question on king snake care

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 09:04 AM

Ok so i have decided i want a kingsnake beacuse i want a snake eater but indigos are to much to spend for me so I'm debateing between a arazona moutian king or a black and white California king snake now my question is the care much diffrent and do all king snakes eat snakes i was reading a care sheet and it advised mice as a main food but i was told larger adults should eat at least weaned rat pups and a ball python from time to time so i know they need the basic water bowl an some humidity and a few hides and plants this care sheet (witch I'm ganna prob find a new one) also said a 15 gallon is perfectly fine for an adult snake where i was thinking more like a 4 long 3wide and 3tall for more space do they like to climb at all or do they tend to borrow more and if the borrow wjats a good subtrate depth to keep them from staying off the heat pad and being south western reptiles do they require a UVB or UV lamp for certain. time periods alo is there any plants that are bad for there heath when it comes to growing in the enclosure

drumcrush · 01-22-15, 09:21 AM

A 15g is okay for a baby, but I would go with at least a 40g tank for an adult. I have my king(Mexican black kingsnake) in a 4ft long x 1.5 ft deep enclosure. They do not need to be feed other snakes. As an adult, mine is feeding on small rats. UV/B is not needed.

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 09:33 AM

So they don't need other snakes but will they readly eat them normally?

drumcrush · 01-22-15, 09:38 AM

No, no other snakes needed. i have no experience feeding them snakes so I do not know. I personally wouldn't feed other snakes to it.

Bandit · 01-22-15, 09:52 AM

Kings are generally pretty aggressive feeders, and they will eat a lot of things. I'm sure if you offered it a snake, it would try to eat it depending on the size. However it is unnecessary and could be dangerous for your snake. It will do fine eating rodents all its life.

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 10:16 AM

Good to know thank you for the info

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 10:21 AM

Would a frog here and there be ok or a live chick predatory behavior is a huge intrest of mine and kinda is what led me to want a king snake so there are absolutely. no benefitss to feeding snakes to a king at all in the nutrition department

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 10:21 AM

And.its.actually. advised. against

**EL Ziggy** · 01-22-15, 10:49 AM

I keep my kings in 40 gallon tanks now and I think they'll be fine in those as adults. If they start getting too big, I'll move them to a 4x2. I use aspen sani-chips or shredded aspen for substrate. Like others have said, Kings will eat a variety of prey but they'll be just fine eating rodents their entire lives. I haven't heard or read of any advantages to feeding them other snakes, even though it would be a natural part of their diet in the wild. I feed my Kings mostly mice but they have eaten rat weaners before and hopefully they'll eat chicks one day just for a little variety. I love their lethal hunting skills too but I feed all mine f/t prey items. Best wishes.

fishingfool · 01-22-15, 10:52 AM

Do do.find f/t cheaper in the long run