Photographs that pin down a king snake's pattern
A king snake's identity page needs dorsal, side and belly photographs plus a close view of the head, because banded and speckled patterns vary individually and belly markings help separate near-identical animals. Record colour description in plain words, sex, length, weight and any scale damage or old shed marks. King snakes have a reputation as bold, food-driven handlers' snakes, so describe this individual's actual temperament — eager at the door at feeding time, calm once out, or musky and wriggly with strangers — because the boarder's cleaning routine depends on knowing whether a reaching hand will be investigated as possible food.
The feeding log and the solo rule behind it
A king snake's feeding record lists recent meals with dates, what was offered, the response, and the last complete sheds. Then the page states the species rule that boarding staff must never bend: king snakes eat other snakes, so this animal is housed alone at all times, fed alone, and never placed in a shared tub during cleaning, even for five minutes, even with a snake of similar size. Write the next feed date, your post-feed handling wait, and the note that a refused meal is recorded rather than chased with repeated offers. A king snake in a boarding room full of other snakes is surrounded by food smells, so an unusually restless, constantly cruising snake at feed times is context your log should give staff in advance.
Enclosure readings and escape checks
A king snake's setup page gives the warm-side and cool-side readings, humidity, heat source with its thermostat, substrate, two hides and a heavy water bowl this strong snake cannot tip easily. King snakes are capable, determined escapers, so the sheet requires the lid or door to be latched after every opening and the cable and vent gaps checked at drop-off against a photograph of the closed setup. Note the cleaning routine and that uneaten food is removed within the time you specify rather than left overnight.
Contacts in order, with permission attached
A king snake's emergency page runs in calling order: you, a backup collector who is comfortable handling this snake, and a reptile-experienced veterinary practice with its out-of-hours route. Beneath the names sits your written permission for the boarder to arrange urgent transport and treatment, with the agreed approach to payment, so an injury or breathing problem is acted on immediately. Add your travel dates and the hours you cannot be reached. Put any live context at the top — in shed at drop-off, recently rehomed and still settling, or an older snake slowing down — because one honest headline steers a week of small judgements.
King snake concerns that merit a same-day call
A king snake with retained shed circling the tail tip, signs of mites, clicking or wheezing breaths, mucus at the mouth, a regurgitated meal, or a prolapse needs you and the reptile vet contacted the same day. An escape is an immediate call: king snakes travel further and hide lower than owners expect, and the search starts in warm, tight spaces near the enclosure. A snake that refuses food while in shed, then eats afterwards, is following the pattern your log already documents.
Closing the folder at drop-off
A king snake's handover finishes with the solo-housing rule said out loud, the latch demonstrated, and the folder, tub and enclosure labels checked against each other. Copies of the full set stay on your phone and with your backup handler. Keeping identity photos, the feeding log, setup notes and contacts inside a KinsLe Pet Passport gives the boarder your king snake's whole brief in one place, instead of a booking note that omits the one rule that matters most.