# Snake returned after 5weeks



## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

My son got a king snake at the start of August. At the start of September he forgot to put the security stopper into the vivarium door and midnight escaped. 5weeks later I was cleaning the toy room and found him hiding behind a book case.  
He was very cold 🥶 I lifted him and he seemed quite distressed. Put him in his vivarium and left the light off for about 30mins as the lamp had broken. Replaced the lamp and gave him a pinkie which he ate within 30mins.
I gave him two days to settle and then told my son that he could lift him this morning. I lifted the hide and he was petrified. Tale rattling and struck at us.
I am very worried about him and wondered if I could have some tips and advice on how to help him get over his traumatic escape?
Ps when we got him, the reptile store only gave us a heat lamp and said that is all he needs. I'm wondering should he have a heat mat as now the evenings are getting colder and I have been Turing his lamp off at night (prior to his Mia escapade). We live in a new build house and his night time vivarium temperature is 18degrees when the light is off.
Many thanks in advance


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Your snake isn't "traumatised" by his escape. Kings do have a tendency to be nippy, especially when young. You have to realise that even with decades of captive breeding these are still wild animals and will have the basic instinct to fight or flight....

You don't state what species of Kingsnake you have but there is an excellent guide at the top of the snake section - here


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Firstly, you are very lucky to have got him back. Make sure you impress on your so the importance of securing the enclosure. If thus happens again you will almost certainly not find him again.
Regarding the heating, how exactly is the snake being kept? You don't need a heat mat overnight, but if all you were given was a lamp I would be concerned that there is no temperature control etc.
Can you, ideally, post some photos of the set up? Failing that provide a detailed description of enclosure, substrate, heat source, how the temperature is being controlled and measured.
As for the behaviour, it's to be expected. Snakes seem to very quickly revert to more defensive behaviour after escaping. He will settle down again in due course.
King's are also know to be more snappy than many other North American colubrids.


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## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

ian14 said:


> Firstly, you are very lucky to have got him back. Make sure you impress on your so the importance of securing the enclosure. If thus happens again you will almost certainly not find him again.
> Regarding the heating, how exactly is the snake being kept? You don't need a heat mat overnight, but if all you were given was a lamp I would be concerned that there is no temperature control etc.
> Can you, ideally, post some photos of the set up? Failing that provide a detailed description of enclosure, substrate, heat source, how the temperature is being controlled and measured.
> As for the behaviour, it's to be expected. Snakes seem to very quickly revert to more defensive behaviour after escaping. He will settle down again in due course.
> King's are also know to be more snappy than many other North American colubrids.


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## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

We are controlling the temperature with a thermostat and have a thermometer in the vivarium


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Set up looks OK. What species of King? Some are more defensive than others


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## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

wilkinss77 said:


> Set up looks OK. What species of King? Some are more defensive than others


I believe it's a California king


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Midnight'sowner said:


> We are controlling the temperature with a thermostat and have a thermometer in the vivarium


Where is the thermostat probe and what type of thermostat?
The thermometer reading is low, is that measuring cool or warm end and again, where is the probe for it?
I would also add a hide at the warm end and some more cover, as it is very open for a young snake. Plenty of artifical plants, pieces of cork bark etc will all help the snake feel more secure and should also then reduce some of the defensive behaviour.
What is the plug with a dial on it plugged into the wall socket? I really hope that isn't the thermostat, if it is, you've been very badly advised


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## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

ian14 said:


> Where is the thermostat probe and what type of thermostat?
> The thermometer reading is low, is that measuring cool or warm end and again, where is the probe for it?
> I would also add a hide at the warm end and some more cover, as it is very open for a young snake. Plenty of artifical plants, pieces of cork bark etc will all help the snake feel more secure and should also then reduce some of the defensive behaviour.
> What is the plug with a dial on it plugged into the wall socket? I really hope that isn't the thermostat, if it is, you've been very badly advised


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## Midnight'sowner (3 mo ago)

It's a dimmer for the heat lamp because it was too hot in the summer months. The thermometer is in the cool end.
Thank you for the advise on extra hides. Should I be turning the heat lamp off at night? Do I need a heat mat?


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Midnight'sowner said:


> It's a dimmer for the heat lamp because it was too hot in the summer months. The thermometer is in the cool end.
> Thank you for the advise on extra hides. Should I be turning the heat lamp off at night? Do I need a heat mat?


The lamp has to be off at night. No snake gets 24 hours of light.
You need a thermostat, a proper one not something you plug into the wall and hope for the best.
As you are using a basking light you need a dimming thermostat. You can get various models but all you need is a basic analogue dimming thermostat for reptiles. This comes with a probe that needs to be placed just off the ground and to the side of the basking lamp. You need to use a digital thermometer, again with a probe. You place the probe with the thermostat probe. This allows you to set the thermostat so that you have a basking spot of 32C.
Having the thermometer at the cool end is pointless as you have no idea how hot the warm end is.
You do not need a mat. Wood vivs retain heat very well, and kings do not need overnight heating.


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## NickN (11 mo ago)

Just to add to all the above good info:
If you can find a decent sized piece of dark rock/slate to place under the lamp, this will not only retain some warmth for a period after the lamp goes off, but will also help absorb some of its heat when it's on and give you an easier time of reaching the higher temperatures needed. Plus it of course acts as a nice basking spot should the snake want to (I never see my king snake using his but he could, if needed).


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Midnight'sowner said:


> I believe it's a California king


They're renowned for being one of the snottier tempered kings along with Mexican Blacks. You can tame them down, but it takes patience and tolerating getting bitten until they''re tame.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Most of the other long standing members have advised you on the corrections you need to make to the habitat. A slate cave at the worm end can be made from two bits of broken paving slabs around 2" thick and a slate tile that's had the edges sanded to remove any sharp edges. The thermostat of a dimmer stat can be secured to the slate tile using aquarium grade silicone sealer (HA6 is ideal), ideally with the snake safely tubbed up and kept outside the enclosure for 24 hours whilst the sealer cures. Alternatively use self adhesive aluminium foil tape used to seal AC ducting, but that can work out expensive as the roles are typically 50m or more and you only need a little. Do not use brown packing tape, or normal "gaffa" tape to secure anything in an enclosure. It soon becomes unstuck, but sticky enough to stick to the skin of the snake. It's also worth getting a plug in timer which you can fit between the output of the thermostat and lamp so that you can now give the snake a true day/night period.

I see you are using pelleted wood cat litter as a substrate. It's very absorbent, but does become very dusty as it brakes apart. See how you get on, but it might be worth considering an alternative such as Megazorb or a shredded hemp based product.

One final suggestion would be to purchase an IR thermometer gun. They can be had for less that £10 and you would use this to do the initial calibration of the thermostat and to do the regular checks to ensure the thermostat maintains the temperature


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