need help please!

[theodore]

I found a snake that looks ALOT like the one in the link, except it's about the size of a hatchling. He/she is in a 5 gallon tank [we also have a 15 gal tank for when he/she is bigger].The temperature is about 85 to 90 degrees, and the humidity is about 40% out of 100%. He/she hasn't eaten anything since I got him 2 weeks ago, even though we've offered him/her pinky mice, and earthworms. I'm a little scared for him, and I'm worried he won't make it. Please help me, any advice is welcome.

Please click the link below to see what he/she looks like. [he/she is about 9 inches long]



http://www.cydoniamall.com/pets/1036...%20Desert.html

Thank you in advance for all your help.

[bcr229]

85-90*F is too hot for a king snake.

By "found it" do you mean you found it for sale, or you found it outside?

[theodore]

I found the snake outside on a cold fall day. What is the correct temperature for him/her? I heard it was mid-80's to the 90's. [or else it wouldn't be that temp, go figure!]

Thanks.

[bcr229]

You should have left him outside. If it's been getting cold he's probably been getting ready to brumate for the winter, which means he'll stop eating.

I run my kings and milks at 75-85*F.

[theodore]

Thank you for the temp advise. I reset the temperature in his tank and he seems happier. Do you have any idea on what I could possibly convince him to eat? Please don't tell me to release him, or that I'm "dumb" for taking him out of the wild, because if I let him go he will most likely die from cold weather. I did not start this thread because I wanted to talk about why I should release him, or because I wanted to be assaulted by people telling me to let him go.

Thank you, and best regards.

T

[onthefritz]

I don't understand why you took him inside to begin with?

[frostysBP]

It is going to be in or going into brumation like bcr229 said and now it thinks it summer again. Prob wont eat and could very well die. All my kings are cooled down and off feed untill spring when i warm them back up. Best advice release it and save up 50 to 100 and buy a captive breed.

[theodore]

Thank you everybody for your advice, Also thank you frostyBP for not criticizing me.

PS. frostyBP I'm going to try and bump up your reputation.


T

[Stewart_Reptiles]

The problem with wild caught snake is that not all of them will eat for you.

I took in wild caught snakes in the past and had mix success when it comes to feeding, of course granted those animals were injured and this probably played a huge part.

As mentioned high 80 low 90 is overkilled to me.

What I would do is get a very small tub about 6 quarts, and have some aspen in it, sometimes kings just like BP can easily be stressed and offering a tighter enclosure can help.

if I let him go he will most likely die from cold weather.

No it won't that is YOUR human emotions doing the talking, Kings among other snakes brumate and do fine in their natural environment during the winter and do not require any help to survive the harsh winter conditions (which we know in the south are not that harsh).

[wilomn]

It is going to be in or going into brumation like bcr229 said and now it thinks it summer again. Prob wont eat and could very well die. All my kings are cooled down and off feed untill spring when i warm them back up. Best advice release it and save up 50 to 100 and buy a captive breed.

You know frosty, it's a darn good thing that once it gets cold outside it NEVER EVER warms up again for a day or three. Why, I imagine if that were to occur we would see wholesale die-offs of multiple speices of snakes that simply had NEVER EVER had it get cool and then warm up again in the MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of years they've been on the planet. Thank goodness for knowledgeable guys like you to school these worthless newbs who think only of helping out natures babies, hoping only to be the boost the little critters need to make it through that first TERRIBLY TERRIBLY cold winter of their lives. It's so very very kind of you to share you hard earned and written in stone knowledge and rules for keeping this snake that is found in the desert, mountains, coast and plains. Thank goodness all weather conditions are IDENTICAL all the time in these various places.

I mean think about it, if there were ANY variation at all in any of the things I've mentioned above, and what I mentioned above happened to be true, just think what a fool that would make someone look.... like...oops, well, there ya go. A little floss will get the toejam out from between your teeth in no time at all.