cali king, 2 months old

The temp on the warm side should be around 85 and the cool side should be room temp 70 to 80. You have got the warm side to warm.

Figures. I will regulate this evening. She is spending her time on the cooler side, which is 80+/-.

Originally Posted by Fatman608

The temp on the warm side should be around 85 and the cool side should be room temp 70 to 80. You have got the warm side to warm.

Hey fatman608, I wanted to defend myself a bit. I found the temps at this caresheet.


http://www.vmsherp.com/CarePages/CareCalKing.htm


She has been very active since I got the temps up. I don't want to cause harm though! She seems to be adjusting to her suroundings, also.

ptillett - Sorry if I sounded harsh. I just keep the number 85 for the high in my head because I keep my corns and cal. kings in the same rack. I guess next time I need to look things up before I type.

Originally Posted by Fatman608

ptillett - Sorry if I sounded harsh. I just keep the number 85 for the high in my head because I keep my corns and cal. kings in the same rack. I guess next time I need to look things up before I type.

That was the first care sheet I found. If you look all around, there are different numbers out there on different care sheets. I did adjust it down last evening. I don't want to fry her. She had crawled up and was hanging from the wire that is the temp probe. I was wondering if it was too freaking hot in there and she was trying to find a cooler spot. But, that was on the warm end, not the cool end.

I will see how she reacts to the temps. I know she was very active in the warmer temps. Good thing? I don't know, but I would assume so.

Thanks a lot!

No, actually increased activity just means she's trying to find conditions more suitable for her. In the wild, kingsnakes don't crawl around for the fun of it, only to find better conditions like thermoregulating or looking for food. IMO, you can keep juveniles in a large cage if you provide good hide places for them. The best hide places for a baby snake is not a hallow log but something flat they could crawl under and feel secure like a plastic plate or something similar. 85-90 is fine for the hot side but I prefer 85. Only heat from underneath or the sides. Lights should be avoided. I've used them in the past but I learned better. They dry the tank out and kingsnakes don't bask in the sun anyway. You need hide places on the cool and warm side of the cage. Its also good to have a container, with a hole to crawl in, filled with moist sphagnum moss. This helps with the humidity and gives the snake the option go in there during sheds or whatever. If your snake sheds in different pieces, its most likely too dry in the tank. Yeah, always have a lid on good with no gaps for baby snakes. If you put a wire down into the cage, the snake can still wrap around that wire and slowly move its way up to the top of the cage. They can get out of a lot of cages that are not properly secured. You can feed her two pinkies every 5-7 days right now. If she poops before then and becomes active, you can feed her then and there. You will get to know your snake and what she can handle.

Well, evidently it was too warm. She was very active. I reduced the temps down 5 deg on each end and she pretty much stays in a hide now. :-) not as much fun for me, but hopefully she is comfy.

I have three enclosed hides right now and a log. Plus the water dish in the coolest corner.

I did look at multiple care sheets, looking for an average temp. 85-90 on the high end seemed to be the average. Of course, the one I went w/ first was high. Way to go.

Thank!