King snake care sheet

Introduction:

King snakes are some of the most beautiful snakes in the world and are very popular and easily kept in captivity. This snake is great for the beginner as well as to the experienced herpetoculturist. The scientific name for them is Lampropeltis. Lampro from the Greek word meening "shiny", and peltis, Greek for "shields." Lampropeltis getula (kingsnakes), L. triangulum (milksnakes) and the other six species (comprising forty-five subspecies) can be found throughout most of the United States, the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec, down through Central America and parts of South America. In the wild their diet is made up of a variety of prey, including other snakes, amphibians, lizards, rodents, birds, even rattlesnakes. It is especially interesting that they have evolved to being fully unharmed when bitten by a rattlesnake. Reasons for feeding pre-killed prey..

Housing.

You can house your hatchelings in a ten gallon enclosures. Medium sized adults may be housed in twenty gallon enclosures, but it is best to get a big enaph enclosure right from the start, just make sure to give them at lest two hides one on warm side of the cage and one on colled side because, the hatchelings up to aproximatly 14 month old are very easy to scare.

Equipment.

To heat them you can either use a UTH under tank heater or a heat lamp, you can get those in any pet store. It is unsafe to use "heating rocks" which are meant for special lizards. Most heating rocks heat up to 105+ F on the surface, too hot for the majority of reptiles, and capable of causing severe burns.

Temperatures and Humidity.

It is very important to provide humidity and a water bowl for your snake. Provide temperature for them ranging from 76-86 F, with night time drops into the low 70's. If you have a large enaph bowl with water in which the snake should be able to submerge fully, it will make humidity by it self, just make sure to refill the water bowl every few days orwhen the water gets dirty. A good way to see if there is enaph humidity, when a snake sheds (shed is the process when the snake takes its skin off), if it is wet or at least in one piece then you have achieved the perfect humidity.

Recommended Substrates.

The best substrate for the snake especially King snakes is aspen, you can get it in any pet store. King snakes love to burrow in it, and if it will ever swallow any particles, they will digest unlike sand, plastic and other harmful materials. Also aspen keeps its shape even when fully dry. Here is a picture of Aspen bag

Vermiculite is great for incubating snake's and other reptile's eggs. Vermiculite holds water really well. You can get it in any hardware store or plant nursery. You have to put water in it and put in until it's soaked, then microwave for 20 minutes to sterilize it before pooting in your incubator.

Some pictures of Vermiculite.

Feeding schedule.

From the age of birth -6 month old, you feed them every 3-4 days, giving 2
pinkys each time.

From 6 month old -14 month old, you feed them every 4-5 days, giving 2
pinkys or one fuzzy.

From 14 month old -24 month old, you feed them ones a week, giving 1-2
fuzzys.

From 2 years old and up give them food that is no bigger then the snakes
fattest part of the body.

Breeding Your King snakes.

When desided to breed your King snakes, follow these steps/tips, First make sure yore snakes are in perfect condition. Second do not feed them for atleast 2-3 weeks to let all of the food came out of their system, if they will have any food left in their stomach, it will literally rot and kill the snakes. Third cool their temperature down slowly to 55?F. Fourth poot them some where in some place which have to be dark at all of the time, also the temperature must NOT go lower then 50?F and NOT higher then 60?F. Fourth leve them in there for 2 month, you absolutely must have a woter bowl for each one of the snakes because, during those 2 month they will dring woter every few days. Fifth when taking the snakes out after cooling them, slowly worm their body temperature up to normal. Sixth feed them a lot to bring them back to normal waight. Seventh ones they have sheded their skin, poot the pair together and observe (the way you knoe when they are doing it, is the male will bite the female about 2inches behind its head and curle around hir) if they will not do it on the first time, separate them after 10-15 minutes and try again after few houers. ALWAYS watch them because it is possible for the female (since its usually 3-4 times thicker then the male) to eat a male. Ones the male have attached him selph to the female, the proces might take a few minutes to a few howers during which, some one ALWAYS have to keep an eye on them. Ones the male lets go of the female, separate them for 3-5 days, then repeat this the mating proces 3-4 times more for the best results. Eights feed them both normally. Ninth ones the female have laid eggs (on the first time she will lay around 4-8 eggs, and ones a little older she will lay about 25 eggs), please the eggs in to an incubator the SAME way they were laid, if poot the different way it is likely that they will not hatch. Tenth, keep the eggs at 82?F till they hatch.

IF YOUR SNAKE IS ILL OR HAVE SOME PROBLEM(S) READ THE FOLLOWING TIPS.

If your snake have just regurgetated, make sure that your snake has fresh water to drink because, snakes that have regurgitated have a tendency to dehydrate. In some cases pedialite (sp?) a product that is used to re-hydrate infants with diarrhoea etc. is used or unflavoured gatoraide. Mix it in with the drinking water to help re-hydrate the animal. It's either ZooMed or ExoTerra that makes a straight electrolyte product which you mix with the drinking water. Do not feed your snake for the next 10-14 days to let its asides to build up. After 10-14 days, give your snake a smaller food size then you usually give it, and wait till it poops before giving it any more food. The snake will often regurgitate if it is kept on sand, or handled right after it ate, (usually you should wait 2-3 days for the snake to digest its meal before handling it).

If the snake has a problem with shedding, just spray it with some water to help to soften its old skin.

If your snake can't poo, add some Gray Fruit juice in its water.

Also, check this website out, to find your nearest Herp Vet http://www.herpvetconnection.com/