kingsnake or milksnake in 29 gallon
- Thread starter froggyman
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A 29 would definitely do as long as it is longer on its horizontal side. Kings and milks really don't use height. Kings and milks are beginner snakes so experience isn't necessary but general knowledge of it's husbandry is. All the species are easily kept but some get smaller or larger than others. Good Luck
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I have always said "bigger is better" except in the case of scorpions i have always found this to be true i keep my Tangerine Honduran milk snake that is almost at the 3 foot mark in a 70 gallon long with the bottom covered in a 4 inch deep layer of black organic potting soil mixed with chem free peat moss against one side i have a high mound supported by a large stone which sits against the glass bottom snugly with bamboo poles supporting the soil above these snakes are rather deceptively strong for their size and if you get one you will find out upon handling of it another good note to make is that many say these snakes can make do with a small hide i have found with mine at least they seem to love to borrow along with my banded Baja desert phase california king snake who is only a yearling yet loves to tunnel if you get one expect it to become a "pet hole" as it settles in and no matter the snake milk/king be sure to look up and study enough pictures before making your buy trust me i got suckered into a natural tangerine Honduran under the guise of a hypo tangerine so be wary of the name given and if possible have the pictures there of young and adult snakes of the species you are looking to buy
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how about a mexican black kingsnake
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Another vote for this one. Simply gorgeous.
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Your banana king would be the same as a California king...it's just a color morph, and I would advise against a California King unless you have the opportunity to handle it first and have time to handle it frequently. These snakes have a reputation of turning bitey, so you must keep up with frequent handling with these guys. If you want one that is calm, yet beautiful, look into graybanded kingsnakes. These are the most beautiful Lampropeltis in my opinion...well, equal with the tangerine honduran! I like those, too. 
The graybands will average 3' for adult size, and a honduran milksnake can get up to 6', maybe a little more. Just remember that as a general rule regarding kingsnakes/milksnakes, you can only keep one per container and wash before and after holding: if they even smell another snake on you, they WILL think food! With most milksnakes, they calm down from being spazzy at about 2 years of age. You can get them to settle down faster with frequent handling. Generally, though, the larger the milksnake will be, the easier they are to get them used to handling. My honduran only took one week to get accustomed to handling, but a nelson's I had never did, and its new owner still hasn't calmed it down to the point where it won't musk them every time they get it out. But, as I said, the honduran can get 6' or more, while the nelson's typically max out at 3' or so. Biting is very rare with milks, but the musk can have a strong odor to it...that's why it's important to get them used to being handled.
A 29 would be good for generally most colubrids. I prefer using 40 breeders for adults though, as they seem to enjoy the extra space. My colubrids have always enjoyed the height of a 29 when they were smaller and loved climbing! They still enjoy climbing, but can't as much now that they are in 40s.
The graybands will average 3' for adult size, and a honduran milksnake can get up to 6', maybe a little more. Just remember that as a general rule regarding kingsnakes/milksnakes, you can only keep one per container and wash before and after holding: if they even smell another snake on you, they WILL think food! With most milksnakes, they calm down from being spazzy at about 2 years of age. You can get them to settle down faster with frequent handling. Generally, though, the larger the milksnake will be, the easier they are to get them used to handling. My honduran only took one week to get accustomed to handling, but a nelson's I had never did, and its new owner still hasn't calmed it down to the point where it won't musk them every time they get it out. But, as I said, the honduran can get 6' or more, while the nelson's typically max out at 3' or so. Biting is very rare with milks, but the musk can have a strong odor to it...that's why it's important to get them used to being handled.A 29 would be good for generally most colubrids. I prefer using 40 breeders for adults though, as they seem to enjoy the extra space. My colubrids have always enjoyed the height of a 29 when they were smaller and loved climbing! They still enjoy climbing, but can't as much now that they are in 40s.
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How about a grayband kingsnake. Docile, attractive, easy to keep. They feed well if you get an established one.
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A little off topic but has any one here seen or heard of a cali kingxhoduran tangerine ? i have both and if i have a m and f after sexing i might would like to try inter breeding in the next year or two
Mexican black king ? yes a very beautiful serpent but very common in the trade how bout a mole king? would be kinda hard to find in the trade dunno bout laws on it but heres a link http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/molesnk.htm
i always liked getting snakes that are a lil harder to find in the trade just because im an odd ball i guess but hey first time keeper? mexican blacks are a good bet
Mexican black king ? yes a very beautiful serpent but very common in the trade how bout a mole king? would be kinda hard to find in the trade dunno bout laws on it but heres a link http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/molesnk.htm
i always liked getting snakes that are a lil harder to find in the trade just because im an odd ball i guess but hey first time keeper? mexican blacks are a good bet
I don't think I've ever met a bitey king much less a Cal. I went to a pet shop once and a guy knew I loved snakes and tried to sucker me into some of his adults. I handled a Great Plains Rat and then an adult Cal. King with out washing my hands in between and the King was very docile, in the pet shop they almost never handled any of their animals. 6 feet is a monster for a Honduran. It would be an unnormal maximum. I don't quite understand what you mean when you say the larger the milk will be the easier it will be to get to handling them. That doesn't make sense to me at all. I've never ever met a milk that enjoyed climbing, milks are also known as terrestrial king snakes so its well documented that they don't.Your banana king would be the same as a California king...it's just a color morph, and I would advise against a California King unless you have the opportunity to handle it first and have time to handle it frequently. These snakes have a reputation of turning bitey, so you must keep up with frequent handling with these guys. If you want one that is calm, yet beautiful, look into graybanded kingsnakes. These are the most beautiful Lampropeltis in my opinion...well, equal with the tangerine honduran! I like those, too.
A 29 would be good for generally most colubrids. I prefer using 40 breeders for adults though, as they seem to enjoy the extra space. My colubrids have always enjoyed the height of a 29 when they were smaller and loved climbing! They still enjoy climbing, but can't as much now that they are in 40s.
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You're welcome!
Well, if you're going to meet a bitey snake, it will more than likely be a Cal. King. The two most bitey species I know of are Amazon Tree Boas and California Kingsnakes. That is not to say that there aren't docile ones within each of those species, I'm just saying you're more than likely to meet a bitey one. If you handled the cal king in the pet store, than one of two things has occurred: 1. it actually is tame or 2. it is stressed. The California Kingsnakes that I've had were real gentle for the first month or two and then started getting bitey, and got to the point that they didn't tolerate handling at all. To keep them "tame" I would have to completely change environments on them every month. The only one I had that stayed tame without this active changing was one I had raised from a little guy.
She was pretty nice. But, it took work on my part to get her there. I'm also not claiming milksnakes to be arboreal, but they do enjoy climbing. If you give them a branch, they'll climb it. It has been very well documented in wild specimens that they do enjoy climbing, as most any snake does. If kept in optimum conditions with regular feeding, a female Hondo will typically get up to 6'...very common. Yes, usually they'll stop at 5.5', but 6' is definitely not out of the norm. Size does make a difference. Handle many specimens of each specie of milksnake as babies. In most cases, your spastic ones will be Pueblens and Nelson's, and your calmer ones will tend to be Hondurans and Andes. That's pretty much the typical when dealing with milks, as Pueblens and Nelson's are two of the smallest and Hondurans and Andes are the two biggest (they pretty much tie for size). Kingsnakes eat other snakes. So, other snakes = food. Snake scent on your hand is pretty much the same as leaving mouse scent on your hand. You may not get bitten, but you sure increase your chances. When handling Kings, it is ALWAYS best to wash. But, you should do that regardless to prevent any germ exchange with the snake you're handling.
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lmao dr.j i guess kings just don't like ya much i have handled many that the shop owners had frequent bitings from with no problems if you come at the snakes fast of course their gonna get defensive and bit now some are just lil s.o.b's and will bite at any chance but all i have ever handled since i was 6 have always been very nice and curious animals that were more interested in looking you over than biting you lol and GTB'S now i don't have much experience with but like all snakes im sure you got your nice ones and mean lil s.o.b's i have heard of GTB's that were very friendly with children yet struck every adult that tried to handle them so who knows
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I have met some bitey cal kings, and I have met some bitey honduran milksnakes. Every snake is different. Keep in mind that babies move fast, often musk on you, and occasionally get defensive. An older one, say a yearling, will move slower and tame down quicker. Most desert kings, mountain kings, and graybands are pretty gentle.
thanks for all the suggestions guys..i have a couple of quick questions
1)Should i provide a hide on both the warm and the cool sides of the tank
2)Is a simple undertank heater good enough these species dont need a light for basking do they?
thanks again for the help ill be picking up my snake in a few weeks.
1)Should i provide a hide on both the warm and the cool sides of the tank
2)Is a simple undertank heater good enough these species dont need a light for basking do they?
thanks again for the help ill be picking up my snake in a few weeks.
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1) Absolutely yes. A snake shouldn't have to choose between the temperature it wants and the ability to hide, because not having either one can stress them out.
2) If it's a good enough UTH that it gets the desired temp range, then yes. Snakes don't need UVB or anything. (Go ahead and set up your tank at least a week before you get the snake, so you can see if your brand of UTH is getting the temps right or if it needs to be swapped. Everything should be ready to go before you get the animal, so it can go right into a good enclosure and start to de-stress from the move.)
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What species did you decide to get? I don't see a specific mention in this thread - in any case, Googling for the snake species name and the word "temperature" should cover your bases on the first question.
Second, I wouldn't use reptile carpet, even if they don't burrow. I used that for the first year or so with my ball python, and it was always a big pain in the butt to have to take everything out of the tank so I could put in a clean piece of carpet (you need at least two so you can rotate), then have to go wash the soiled one and they take FOREVER to dry and never seem to quite get as clean as you want...
I switched over to aspen shavings and the difference is awesome. You can just scoop out poo/urates with a kitty litter scooper (be sure you get the shavings in the immediate area too, as they're probably also soiled), and you only need to replace the aspen completely when it starts to smell stale or musty.
Most snakes will probably burrow in it at least a little, whether they're big burrowers or not. My python seems to enjoy having his hide caves buried, the added layer of shavings on top must help hold in heat or something.
Just make sure it's aspen and not pine or cedar, those two are toxic to small animals even though pet shops still try to sell it to you. And you'll have to feed the snake in a seperate shoebox or something with no substrate in it, so he doesn't eat any wood bits by accident.