King Snake Care Guide

About: King snakes are nonvenomous, terrestrial species of snakes native to regions all across North America. King snakes have a very strong resistance to snake venom, making them a top predator of other snakes, hence the name “king” snake. There are many different types of king snakes, but most grow to be around 30-60 inches in length, and often live 20-30 years.

Lighting: King snakes need a daytime temperature of 80-85 degrees, with a basking spot that’s kept around 90 degrees. The cool side of the tank should remain around 75, and night temperatures shouldn’t fall below 60. You can create a warm and cool side in the tank by placing the heat lamp on one far end of the tank, creating a heat gradient, where the snake can go to one side to cool down, and the other side to warm up.

UVB is a type of light that is produced by the sun, and will help process calcium, and give vitamins that the sun would normally give. King snakes don’t require UVB for their survival, but providing a low-output UVB bulb greatly improves their overall health, natural vitamin D synthesis, and activity levels.

Tank: All enclosures should be well-ventilated and have a secure lid to prevent the snake from escaping. When choosing a tank for your snake, you want it to ideally be the length of your snake, and half of the width, although many people choose a 40-gallon breeder tank, which is commonly considered the minimum tank size for a king snake.

The substrate you use can vary depending on what you prefer. Aspen bedding is often the easiest to clean, although not the prettiest. One of the best substrate options is a mix of any reptile-safe dirt and coconut fibers. This combination can help keep the humidity up, ideally around 40-60%.

Feeding and Watering: King snakes are carnivores, with a diet that mainly consists of rodents like mice and rats (or sometimes other snakes in the wild). The size of the rodent you need will depend on the size of your snake. The best way to tell what size you need is to look at the widest part of the snake and then choose a rodent that is about 1 to 1.5 times the width.

When feeding snakes frozen food, you’ll need to thaw out the rodent first. The best way to do this is to put the rodent in a cup of warm water for about 10-15 minutes. You want to make sure the rodent is warm before feeding, otherwise, they may spit it out. It’s best to remove the snake from the tank and put it elsewhere, like a cardboard box or old Tupperware (something you can throw out in case it gets gross). This will help associate hands reaching into the tank with food, and this can allow for a calmer, more docile snake.