What is the best type of bedding for a desert (California) banded king snake?
Newspaper or paper towel is the cheapest, most available substrate. These must be replaced daily or when soiled. You may also use cloth towels or carpeting, but these require frequent washing. You can also use a variety of granular types, like aspen shavings, reptile barks (I can’t reccomend any brands, but I hear often about people finding insects, so to be safe, freeze the bark 48h prior to use), animal gravels, or larger sands. These need to be changed monthly, while scooping out daily. I’m not familiar with ‘desert snow’, but if it has large particles, I would not worry. Sexing is usually impossible on any reptile without probing. This can be done at a herp vet, but may cost a bit so unless you need to know the sex, I would just assume. Physical characteristics give hints. Females tend to be larger than males, and have a more tapered tail {\(shorter and skinnier). Here are several care sheets you should really look through:
