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Temperate terrestrial snake

California king snake

Lampropeltis californiae

Kept the same way as the gopher and bull snake, corn snake and garter snake, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

Build a California king snake setup See the gear
Photograph of a California king snake
Photograph by Connor Long, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
29 to 32°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
21 to 29°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
18 to 24°C
Humidity
40 to 60%
Adult length
76 to 122 cm
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
20 years
Longest recorded life
33 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that suits a California king snake

Chosen for temperate terrestrial snake. The setup builder puts the whole kit together, sized to the animal, with the reason for each piece.

Build the whole kit

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

USA (California, S. Oregon, W/S Nevada, S Utah, Arizona Mexico (Baja California, Sonora) Introduced to Gran Canaria (Hilger & Kwet 2015, López-González et al. 2025) Type Locality: ‘California’ (Blainville 1835). Restricted to Fresno, California by Schmidt (1953). conjuncta: Cape San Lucas.

Breeding: Lays 5 to 12 eggs a clutch, about nine on average; eggs hatch in roughly 40 to 65 days.

Where the figures come from