Heating should be turned off at night, but temperatures should not drop below 65☏. If the basking temperature gets too warm, dial things down with a rheostat. Do not use ceramic heat emitters (CHEs), red bulbs, or blue bulbs, as these are not as effective. Provide heat for your snake with a cluster of four ~50w halogen flood heat bulbs, placed close together over the basking area (ex: flagstone or stone paver) to evenly heat the snake’s entire body. Temperatures should be measured with two digital probe thermometers - one on the cool side and one of the basking surface. On the other side of the enclosure, the temperature should be between 75-85☏. Specifically speaking, pine snakes should have a basking surface temperature around 90☏. A reptile’s enclosure should offer a range of temperatures to allow them to thermoregulate effectively. Like other reptiles, pine snakes are cold-blooded, which means that they rely on external temperatures to manage their own body temperature and metabolism. Don’t forget to replace your bulb every 12 months!Īll lamps should be on for about 12 hours/day, or synced with your local sunrise/sunset times. Position the lamp on the same side of the terrarium as the heat lamp, about 9-11” above the basking area if over mesh, and 12-14” above the basking area if not. The best UVB bulbs for pine snakes housed in a 6’ x 3’ x 3’ terrarium are:įor best results, house the UVB bulbs in a high-quality reflective fixture such as Arcadia or Vivarium Electronics. UVB lighting helps provide a clear day/night cycle, provides all of the vitamin D that your pet needs, strengthens the immune system, facilitates better digestion, and other benefits. Technically they can survive without it, but we still recommend providing appropriate UVB lighting for pine snakes. Of course, larger is always better, and furthermore it is required for particularly large individuals.Ĭohabitation (keeping multiple pine snakes in one enclosure) is not recommended. For an average pine snake, that’s 6’L x 3’W x 3’H. The minimum acceptable enclosure size for a pet pine snake is based on its length. Pine snakes are quite active and need enough room to stretch out fully, explore, and thermoregulate properly. Some are entirely patternless.ĭespite their reputation, pine snakes can be surprisingly tractable in captivity and can make engaging pets for those willing to keep up with their maintenance! With appropriate care, a pine snake can live over 20 years.ĭo not steal snakes from the wild to keep as pets! Minimum enclosure size for pine snakes
Coloring and pattern vary by subspecies and locality, although pine snakes are typically arrayed in earth tones with a lighter base color and a darker pattern. Pine snakes have slender but robust bodies with a relatively small oval head, and a distinctive “eyebrow”-like ridge over each eye. Their preferred habitat is pine forest, but they are also known to inhabit prairies, agricultural fields, brushland, and rocky areas. Pine snakes ( Pituophis melanoleucus ) are a 5-6’ long, diurnal, terrestrial snake native to the southeastern United States.
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