CALIFORNIAN KING SNAKES ( Lampropeltis getulus californiae )

FAMILY     Colubridae

DISTRIBUTION      Kingsnakes occur in North and South America as well as many subspecies in the continental United States.

SIZE    The average size for an adult kingsnake is approx 3-5ft although some of the subspecies have been known to grow to lengths of 6.5ft.

LIFESPAN     The average lifespan for a Californian kingsnake is between 15-20yrs.

Introduction      The kingsnake is a member of the species of snakes known as Lampropeltis. The California kingsnake and the Grey Banded kingsnake (lampropeltis alterna) are the 2 most popular types of kingsnake kept by the reptile keeper, there are a variety of reasons why this is so but the main reasons are they are easy to keep, easy to breed and are available in a vast variety of different colours and pattern morphs.

Housing      Kingsnakes should be housed separately because of the cannibalistic qualities of these species. The size of the vivarium will depend on the size of your snake (as the snake grows so should its housing), but as a guide a hatchling kingsnake will live quite happily in a hatchling box which are available at any good reptile shop. When your snake is approximately 30ins in length the ideal size for the vivarium should be 24in length by 24ins deep by 18ins high and then when it reaches its adult size the ideal size vivarium would be 36in length by 18ins deep by 18ins high, this size vivarium will house your adult kingsnake quite happily.

Inside the vivarium you should provide a minimum of 2 hides which for the hatchlings could be made from old toilet rolls as these are easy to dispose of and replace if needed and for the bigger size snake they could be made from old plastic pipes (any rough edges will need to be filled down) or purpose made reptile hides or just some arranged pieces of bark. You should also provide a good size water bowl and add plants etc for decor if you so wish.

Substrate      There are a variety of substrates available but the best to use for hatchlings is some paper towel as it is very easy to keep the snakes environment clean, but you could use wood chips,paper,bark chippings, desert snow, astro turf or aspen bedding.

Heating & Lighting      A thermostat is a must to control the temperature no matter what heating solution you use. Heat mats can be used to provide the general background heat but they should cover no more than 1 third of the floor area so as to allow for a thermal gradient. The temperatures for your kingsnake should be between 26-28°c (78-82°f) for the ambient temperature with the hot side temperatures reaching 30-31°c (86-88°f) and the cool end reaching temperatures of about 24°c (75°f), the night night temperature can be allowed to drop to about 23°c (74°f).

The kingsnake doesn't have any special lighting requirements and therefore doesn't require a uv tube as background daylight is sufficient, but if you wanted to place one in the vivarium for decor purposes you can do so as it wouldn't have any detrimental effects on the snake. The kingsnake should have a photoperiod of approximately 14hrs.

Feeding     Hatchling Kingsnakes should be fed a pinkie mouse every 3 to 4 days and as the snake grows the amount should be increased so it eventually takes a fuzzy mouse once week. Adult kingsnakes should be fed on adult mice or weaner rats once every 7-10 days. The size of the food will depend on the size of your snake but a general rule is it should be slightly larger than the widest part of the snakes body.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS      The only common problems to mention with the kingsnake is that if there is an excessive amount of humidity in the vivarium it can lead to pustular dermatitis (blister disease) and if there is an inadequate level of humidity it can cause problems when the snake comes to slough its skin. The humidity level should be around 40-60%.