Kingsnake Habitat Questions - Page 2

Athen · #11 07-20-2008, 12:07 AM

=) i currently live in San Diego CA was born in Red Bluff CA and raised all around the areas on Redding CA and Susanville CA along with about 2 years in Parker AZ and a year in Reno NV =) i know all of ca isnt Desert as one would typically see a desert but even in the high mountains of the Tahoe region there are still deserts the vast majority of california is a form of a desert weather it be scrub land (central CA about SF up to Sacramento) your typical desert ( in the southern region) and high desert (mostly north of Sac) it is true dotted throughout all of california are forrests but the cali king snake is generally found in the more desert areas =) i have lived in both the wooded and desert areas of ca and i saw more kings in the desert than in the woods =)

preacher · #12 07-20-2008, 12:30 AM

So then the Sand seems like it is a good option along with the #1 choice of Aspen.

Another suggestion I found was 'undyed' cypress mulch.

Aquarium rocks, however colorful, may just be too difficult if I have to worry about a lot of cleaning. I do like the 'stacked' slate idea though. That could really be interesting.

I think after reading about the live plants, I am going to wait on that. Maybe somewhere in the distant future. But not now, since I am more worried about my non-legged friend and learning about him.

I may look into the cactus skeletons though. As long as the skeletons don't have the spines. I wouldn't want either of us to get poked, although I'm sure he would be more adept at being around them than I am.

Athen · #13 07-20-2008, 12:33 AM

an addition to my last post im assuming that when john said climate he was referring to the temperatures and the likes which indeed california ranges vastly and not all deserts are hot and arid one of the major defining charectoristics of a desert is an area with minimal if any precipitation so given that the area of antartica is by all intensive purposes a desert (just an example) so by me saying that all of ca is a desert it wasnt really defining the "habitat" of the snake because it truly can range for the varying temps of the mid high teens in the winter to the low hundred summers or the 40's-50's winter to the 110-120 summer's and the 60's winter to the 80's-90's summer all of which are low humidity low moisture aside from the coastal areas. this being said i would say your best climate for a cali kingsnake would be approx room temp with low humidity. on a side note ill use the western diamond back rattler as an example see any old western movie and you will probably see some reference to the coon tail (as we call them) or the diamonf back and it is always in a hot desert environment but we had to worry about them in the area i lived in that always got 3+ft of snow in the winters as we do down here in SD and the rattler is one of the king snakes favorite prey =)

Athen · #14 07-20-2008, 12:40 AM

ok i have a couple concerns as far as my knowledge goes aspen is a very very bad choice for snakes as far as i know the oils in it are toxic to snakes and as far as the cacti yes it is an item that is in their natural habitat for certain in general but one thing you gotta realize is first off your guy is captive bred ( CB ) and also that he is in a confined area not as much space to roam and even though as i have noticed with my king they are quite reclusive he may wanna go for a bit of a stroll and run into the cacti due to limited area to move in. the cypress is a very good bedding preferred by most as well as eco earth but the primary thing is that since your snakes climate is a more arid one you would wanna ensure the eco earth was dried before use

preacher · #15 07-20-2008, 11:41 PM

I know pine is a definate no-no, but everything I have heard from multiple sources, Aspen was the 1st choice.

I know certain barks do have oils and such in them. I hope that Aspen isnt toxic, since that is all I have now.

I also was told that sand can cause impaction if the snake ingests it.

preacher · #16 07-21-2008, 02:22 PM

Ok, now I looked into this stuff:

Zoo Med White Vita Sand 5lbs
All natural vitamin-fortified calcium carbonate substrate. No artificial colors or color sealers! Excellent substrate for desert dwelling reptiles. *Ultra fine grade to help prevent impaction from overconsumption*

And here is what someone told me:

"It's calcium carbonate, like tums. If you ate a whole roll of tums it would neutralize the acid in your stomach and you wouldn't be able to digest, it's the same sort if thing here, the sand backs up and plugs up the animal until they can't eat because they can't defecate and then they die."

Is there a concern with this substrate?

How about the eco-earth, is that good for snakes?

Athen · #17 07-21-2008, 03:01 PM

as far as your snake eating the substrate the risk of that is a negligable one because your snake shouldnt be eating in the enclosure you keep him in. the problem with this is it tends to make the snake associate your hand coming into the enclosure with food so if you do it enough you may end up getting tagged alot when trying to handle your snake. so given that the substrate shouldnt be in the feeding tub and there for risk of ingestion of the substrate is minimal. as far as the comment on impaction impaction is possible for any substrate unless you are using newspaper or carpet and if you intend on making it a naturalistic habitat those wouldnt really support that intent so its a matter of decision do you want the naturalistic habit or zero chance for impaction. impaction is a standard risk when it comes to keeping reptiles as with Lizards a vast majority of their food carries a risk of impaction sure it is possible but low chance in most cases i would say that as far as with your kingsnake you should be ok with giving him the sand and even eco earth which is what i use for my reptiles it is a wonderful substrate

preacher · #18 07-21-2008, 05:40 PM

That is very true about not feeding inside the habitat. No since turning everytime you are there, into biting time.

What is everyone else using?

froggsong · #19 07-22-2008, 03:41 AM

I am using sphagnum peat moss in my BP enclosure, it seems to be working out fine, I use it in all of my enclosures (it is very similar to the eco-earth, bed-a-beast type stuff, except it is not coco fiber). What I use is milled, not whole moss. I can get it inexpensively, and it can be baked for a little bit if you are worried about there possibly being pests inside. I have been using it for years, since I began keeping herps, I have had no problems yet. All of my plants do very well in it as well.