Japan king rat · care and husbandry guide

warm end30–31 °C

cool end26–28 °C

Humidity50–70 %

Enclosure140×60×60

Photograph of Japan king rat (Elaphe carinata) — Photograph · Licheng Shih · CC BY

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

The numbers

Thermal gradient

152025303540 °C

26–28°Cool side

30–31°Warm side

A real gradient, 30–31°C warm against 26–28°C cool, so the animal chooses. The sheet states no separate night figure.

Why

Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet stateswarm 30-31 °C / cool 26-28 °C

Humidity

50–70%Target RH

The sheet states50-70% (one keeper reports ambient room humidity of 60-80% works fine with no active humidity control)

UVB

5–7%required

The sheet statesA 5-7% UVB bulb should be mounted within the enclosure, ideally 10-12 inches away from the basking surface, and replaced every six months to maintain effectiveness.

Diet

Hatchlings and juveniles have higher metabolisms and grow rapidly, requiring frequent feedings of appropriately sized prey every 5 to 7 days.; Subadults and adults generally feed less frequently, with feedings occurring every 10 to 14 days depending on the size of the prey item.

Identity

Origin

N Vietnam (Hong River)

Enclosure and conditions

Enclosure

warm sideUVB tube

50100150200 cm

1.4 × 0.6 × 0.6 m · 140 × 60 × 60 cmWidth × depth × height

84dm² of floor

Substrate: not in our dataWater: not in our dataHides: not in our data

Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.

Why

The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».

The sheet statesminimum 48 x 24 x 24 in for subadult/adult, larger (e.g. 72-96 in length) recommended for bigger snakes; one keeper houses an adult in 1.4 x 0.6 x 0.6 m

Temperature

warm 30–31 °C / cool 26–28 °C

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Nearest city

What it needs

Enclosure at least 140 × 60 × 60 cmbecause enclosure — minimum 48 x 24 x 24 in for subadult/adult, larger (e.g. 72-96 in length) recommended for bigger snakes; one keeper houses an adult in 1.4 x 0.6 x 0.6 m

A heat sourcebecause temp — warm 30-31 °C / cool 26-28 °C

A thermostat to regulate itbecause temp — warm 30-31 °C / cool 26-28 °C

A thermometerbecause temp — warm 30-31 °C / cool 26-28 °C

A hygrometerbecause humidity — 50-70% (one keeper reports ambient room humidity of 60-80% works fine with no active humidity control)

UVB 5-7%, stated as requiredbecause uvb — A 5-7% UVB bulb should be mounted within the enclosure, ideally 10-12 inches away from the basking surface, and replaced every six months to maintain effectiveness.

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation.

Sources

reptichip.com — lu le 2026-08-09 GBIF distribution (checklist range) — read 2026-08-09

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What this sheet states

77%

TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.