My kings new home

[jossh27]

I just picked up a kingsnake (full grown) this is her new home. Any suggestions aside from lighting and heating?

[jossh27]

Any suggestions are welcome :)

[Minkness]

O like to add fake plants to add a bit more of a natural looking and mine (who's still small) likes exploring them and climing over them.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes Jossh. A heat source and thermostat should be your first priority. You'll need secure hides on the warm and cool sides of your enclosure. I'd also add a few fake plants and cover 3 sides of the enclosure for added security. Please post pick of your king when you can.

[jossh27]

already taken care of. i have a heat pad and heat light set up.... annnnd yes, hot and cool hides

[D Grade]

For a King you only really need a heat pad, I prefer to stay away from heat lamps (unless the light is just for that, light).

[jossh27]

My friend who knows a lot about reptiles said the same thing. The heat lights more for show. Although I was told to try and give her a bit of humidity during sheds to help it along. Thoughts? If so would a single real plant and different substrat achieve that?

[Obsidian_Dragon]

You could make a humid hide! A tupperware container or something like that, with a hole cut in the lid, and filled with dampened sphagnum moss will do the trick. My kingsnake loves his.

[reptiledude987]

What type of king is it?

[jossh27]

What type of king is it?

Not sure. Some of the lads here said she looks like a California king

[reptiledude987]

Oh ya just found the other thread. looks like an albino cali king

[jossh27]

yeah im going to delete this thread

[D Grade]

You could make a humid hide! A tupperware container or something like that, with a hole cut in the lid, and filled with dampened sphagnum moss will do the trick. My kingsnake loves his.

This is good advise. Moist sphagnum moss and a water dish is enough humidity for Kings.

[jossh27]

It's the miss something I'll have to keep miss with a doorway bottle or will it stay moist by itself?

I'm very interested in this as I found anothe forum with step by step instructions on creating a viv for a pacman frog. Live pants are fascinating in a cage but I obviously still have a lot to learn

[Rattlehead]

Depends on the humidity you need. For a kingsnake you might just need water and a humidity box as D_grade mentions, that you can moist maybe every 2 days. I replace the moss after some days, in case something unwanted grows in there.

[jossh27]

Depends on the humidity you need. For a kingsnake you might just need water and a humidity box as D_grade mentions, that you can moist maybe every 2 days. I replace the moss after some days, in case something unwanted grows in there.

i picked up some of the mentioned moss, but i dont really know what to do with it from here on in. does it need to be on the warmer side of the tank to help with humidity?

[Rattlehead]

I usually put it in a plastic container with the lid on and an entrance, in the fresh side of the enclosure so it doesn't become a sauna

[reptiledude987]

ya just put the moss in the container damp not wet and on the cool side and if he feels he needs it he will use it. Honestly I've never had an issue with maintaining humidity for my kings and have never found the need for a humid hide. But certainly dosent hurt to offer the option.

[jossh27]

Thanks guys I appreciate it

[jossh27]

So I took your all your advise and got the said things.
I strung the hydrometer to the roof of the plastic hide and the reading a say 85% but that's just inside that specific hide. There's still a warm hide with a heat pad and a cool hide... She should be alright now right?

[reptiledude987]

Ya man for sure looks great! Looks like she has lots of space as well.

[jossh27]

Yeah, its 18" x 36" and 19" high. It use to home 2 mali uromastix, but I gave them away because their messy and I didn't like making them a salad everyday.

[jossh27]

You guys have been a ton of help! I really appreciate it

[D Grade]

Anytime, thats what were here for. :).

Looks like things are getting under control. If I may suggest one more thing, get a hand-held digital thermometer and recheck that temp on the inside of the hide. I have a glass mounted probed digital thermometer that I route to the bedding (just outside of the warm hide) for a general temp on the surface of the bedding on the hot side. However when I check the temp INSIDE of the hot side hide with my hand-held, it can be up to 10F warmer.

[jossh27]

Yeah I can pick one up. The humidity inn the plastic hide humidity percentage do
Site in the 80s and goes up to mid 90s. How can I mitigate/control that? I was thinking about drilling a few holes in the top of the plastic to vent a bit more. Or do you think I should just leave it?

[D Grade]

Less moisture for sure. Any Colubrid will have respiratory issues with that much humidity. You really only need a water dish and maybe moist moss and its enough.

[jossh27]

I tried to simply lay the moss out on the cork bark And jammed it into the grooves but it wouldn't stay moist. I'll drill some more holes and hopefully it'll bring the humidity down a bunch

[Rattlehead]

I forgot to mention that I use the moist box only when they are in shed

[jossh27]

She's starting to shed now. Spends most of her time in the moist box