Arizona Desert Kingsnake.

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

This is my little Arizona Desert Kingsnake. He is only about a foot right now. I am having some taming problems with him. The only way I can pick him up without getting bite is my staying perfectly still...which is when he gets curious and acually start crawling around my arm. The slightest movement and this little guy is out in half a second. When I just try to go for him and pick him up he rolls into a ball with his head in the middle, starts hissing....and when touched strikes and starts musking. The main thing about this snake is he has no problem with me from the side, but refuses to get approached from above. Which is the only way i can get ahold of him. He's is a 20 Gallon Long tank. :8o Anyone has any kingsnake training experiance for me? Thanks.

 

[misfitsfiend]

I dont have any king experience, even though I think mexican black kings are absolutely beautiful. But I do have plenty of taming experience with other snakes. Persistance is the key, you have to keep trying over a long period of times, It can take months if your snake is stubourn. Some puncture resistant gloves might help you. Since you wont have to worry about the teeth or the musk on your hands. you can get a pair anywhere where they sell gardening supplies. My tree boas cant get through them, so I doubt a king could. Let him calm down a little, and wait a day or to for him to relax. Then try handleing him, and even if he gets pissy pick him up anyways .... just be persistant and he will eventually give up. The snake eventually feels more comfortable and know that no matter how much it tries to bite, its not doing it any good. Handle it once or twice daily for some 15 min. if possible. ..... And one other thing, when you go to pick him up, NEVER hesitate or go too slowly. Just reach out and pick it up.

A few other things..... Is it comfortable with where it lives? Is it WC? do you feed it in its own container? and How long have you had it?

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

He is very comfortable with where he lives. I have a separate container for feeding but he wont let me pick him up right now. I got it from the petstore for $80.00 (rip-off I know, I like this snake) and I've had him for about 8 days now. He is in a 20 Gallon long with a water dish big enough to soak in, a hide and bush with lots of branches and leaves for climbing. He comes to me when im at his level to the ground but as soon as the screen comes off and my hand goes in he goes into hyper mode. I think the gloves would do it. This snake is still a baby so im trying to let him get used to me a little. I have only been trying to train him for about 3 days with no luck yet. If I move too fast he JETS like lightning, I have only seen a little progress with going slow, where he got curious and almost went into my hand. I will try to get some good gloves and just pick him up. Thanx for the advice. Hopefully I can get a pic when I finally get the little guy in my hand.

 

[misfitsfiend]

Well, I'd love to see that. And if you dont mind me asking ... what is the buthid empire? I've seen it in a few forums.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

LOL, just a joke some of the Buthid keepers made up. Thanx again

 

[Lasiodora]

Forget the gloves. It will only make things more difficult. Plus a bite from a kingsnake is not painful. Kingsnakes are very defensive when they are young. They think everything is out to eat them, including you. Your best bet is handling him a couple of times a week (for short intervals) and patience. He won't tame down from one day to the next. He may gradually calm down with time (some snakes remain flighty no matter how much you handle them).
Good luck with him.
Mike

 

[misfitsfiend]

why do you think the gloves would make things more difficult?

 

[atavuss]

how about using a snake hook to get it out of the enclosure? its response to you trying to pick it up from above is a natural response to a predator.......ie, it thinks you are a huge predator out to harm it. whereas if you are at its level it might not be as flighty. you also might want to give it a bit more time to get used to its new enviroment. personally, I do not handle any of my snakes except when they need to be moved to a temporary enclosure so I can do a substrate change, but that is just me and my .02.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Thanx all. I dont think the gloves are the best idea but will do for now just to get the little guy out of there for feeding. The hook sounds better. This snake is not scared at all of me coming directly up to him, a hook would scoop him out while his attention is on me. I can get this kingsnake's attention REALLY fast, LOL all I have to do is bring one of my garter snakes up to the tank. He will immediatly start smelling the air and staring at the snake. I know kingsnake bites arent painful, I just wanna take this little cutie out and show him off already. I know its not the same, but i had a taming problem with my baby garter who now loves me and is as tame as they get. But the garter only tried to bite once and I only laughed at his little tiny self attacking me.

P.s. I never seen a snake push a pinky down his throat so fast as this kingsnake. hehe

 

[xelda]

I agree that you don't need gloves. Just invest in a good snake hook. For my feisty baby kings, I don't even try to pick them up with the hook because it just pisses them off even more. They'll strike at you if you try to pick them up with your hands, but once you're actually holding them, they won't bite (unless they see your other hand coming towards them). What you do is use the snake hook to shield your hand, so your snake doesn't even see your hand coming towards him. If he's facing you, you can use the hook to manipulate his body so you can come down at the right angle.

He'll eventually calm down as he gets older, so I don't recommend handling him too often. You don't want to stress him out too much, nor do you want to handle him in between his meals. He'll need up to 2 days after eating before you can pick him up or else he might throw up. Just handling him once or twice a week should be all right. Let him chill out the rest of the time. I recommend buying a plastic dog dish that's hollowed on the bottom. These work really well as snake hides because they're so dark and low to the ground, plus they double as a water bowls. Only 79 cents at Target.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Thanx. That sound much better. This snake is very small and fast. Also I dont handle snakes after eating (I have garters, they would throw up too). He already has a good hide and nice deep dish. I have a few doggy dishes around here too that I can try out. Im thinking of buying him another branch or something to climb. Its a big tank for a little snake with lots of room. The bush I have in there is pretty big, but low to the ground. I want a smaller one thats higher for him to climb on. Thank you Xelda.

 

[evil_educator]

I had a kingsnake.Yeah they tend to be quite nippy. I suggest you try and get them from the tail. Thats what i usually do.

 

[Lasiodora]

why do you think the gloves would make things more difficult?

You really can't feel what you are doing. You are more likely to injure the snake that way. Snake hooks are always your best option when you are dealing with defensive snakes.

Oh and Raze,
make sure you are washing your hands in between handling your garter and kingsnake. You don't want your little king to confuse you for a snake snack.
Mike

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Oh and Raze,
make sure you are washing your hands in between handling your garter and kingsnake. You don't want your little king to confuse you for a snake snack.
Mike

lmao Yes I read a story on another forum of someone who handled thier full grown kingsnake after handling another snake and it grabbed onto his finger and wouldnt let go. Trust me my hands will be squeeky clean when touching this little snake.

 

[Raindog]

Mine is a spaz as well but has never offered to bite. I'm hoping that a bit of age will calm him down.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

OOoooo How big is it? It looks around the same size as mine (about 12"). Very cool snake.

 

[Raindog]

Thanks,
Yeah she's around a foot long.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

how do you know it's a she? Is it the same tail trick? If so I think mine is a male.

 

[Israel2004]

Trips,
You got a nice looking snake there.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Thank you