Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

new-b · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject: aggressive cali king

hey, i got my first cali king about 2months ago (my first snake!) he's about a year an a half old but i'm having abit of a problem with him, he's quite aggressive. when ever i touch him for long periods of time (over 5mins) he get annoyed and bites i cant touch him witout gloves! i feed him a fluff an a weaner rat eveery wednesday so i dont think he's hungry. if anyone could give me some advice on how to tame him down or any other advice in general it would be a great help. Smile

cass · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:02 pm Post subject:

kings need to be handled well from babies so im told that way they get used to u , if u stop picking them up they sense u r scared , and start biting again ,, any 1 else have a theroy ?
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peaches · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject:

Kings can be funny things I've found, either nice as pie or not!!

Does he not go for you then as soon as you get him out? but just after you've had him out for a while?

I was wondering if your hands are too hot? but you say your wearing gloves so don't think it's that.

Usually snakes are skittish to start then calm down not the other way round, peculiar!! Think about the way you hold him or touch him, if it's too tight. too lose, near the head etc.
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new-b · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject:

i dont usually lift him out unless i have to coz i dont want 2 stress him out but i touch him while he's in the viv, when i do lift him out i dont go near his head coz i know he doesnt like it i support his body with both my hands i havent held him for any length of time. i manged to touch him without the gloves on last nite but i dont think he like it very much. i'm pretty puzzled by him! i really want him 2 be comfortable with me.

Peter Parrot · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject:

I keep/breed a few Kings of various kinds. I do not subscribe to the handle whilst young theory at all however. In my experience, a young snake behaves instinctively like any other vulnerable small creature that is on everything`s menu. That is it will hiss, rattle it`s tail, and if that does not work defend itself by biting and then make it`s getaway.

It is my opinion that this behaviour is instinctive for survival reasons, and that constantly trying to handle them whilst at this stage only causes undue stress to the snake as well as a certain degree to the owner. As the animals mature, I find that the majority display less of a propensity to bite as they feel less vulnerable, and have "lived" a little. To site an example, I have a Mexican black kingsnake here in my care that I have had for three years now. Below the age of 18 months , he was a confirmed biter, very nervous and defensive. No amount of enforced handling sessions made any difference so I just let him be. Once he started to reach two years of age however, he calmed right down. He is now one of the most gentle easy to handle animals that I have here.

My kings get handled briefly on average once a week during cleaning and out of around thirty animals there is only one that has to be handled with caution. He is just a particularly defensive individual and is also of a pretty advanced age, over ten . Some will always be biters simple as, but these are few and far between. With luck yours could well calm down, most do.
Peaches brought up the amount of force that is used when handleing. Do you exert any pressure when holding the snake? If so, the animal will nearly always try and defend itself. A snake is more comfortable if you let it hold you as it were. Good luck with it and with a bit of patience it could well calm down as it is still pretty young . Wink

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NNY · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:42 am Post subject:

Ive got one majorly bad king.. he was a rescue as it was and is a 5ft male albino... he was never handled and just left in his viv.. as soon as anyone went near him he went schizo... he doesnt like megoing near his viv but as soon as hes out he calms right down.. each snake is different so you never know what to expect but a king bite doesnt really hurt.. just give yours some time and patience.

new-b · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks to everyone for the info. It's helping alot just to hear various ideas. We had him out today for feeding and cleaning and there was no hassle from him at all. He's came such a long way from when we 1st got him. Thanks again to everyone and we'll let you know if there's improvement.

Peter Parrot · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:23 pm Post subject:

Pleased to hear it, keep us updated. Wink

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YSBRYDOLI POBL, GWELLA LLEOEDD
INSPIRING PEOPLE, IMPROVING PLACES
www.btcv.org
Visit our website - Gwelwch ein Gwefan
www.btcvcymru.org
Llinell Gymorth / Helpline: 08702 40 48 41

new-b · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:00 pm Post subject:

Oh, i forgot to ask, what kind of size do king snakes tend to grow to? I've read a ton of sites but so many conflict, with some saying he won't grow any bigger than he is (about 3.5ft) yet some say he may grow to 6ft. Does the full grown size really vary that much or does it all depend on viv size (like a goldfish) with bigger enclosures encouraging more growth, or what's being fed or so on? So many questions!

NNY · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:29 pm Post subject:

Cali kings are about 5ft tops....but thats females.. males would be 3 1/2 - 4ft... floridas are the larger king species reaching 6ft and I have seen one at nearly 7ft.