My first baby snake!

The humane society that I volunteer at took in a bunch of snakes (around 20), and there were two mexican black kingsnakes! I went to see the one left today and put a hold on them. They are sooo tiny. I've never had a baby snake, so I thought I would come here to ask some things. They are eating mice pinkies, so I went to order some today, but Big Cheese Rodent Factory (https://bigcheeserodents.com/product...n-feeder-mice/) has two sizes of pinky. I got the smallest one, because they really are such a small snake, but it might just seem like that to me. They can't be more than a few months old. I think the sign on the tank said they were around 90 grams. The order doesn't ship until after the weekend, so should I get the larger pinkies instead?

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At 90 grams, it should probably be taking in a fuzzy or hopper. Figure about 10% it's weight. I think pinkies are going to be too small. I have an almost 4-year old MBK, and she was eating hoppers when she was around 90 grams.

Mexican black kings are beautiful snakes. This is Tybee.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d08fe3f253.jpg

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I've bred & raised king snakes & others, but I've never been one to weigh my snakes* OR their food. (*The only time I do that is for dosing a medication, which is quite rare.) So it's hard to give you much of an answer without seeing the snake (length?). Most snakes are hatched out in the summer, so it's likely older than you think, though it might have been chronically under-fed. (or what some call "maintenance fed"- ie. just enough to stay alive)

What a great catch for a new pet though- I love Mexican black king snakes- I used to have a pair of them, many years ago. Congrats!

I just looked at Big Cheese- I'd get the larger pinkies at least, or maybe fuzzies, as suggested above. :gj:

Too cute. I want one now lol

Yeah, that's why I'm wondering if I actually read it right because they're the width of my pinkie, maybe smaller. Not sure if that sounds right for 90 grams? I'll try to get a picture when I bring them home. They were from what I think would be considered a hoarding situation, as they were not being kept in good conditions, so it's very possible they were not getting fed an adequate amount. I don't think they were necessarily thin, though - I'll see if any of the staff can tell me.

I am very excited about the timing of this. I found out about mexican black kingsnakes a while ago and thought they were gorgeous, but I assumed I'd never actually get one due to them not being super common. Lucky me!

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I'm really happy to hear these snakes are getting a new lease on life now too. :gj:

As I said, the snake's weight means nothing to me, I go by the length, which can be a challenge to estimate, I know, & also the size of the mouth & the mid-body. King snakes don't have the largest gape (compared to rat snakes etc) but not the smallest either. (not like longnose or glossy snakes from the desert southwest, for example- they have very narrow faces)

If you get pinks that are on the small side for him, you'll just be feeding a couple at a time anyway- one isn't likely to fill him up. It's not like they'll go to waste either way, & they keep frozen for a long time- I'd personally get both sizes (large pinks & fuzzies) since shipping adds up.

I didn't think about getting multiple sizes, but that makes sense, thanks!

Also, I can't really find hides small enough. I got some Pangea mini plastic hides, but even those seem too big. He was under the substrate when I went to see him, so I guess it isn't a big deal, but would something like a paper towel tube be okay to put in the enclosure?

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Under the substrate works, if your snake feels secure doing so. The paper towel tubes work fine, as long as you watch it, that they don't get wet or soaked. Then you need to replace them... easy enough. The small mini hides, I think they're like 3"x5", should be fine for them. That's been the smallest I had in mine. I did use the paper towel tubes as well. Just replaced them if they got wet. The hides you can probably find on Amazon. I think I bought mine on Reptile Basics or LLL Reptile. I can post links if you can't find any.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

I didn't think about getting multiple sizes, but that makes sense, thanks!

Also, I can't really find hides small enough. I got some Pangea mini plastic hides, but even those seem too big. He was under the substrate when I went to see him, so I guess it isn't a big deal, but would something like a paper towel tube be okay to put in the enclosure?

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You truly don't need to buy small hides that your snake will outgrow- use small clean (!) boxes that food or other things come in- even box lids work well- just use an Exacto knife to cut a doorway or a couple doorways & your kingsnake will love it. They aren't as shy as BPs, not once they settle in & find out there's food.

If you really want to buy some hides (& some that your snake won't outgrow for a long time) I'd recommend these (link below): King & milk snakes love them & you can add an extra doorway as they suggest, though I never did. It mimics the burrowing they do in the wild, & for a shy snake, food left on top near the hole can be easily grabbed overnight, though most kings aren't all that shy. These hides are big enough that you can just use one (halfway over the UTH) and use other types of hides (small boxes & cardboard rolls) elsewhere in the unheated areas.

For substrate many things work- the shredded paper products are what I use mostly for my colubrids- & you don't need to worry about giving a king snake "back pressure" in a hide that "just fits" as you do with a BP. You can also just crumple a paper towel & put it loosely under a larger hide- tiny king snakes love all that "stuff". ;)

Since he's been under-fed (assuming) I'd also make him a humid hide to help with sheds- it's NO fun trying to help a tiny snake shed- be sure to check tail tips & eye caps. The large pinkies will be easier to digest, & before you size up, I'd feed 2 at a time. Remember king snakes are slender- their stomach is a long narrow organ into which a couple of pinks fit nicely. They'll make up for some of the growth he hasn't been able to do. A king snake's mouth isn't huge either, so it's easier to take (fit) 2 smaller items than one that's bigger around, as you might do with a heavier-bodied snake like a BP.

https://www.beanfarm.com/collections...hide-out-small

Note- I never put water directly in this "water bowl"- it holds a typical sized bowl so you can easily change the water without taking out the hide too often. Kings are more likely to defecate in their water bowl than BPs are.

All very helpful, thank you!

I brought him home today and was pleasantly surprised by his temperament. He had a stuck eye cap, and I was able to gently massage it off with a damp paper towel without much of a fuss!

I know it's probably hard to tell, but any guesses on sex? His tail looks long in the picture, but I don't think it is compared to the body. I can't tell if it tapers quickly or not, as I don't have anything to compare. It seems to immediately get thinner, then stays sort of the same for a bit? I originally guessed female, but now I'm not sure. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d8d3b77e33.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a7c18f7a0c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...aad40009f7.jpg

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

All very helpful, thank you!

I brought him home today and was pleasantly surprised by his temperament. He had a stuck eye cap, and I was able to gently massage it off with a damp paper towel without much of a fuss!

I know it's probably hard to tell, but any guesses on sex? His tail looks long in the picture, but I don't think it is compared to the body. I can't tell if it tapers quickly or not, as I don't have anything to compare. It seems to immediately get thinner, then stays sort of the same for a bit? I originally guessed female, but now I'm not sure. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d8d3b77e33.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a7c18f7a0c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...aad40009f7.jpg

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She (or he) is beautiful. Good luck with her. Can't help you in sexing, though. Sorry.

Mine was a little fiesty in the beginning as a baby. After about a year, she started mellowing out. Now she's like a big puppy! Hopefully she don't do much making on you, as mine did. It was like the smell of sardines.

Great snakes indeed. MBK was my first.

Beautiful little king snake! And :gj: for noticing & getting the eye-cap off too. I'm no good at guessing king snake tails, they're too ambiguous to tell by just looking. (Needs gentle tail popping if you know how or probes if you've been taught.) Large pinkies first, graduating to fuzzies should be fine, btw. He doesn't look starved either, though sometimes snakes "inflate" when stressed by handling & transport, so that's not an 'absolute' either, but he looks quite good.

I think you're going to enjoy this little guy (or gal). By the way, they're only about 8" long & skinny like a #2 pencil when they hatch, so this is not fresh out of the egg. As Charles8088 hinted, you might get musked or tail-squirted in self-defense: kings don't have a big enough gape to bite effectively, so their self defense as hatchlings involves the other end, lol. But my MBKs weren't bad about this at all- they outgrew it quickly with gentle handling, & this one already looks pretty comfortable with you.

There was some shed around the eye as well, so it was easy to see. Looked like a googly eye lol. So far no musking! Completely forgot they could do that (I was aware they could, just forgot in the moment); I would have been in for a rude awakening haha. I was afraid to pick him up because I've never held such a small snake, but I forget how strong snakes are!

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Oh yeah, I forgot my main question for raising a snake. Not sure if I'm overthinking this, but how do you know if you're feeding the right amount? I don't want to stunt him by underfeeding him, but I don't want to accidentally powerfeed him, either. I assume it's probably pretty obvious if a snake is underfed, though? I'm not sure how easy it is to do either of these things, so sorry if this is a stupid question. I just want him to grow up healthy!

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Not a stupid question! I also had this concern when I first got my snake, and luckily I will say you get more of a feel for it as time goes on. Power feeding, as I understand it, is pretty intentional and involves actively forcing large meals on your snake much more often than they should be getting them to try and get them to grow abnormally faster. It would be hard to just do accidentally especially if you know what appropriate prey size and frequency should be. Any other accidental overfeeding is technically possible but I also wouldn't worry about it with a young colubrid only on pinkies or fuzzies. Those prey items are not very nutritionally or calorically dense and even if you were feeding a little too much of them it would just go towards growth and not fat accumulation.

For underfeeding, that's actually what I was doing at first. I was just giving my girl one pinky a week which was not enough to keep her full or growing at her size. It wasn't something that was obvious to me based on observation since I hadn't been doing it for long enough that she was losing body condition. That's where research and asking more experienced keepers about your methods becomes really helpful. I learned that doubling up on prey items, especially stuff like pinkies and fuzzies, was very common and what I should be doing. With that said, you've gotten some good guidelines for feeding here, and moving forward you just want to make sure you have an appropriately sized prey item given around every week, although the exact feeding day doesn't matter that much. That can extend to around every two weeks when your snake is an adult.

Of course if you have any more questions along the way this forum has some very knowledgable people so always feel free to ask. I'm looking forward to seeing Bogertophis's insights on this as well.

And gorgeous kingsnake by the way! He should make a very good pet :)

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Oh yeah, I forgot my main question for raising a snake. Not sure if I'm overthinking this, but how do you know if you're feeding the right amount? I don't want to stunt him by underfeeding him, but I don't want to accidentally powerfeed him, either. I assume it's probably pretty obvious if a snake is underfed, though? I'm not sure how easy it is to do either of these things, so sorry if this is a stupid question. I just want him to grow up healthy!

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Keep in mind that colubrids are slender snakes, & their stomach is slender too, so especially when they're small, I tend to feed 2 items (2 pinks or 2 fuzzies) for a while before moving up to a larger size rodent. (As hatchlings, they all start on just one pinky at a time.) It's something that I "eye-ball" so it's hard to give a fixed response to. You don't want to see a big bulge after they eat.

To give you an example, I have a TX longnose snake, whose narrow gape (along with slender body) only allows him to eat fuzzies (10 mm wide x 25 mm long), even though he's about 3' long- so a typical meal for him is 6 fuzzies. He's a special case, btw- in the wild, they're not really rodent eaters at all- they like small reptiles (lizards, small snakes), but he's pushing 20 years old now & healthy, not fat, so I must be on the right track? For a slender 36" long snake, putting 6 fuzzies in his tummy translates to about 6" (one sixth) of his entire length, which is what he's comfortable eating. He actually won't overeat, but he's an unusual :snake: in that regard. Also keep in mind that young rodents (pinks/fuzzies) digest pretty easily- furry rodents take more enzymes to get the job done.

Your MB king snake will certainly grow big enough to eat adult mice- I think it helps to look at snake anatomy diagrams though when considering what to put in their stomach. Mostly it won't be more than one adult mouse at a time when he's mature. Like many snakes, your king snake will probably tell you he's "starving" when he isn't: feed the right sized meals weekly for now, & gradually lengthen the interval to 10 days when he's an adult; elderly colubrid snakes do best eating about every 2 weeks.

Thank you both! I think I'll go with two pinkies weekly for now until moving him up. I'll definitely be coming back to this thread every once in a while to double check as he grows, if that's okay?

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Okay, fed him for the first time tonight. He ate immediately, which was nice. Anyway, I was confident with my temps before, but now that he's eaten I'm getting nervous because that's just the type of person I am. I'm only using a ceramic heat emitter because of how small a tank he is in right now. Right outside of his warm hide, the ground is 89-90 degrees. Behind his hide, where I've seen him hanging out before, is 87-88. Inside his hide is about 86-87. Is this okay, or does it need to be 88?

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I figured he'd eat easily for you, but :gj: anyway. High temps. are just fine at 86*-87*. Don't over-think this, the natural world is not controlled by a thermostat. ;) Make sure he can get away from the warmth too, that's equally important.

Okay, thank you! I read some things saying lower temps, some saying 88-90, so I kind of did both. But that is just the warm side, he does have cooler temps on the other side.

A perk of adopting from the humane society is that you get a free vet check with participating vets. He went yesterday, and everything looks good! They didn't have probes small enough to sex him, but they said I can bring him back once he's bigger to do that. He gave me some tail buzzing, but he seems to calm down once actually picked up. I imagine it's pretty scary being that small. He was 15 grams, so I think the paper at the humane society probably said 9.3 grams, not 93 grams lol.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Okay, thank you! I read some things saying lower temps, some saying 88-90, so I kind of did both. But that is just the warm side, he does have cooler temps on the other side.

A perk of adopting from the humane society is that you get a free vet check with participating vets. He went yesterday, and everything looks good! They didn't have probes small enough to sex him, but they said I can bring him back once he's bigger to do that. He gave me some tail buzzing, but he seems to calm down once actually picked up. I imagine it's pretty scary being that small. He was 15 grams, so I think the paper at the humane society probably said 9.3 grams, not 93 grams lol.

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I bet you're right about his weight. And if I was that tiny, I'd buzz my tail too, I guarantee it. Can you imagine being picked up by a giant human? Yikes! ;)

First poop yesterday! He had a sausage butt after the vet, so I knew it was coming soon. I'm used to my ball python's poops looking like cat poop haha, so I just wanted to check to see if anyone can tell if this looks okay? Sorry about the quality, took the picture after the sun went down and lighting was bad. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9ce86b570b.jpg

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That's exactly what normal "baby snake poo" looks like. :gj: It's not as "formed" because his prey is far more digestible.

Ohhh that makes sense, thank you!

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Good question, asking is always better than worrying. :)

Not sure if anyone will see this tonight, but I thought I might as well ask. I was going to feed him the second pinky, but it looks like the first one is taking up a lot of space already? But again, I don't know what it's supposed to look like. I also accidentally dropped the second one on the floor....Does the five second rule count here? lol. Sorry for all the questions/posts.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0b031888dc.jpg

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Your beautiful little guy does look nice and full. I tend to be a little cautious about overfeeding so my personal inclination would be to just let him digest the one pinkie and not feed a second.

I wouldn't worry about dropping a food item on the floor - just rinse and wipe it off.

Agree exactly ^ ^ ^. He's full with one pink for now. It was hard to advise you without seeing him, & with only your descriptions to go on.

Snake food dropped on the floor- just rinse it off & don't worry about it. ;)

He looks to be in good hands now- :gj:

Great, I didn't give him the other one, though he definitely would have eaten it! I'll wait to give him two until he's gotten bigger.

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So, a bit of an unfortunate update - little guy has mites! Ugh! So I ordered some of this (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...E&gclsrc=aw.ds), which will be here tomorrow, and my vet is going to mix up some ivermectin solution if I want to pick that up tomorrow as well. Anyone have experience with either of these?

Also, he twitched a bit when I picked him up. I assume this is due to discomfort and itching, but I thought I'd make sure. Does that mean it's severe, should I get him help right away? He ate last week and seems competely fine otherwise (other than being more restless).

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

So, a bit of an unfortunate update - little guy has mites! Ugh! So I ordered some of this (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...E&gclsrc=aw.ds), which will be here tomorrow, and my vet is going to mix up some ivermectin solution if I want to pick that up tomorrow as well. Anyone have experience with either of these?

Also, he twitched a bit when I picked him up. I assume this is due to discomfort and itching, but I thought I'd make sure. Does that mean it's severe, should I get him help right away? He ate last week and seems completely fine otherwise (other than being more restless).

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Oh no! So sorry- mites are a nasty hassle. I've never used that spray but I do like other products from Natural Chemistry, so it's probably good.

YES, you need to get on this immediately- especially with such a small snake, mites can kill them quicker than you'd imagine. They each only suck a tiny bit of blood, but it's more than snakes can spare (especially since mites reproduce exponentially)- they cause circulatory collapse- shock, organ failure.

Ivermectin: how much to do you trust this vet with snakes? I ask because my understanding is that Ivermectin is risky to use with snakes, it's very potent, & while effective at killing mites, you also want a live snake. I'd have to talk more with the vet about this- & then trust your gut. :confuzd:

It has been many years since I had a snake with mites. The first thing I did for immediate & harmless relief (and what I'd suggest you do now) is a 20 minute soak in lukewarm/cool water with a drop or 2 of Ivory or Dawn dish soap- just to break the surface tension so the mites drown. It will get many, or most, but probably not all the mites- they hide in nostrils, or around eyes or cloaca. You need to be careful not to drown your snake when "soaking" also- stay right there with them, they should NOT have to be swimming- the water must be shallow enough so they don't need to swim, but to be effective, you want it to cover as much of their body 'height' as possible. Snakes often panic in a "bath" situation because there's no traction for them, so it helps if you can give them something to hang onto- even your hand- so they remain in the water (covered as much as possible) & long enough for the mites to drown.

When I dealt with mites, after the soak method ^ ^ ^ I briefly used a pesticide option no longer available, so you'll have to figure out what is your best option to use next to finish the job.

You'll want to keep this snake on white paper towels (so the mites show up) & discard all porous materials like branches or wood hides (mite eggs will keep hatching out to re-infest your snake).
Plastic hides are fine (washable) as is a plastic or glass water bowl.

This may help: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Mite-questions

Thank you! Yeah, tomorrow I'm doing a full clean and throwing out his wooden hide. Luckily that's the only thing porous in his enclosure since it's his "baby cage" and I didn't want to buy a bunch of fancy stuff that he would outgrow. I have heard some things about ivermectin, so I'm thinking of just using it on the cage (rinsing afterward) and then the spray for his body. I did ask about the possible harmful effects and was told that they use it all the time with no problems. I'll probably just stick with the Natural Chemistry spray unless I don't find it to be working. I'll give him a quick soak for now since I don't want to stress him out too much knowing what's in store tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Thank you! Yeah, tomorrow I'm doing a full clean and throwing out his wooden hide. Luckily that's the only thing porous in his enclosure since it's his "baby cage" and I didn't want to buy a bunch of fancy stuff that he would outgrow. I have heard some things about ivermectin, so I'm thinking of just using it on the cage (rinsing afterward) and then the spray for his body. I did ask about the possible harmful effects and was told that they use it all the time with no problems. I'll probably just stick with the Natural Chemistry spray unless I don't find it to be working. I'll give him a quick soak for now since I don't want to stress him out too much knowing what's in store tomorrow.

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So how did you find out he has mites- are you seeing many? Make sure he has a water bowl (now!) that's big enough for him to soak in, but don't put soap in that- you don't want him drinking water with even a bit of soap in (it will upset his tummy!). Many snakes with mites will automatically soak for relief. Poor little guy! (Ivermectin is used various ways- injectable etc) I wouldn't worry about "stressing him out now" (ahead of tomorrow) by giving a more effective soak because the more mites he has, that's worse than any soak. Just do it- he's too little & he's probably had them for quite a while now- they're hard to see, & always more plentiful than you realize. Please don't under-estimate mites.

I noticed because I thought his vent looked weird, and when I looked at it I saw a mite crawling around. I didn't actually see that many on him. He did not like the soak at first, but he settled down a bit eventually. I rubbed him down afterwards and now don't see any on him. His water bowl is big enough to soak in.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

I noticed because I thought his vent looked weird, and when I looked at it I saw a mite crawling around. I didn't actually see that many on him. He did not like the soak at first, but he settled down a bit eventually. I rubbed him down afterwards and now don't see any on him. His water bowl is big enough to soak in.

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:gj: Good!

Alright, so I think that went well. I was really worried about hurting him with the stuff, but he seems all good. I was wondering though - should I put his water bowl back in? I gently wiped him a couple times with a damp paper towel, but I'm not sure how well that worked in getting everything off. Rinsing the snake isn't even on the instructions, and it says I can put all his accessories back in the enclosure, but should I wait a day or so before putting water in? Thanks.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Alright, so I think that went well. I was really worried about hurting him with the stuff, but he seems all good. I was wondering though - should I put his water bowl back in? I gently wiped him a couple times with a damp paper towel, but I'm not sure how well that worked in getting everything off. Rinsing the snake isn't even on the instructions, and it says I can put all his accessories back in the enclosure, but should I wait a day or so before putting water in? Thanks.

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Which product are you referring to? Natural Chemistry or Ivermectin or something else? :confusd:

Sorry, I mean the natural chemistry stuff

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Alright, so I think that went well. I was really worried about hurting him with the stuff, but he seems all good. I was wondering though - should I put his water bowl back in? I gently wiped him a couple times with a damp paper towel, but I'm not sure how well that worked in getting everything off. Rinsing the snake isn't even on the instructions, and it says I can put all his accessories back in the enclosure, but should I wait a day or so before putting water in? Thanks.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Sorry, I mean the natural chemistry stuff

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As I said, I've never used this product- it wasn't around years ago when I had a snake with mites. Please follow the instructions on the product explicitly- as shown below. It doesn't say to rinse it off the reptile, so don't. Since you can put all accessories* back, by all means replace his water bowl too, though if you see him soaking in it, it might be that he'll wash off the product & need it to be re-applied? *Just keep in mind that you need to stick with non-porous accessories for a while, since mite eggs could be hiding & hatch out for about a month, I think. From the instructions given, I think you can expect to be re-applying Natural Chemistry at 3+ day intervals for a while to ensure all mites are gone. They don't leave voluntarily & it takes a great deal to offend them...;)

BTW, you seem to be under the impression that this is a "pesticide"- it apparently works to drown the mites, much the same way as the drop of mild dish soap
in water to soak the snake does. These methods are the LEAST likely to cause any harm to your snake, as strong chemical pesticides can.

The main ingredients are:
dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate- which is a wetting agent (used in drugs, cosmetics & food, etc)
Undecylenic Acid- which is an anti-fungal compound (that apparently they found to work safely for this purpose too)



InstructionsSpray directly on reptile, but not to excess (runoff). Avoid spraying eyes and facial areas. Alternatively, spray solution on cloth and wipe on reptile. Reapply as often as necessary, but not more often than at 3-day intervals. Do not treat snakes for at least 6 hours after shedding their skin.

Thank you for your input. I did put his water bowl back, and I fed him tonight. He ate enthusiastically, which is about what I was expecting haha. I'll probably treat him again Tuesday and then the tank again in a week.

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It finally happened - he tried to eat me! He's usually pretty chill once he's in my hands, but I had put him down to weigh him. I think my hands moving around above him may have triggered food mode. He's only gained 5 or 6 grams (which is what the vet predicted he should be gaining at his size - a couple grams a month), so I don't think he's quite at two pinkies yet, but possibly soon!

Anyway, Saturday was my fourth cleaning and mite treatment of his cage, and today I saw no mites when changing his paper towels! Hopefully this means it is coming to an end.

Also, not sure if I mentioned before, but I'm calling him Leviathan.

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Tell him he can't have YOUR "pinkies"- he has to wait for his own! :rofl: It's not unusual for our hands to confuse or scare a little snake- I think I'd forget & forgive, lol.

Hope it's the last of his mites, too. :gj:

Nearly all the King snakes I’ve had over the years have been ‘bitey’ whilst in the viv but they’re were all ‘where’s the food’ nips :)

Everyone was perfect once they were out of the viv


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Okay so I put the thawed pinky (in a baggie) under the heat emitter right out of the fridge as I've seen other people do it, but now I'm paranoid. Can that cook it? It was pretty close to the bb for about twenty minutes and was very warm. I don't want to feed it to him if it could be cooked.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Okay so I put the thawed pinky (in a baggie) under the heat emitter right out of the fridge as I've seen other people do it, but now I'm paranoid. Can that cook it? It was pretty close to the bb for about twenty minutes and was very warm. I don't want to feed it to him if it could be cooked.

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King snakes do NOT need nor care if their prey is warmed, & since heat promotes spoilage (& yes, can cook it too), I'd avoid doing that. No point- just feed him once it's thawed, & pinkies thaw VERY fast. It won't hurt to offer him THIS pinkie- he won't likely care, but I wouldn't keep doing that.

Oh I know he doesn't care if it's warm lol I just thought cold food was bad for snakes? Or is it okay as long as it's fully thawed? Honestly you're a life saver with how often you answer my questions haha.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Oh I know he doesn't care if it's warm lol I just thought cold food was bad for snakes? Or is it okay as long as it's fully thawed? Honestly you're a life saver with how often you answer my questions haha.

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You don't want to feed icy cold prey to snakes, but thawing in normal cold water is just fine. That's what I've done for many years. It's only when you have fussy snakes like BPs, that rely on their heat-sensing pits to "find" their prey that you need to literally warm the prey so they're fooled into thinking it's "live" & accept it.

Pinkies thaw in minutes in cold tap water. When thawing larger prey, you want to feel it by hand to make sure it feels "soft" & flexible thru-out.

In winter, when the cold tap does feel closer to ice water, that's the only time I might add some warm water to the cold that I thaw prey in. You basically want the prey to be about room temperature, not literally "warm".

SO I have a crazy update I guess? Levi (I don't remember if I ever introduced his name on this thread but that's what I went with) went missing around mid October because I stupidly left his cage unlocked, something I had NEVER done before. But my dad just found him out in the gARAGE. I put him in a bath of room temp water and he was so thirsty. I'm wondering what to do from here. I still have his cage set up, so I put him in there but turned the temperature down since it was cold in the garage. Do you think it's necessary to gradually heat him up or just go back to normal later tonight/tomorrow? Also, I was planning on feeding him Thursday (smaller meal than he was eating before), but should I wait longer? He seems to have some stuck shed, but I didn't want to freak him out anymore than he was by messing with that today, especially since I figured getting him hydrated would help. Should I just wait until he sheds again to see if he gets it off?

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You didn't mention how cold the garage is & how big the difference is, but off-hand I'd say warm him somewhat gradually, & do NOT feed him for at least a week or two after he's been at "normal" temperatures.

He needs more time to rehydrate- a dehydrated snake cannot digest & he'll likely regurgitate if you feed him too soon, which can cause real harm, especially now. It's unlikely he'd want to eat yet anyway, but hopefully you'll see signs of his appetite returning when it's time. When you feed him, feed smaller than what he was eating before, & allow more time to digest- easy does it.

I'm glad you found him, but he needs "TLC" now. Make sure he has a bowl of water big enough to soak in as much as he wants- hopefully he'll get the stuck shed off before too long.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Do you think it's necessary to gradually heat him up or just go back to normal later tonight/tomorrow?

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You should gradually raise his body temperature to room temperature (70 - 75F). I would think that a few hours would suffice. After that, I think you can power up his basking spot. Start off at room temp and slowly raise it (5F per day) until you reach his normal basking temp. You don't want to shock him with a sudden and dramatic temperature change. Also, you haven't been running this heat source for months, so you need to be see that the thermostat is properly regulating your heat source.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

Also, I was planning on feeding him Thursday (smaller meal than he was eating before), but should I wait longer?

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I would hold off on feeding him for at least a week to give him time to settle back in.

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Originally Posted by TayKiren

He seems to have some stuck shed, but I didn't want to freak him out anymore than he was by messing with that today, especially since I figured getting him hydrated would help. Should I just wait until he sheds again to see if he gets it off?

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Unless the stuck shed is on his eyes or tail tip, I'd leave him alone until he's had three meals. Getting him eating again is a higher priority.