03 · answer #6 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thank you for taking the time to really look after your pet/friend.
It is very refreshing to see a responsible person here. Please keep it up.
Enjoy your new found friend.
2007-07-11 06:27:45 · answer #7 · answered by Jenna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋