Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[ratmolfe]

Hi, I have a mexican black king snake, which is about 1.5ft long, which I have had for about 4 months. I have handled him before ok, but he can be a bit fiesty and wiggles his tail pretending to be a rattle snake to warn me, and the other day he got stuck on the bottom of a heat mat that had come unstuck. I had to use tweasers to gently prise him off, and after he went for me a few times (obviously I would be pissed off as well if it were me.) I have a big corn snake which is easy to handle as is over 10 years old and previous owners took him out all the time. The set up for my king is a 3ft viv, 85 at heat mat end and about 70 others, 3 hides at each end and in middle, with plastic plants around and aspen so he can hide etc. He also has a small waterbowl which he drinks from fine. He eats 2 pinkies in an evening no problem, but wondered how I can get him to come out of the hides/ aspen more. I have been looking at other king snake pics and see other peoples being Handled easy?, and a bigger waterbowl so they can coil up in them. I have also heard they need a branch for basking- I have an infrared bul above heat mat but dont really need it as warm enough already. Does this set up sound ok? (I got him from pet shop where most smaller snakes are kept in plastic containers with kitchen roll in etc on shelves, so didnt see a set up? Any pics you have of how your king snakes viv's are set up would be great, and also how you can encourage them to come out and to be handled without fear of striking! many thanks, Ratmolfe
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1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!

[Lady Python]

AT 1 1/2 ft he is still quite young and Kingsnakes can be nippy when they're young but usually outgrow it. When the snake rattles his tail at you (Kingsnakes and Cornsnakes are very good at doing that) he's warning you off. If he nips you what he wants you to do is let him go. Don't put him back in his viv if he does this as he'll have got what he wants. Just carry on holding him. He'll learn very quickly that tail rattling, hissing and biting is not going to have the desired effect! One thing to point out with Kingsnakes though is there is a school of thought that Kingsnakes and Cornsnakes sometimes rattle their tails because they are pleased to see you. Now, whether there is any truth in that I don't know. Perhaps others can comment on that.

As for set up. Here's one of my Kingsnakes. This is my recently acquired male, Nigel. He is in a 64L Really Useful Box. He has two hides, one warm end, one cool end, some greenery and his water bowl. I will be introducing him to my female Kingsnake shortly. His heat mat is under the box and the probe for the thermostat sits just behind the hot hide on top of the substrate. I prefer to use kitchen roll for most of my snakes, our Milksnake excluded who is on Aspen purely because Milksnakes like to burrow.





Here is Sammy, my female Kingsnake's viv. She is in a standard 3ft viv and has a hide warm end and cool end plus an L shaped branch in the middle over which there is a large piece of bark. She also has greenery and, or course, her water bowl. For a heat source I have a guarded ceramic heat bulb which is on a thermostat, the probe again sits on the substrate just behind the hot hide. I prefer kitchen roll as it is very easy to change and, heaven forbid, the snake got mites they would be easy to see on white kitchen roll, plus if you run out of kitchen roll, you just need to pop to your local shop for some.

This is Sammy in her viv, sitting on the bark.



Hope this helps a bit
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3 Royal Pythons - Byron, Bobby & Rosie
3 Boas - Zig, Zag & Sevvy
1 BRB - Sunny
1 Milksnake - Ringo
2 Cali Kingsnakes - Nigel & Sally
7 Cornsnakes - Kai, Ryoko, Kiyone, Charlie, Onyx, Jake & Barney
1 Pinesnake X Bullsnake - Joe

RIP Sammy Snake

[new-b]

Hey! I've got a Albino King and he's VERY grumpy at times! He's about 2yrs old and about 4ft 3inch. I've had him for 5months.

The other King I have is 4yrs old, just under 5ft, very placid and likes a cuddle .

The Albino has calmed down alot since I got him but still takes the odd hissy fit but I still can't hold him for long periods of time.

It has taken a while to get him this far, all it takes is patience and time. At the beginning I couldn't even touch him, he wouldn't hesitate at biting me!

Hope this helps.
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Hannah

Orochimaru

[Lady Python]

Mine loves to slither through my T-shirt and pop his head out of my sleeve. Although I've only had him a couple of weeks, he's settled in really well and doesn't mind being handled. I believe his previous owner used to handle him a lot.
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3 Royal Pythons - Byron, Bobby & Rosie
3 Boas - Zig, Zag & Sevvy
1 BRB - Sunny
1 Milksnake - Ringo
2 Cali Kingsnakes - Nigel & Sally
7 Cornsnakes - Kai, Ryoko, Kiyone, Charlie, Onyx, Jake & Barney
1 Pinesnake X Bullsnake - Joe

RIP Sammy Snake

[ratmolfe]

Hi thanks for the replies- I have aspen in there at the mo but will change to kitchen roll tonight so its easier to spot clean and so he cant burrow as much so I can see him more. Although he eats fine I have hardly found any of his poo etc to clean up, and sometimes if I go to pick him up he poos on me- projectile! I will also get a small dog water dish like the one in lots of peoples set ups so he can curl up in it if he wants- would my Corn snake want to do that as well- should i get him one?
I will try and entice him to come out tonight, and if he goes for me will try not to back away- I wont let him get the better of me. Is it a bit like training a dog so that he knows Im in charge and that i wont hurt him?
(Wierd analargy I know) I have seen a 3yr old version of my snake at the pet shop where I got him and it was absolutley beautiful and I held him and he curled around my arm, so hopefully mine will be easier to handle in the future with some work! Many thanks, Ratmolfe
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1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!

[Lady Python]

Tht projectile poo is known as "musking" and is part of the snake's defence mechanism. Once they get used to being handled, they usually stop doing it. Your snake is still very young and Kingsnakes are sometimes a bit nippy as youngsters but with gentle handling tame down very well and become really nice snakes.

I use dog bowls in all my vivs as they come in all different sizes and are cheap. They're also flat bottomed so the snake can't get stuck in any rims. There is a horrendous pic of a poor snake who got stuck under the rim of a waterbowl and died. Also the dog bowls are quite heavy so are difficult for the snake to knock over.

All snakes should have a supply of fresh water daily. It's something you have to keep your eye on as snakes very often do their business in their water bowls. I would definitely get your Cornsnake one as well.

Oddly enough, one of my snake's waterbowls says "Rat" on the side and has a picture of a rat on it
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3 Royal Pythons - Byron, Bobby & Rosie
3 Boas - Zig, Zag & Sevvy
1 BRB - Sunny
1 Milksnake - Ringo
2 Cali Kingsnakes - Nigel & Sally
7 Cornsnakes - Kai, Ryoko, Kiyone, Charlie, Onyx, Jake & Barney
1 Pinesnake X Bullsnake - Joe

RIP Sammy Snake

[quasimodo]

I have recently rehomed an adult female cali king who had been biting her previous owners, hence the rehoming. She was rather thin and so is now on a gentle fattening up schedule. So far she has not bitten me, have had her out of the viv about 10 times, but some days I can just see that it is not a good idea to get her out.

I make a point of putting my hand slowly in the viv most days, just rustling around with the bedding or whatever, so she realises that a hand in the viv does not always mean food. If she looks to be having a grumpy day, I just open the viv and talk to her - yes they are deaf but she is then still aware of me, realising that I am not going to harm her. or feed her.....

Another snake that I rescued years ago bit and musked badly, she seemed terrified of humans, but with regular gentle handling - in her case with rubber gloves on 'cos they hate the taste of them - she became a lovely snake.

Hope that this is some help. Do not give up, your King is still just a youngster and we all know what teenagers are like.....!!

[ratmolfe]

Thanks for all the replies- he has escaped about 3 days ago from about half-1 cm gap where glass door did not close due to heat mat wires coming out- even though I had a rubber stop inbetween glass. So when I find him again (im living in hope), will try these techniques with him. I have named him sparta since watching the film 300, and although fiesty, I hope he can be tamed! (P.S. does anyone suggest any places he is likely to hide in the house?)
_________________
1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!

[JAM3S]

hi, i would start looking anywhere that is cramped and warm also it would be a good idea to put some flour down in the doorways so you can see in he is moving around and maybe placing some plastic bags around the outside of the room he went missing from so you can hear him in the night. good luck

[ratmolfe]

thanks fore the reply- great idea about flour and carrier bags- are you a detective as well and this is your methods of finding criminals? I just hope he has not found a way of getting next door- semi detatched house and lady has a dog!
_________________
1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!