Eastern King question

[Pheonixx]

Just wondering if you can help me figure out something about my snake. Every time we let him out for his "walk" around the house he poops all over the place. is this stress related? is he marking his territory or what?

 

[Malkavian]

any surface in particular?

 

[Crotalus]

Its a defense mechanism, alot of snakes got this behaviour. He dont appreciate being handled, and that goes for all reptiles.

/Lelle

 

[Pheonixx]

mostly carpets. he is simply handled long enough to get him out of the cage and on to the floor, where whe can run loose. Under supervision, of course.

 

[ingas866]

does he go in his cage or only on the floor. If only on floor is his cage to small for him? If he goes in cage and on floor that is just his thing.

 

[xelda]

Kingsnakes are usually more prone to musk and defecate than other snakes. Well, some types of kings anyway.

 

[Malkavian]

well i know some snakes do seem to prefer crapping in their water dish so i was thinking that the carpet surface might just be more 'comfy' or what have you.

 

[pitbulllady]

IT's a Kingsnake "thing"; most Easterns will do this, even the calmest ones. Handling may stimulate a bowel movement, and sometimes I think the snake is just trying to keep from messing up where it has to live. Many of my snakes get noticeably agitated after they poop in their cages, and calm down as soon as I clean it up(except for Retics, which almost always will poop AGAIN as soon as I finish cleaning the cage, LOL!). They also really like to "hold it in" until I am right in the middle of a snake presentation for a bunch of school kids or something, often with great timing following the oft-asked question, "how do they use the bathroom, anyway?"

pitbulllady

 

[Crotalus]

Kingsnakes are usually more prone to musk and defecate than other snakes. Well, some types of kings anyway.

Other colubrids such as common grass snakes do it just as often.
So not really a kingsnake thing only.

Pitbulllady, its not the bowel movement that sets them off - its a defense behaviour. Same with retics too.

/Lelle

 

[ArachnoJoost]

mostly carpets. he is simply handled long enough to get him out of the cage and on to the floor, where whe can run loose. Under supervision, of course.

I don't know exactly what you mean by 'supervision', I can imagine if the snake is crawling around, and is followed by a 'big thing' from above, it gets stressed easily. That stuff smells nasty, I'd stay away in the wild