ugh my kingsnake is a biter >_<

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i tried to handle her today for the first time since i got her. she was by the door of the enclosure so i opened it up and she darted out trying to escape so i had to grab her. she almost fell and i tried to catch her with my other hand and she gave me a nice bite, drawing blood. after holding her for a bit, i tried to gently put her back in her tank, where she tried to bite me again, even though i wasn't doing anything but trying to lay her down off of my arm.

the guy at the show told me she was very docile even though she hadn't been handled much. any advice? i don't know how to pick her up without agitating her. i really don't know what to do, i've never owned a snake before and i thought i was getting a docile snake.

even now that i put her away 15 minutes ago she still seems very agitated. i feel really bad but i don't know if i'll have any patience for this.

 

[GailC]

King snakes are known for being bitey, especially when young. The best thing to do is handle her every day for just a few minutes, if you are worried about being bit then get a thin pair of cotton gloves.
Once she learns you mean her no harm she should settle down.

 

[crpy]

Go's with the territory

 

[hardlucktattoo]

Indeed it wont kill so its just a bite Remember Chicks Dig Scars

 

[GrammostolaGuy]

There are two reasons why your king could be biting. One, is that it is a defensive youngster, and regular, but brief handling will help it calm down. Second, is that it could be aggressively hungry. Several years of experience keeping various king subspecies has taught me that a well fed kingsnake is a calm kingsnake. As youngsters especially, they are typically bottomless pits, and might be fed several small meals a week. As long as they are growing in length, and not much in width (basically staying a healthy weight), feeding them when they express the want for food, such as biting without acting defensively and actively patrolling the tank for food, will keep their growth spurts in check and keep them relatively complacent. This is just my two cents, and it has worked for me, so if you're doing once a week feeding, maybe go with two slightly smaller meals spaced out over the week, and see if that works. Good luck with your king, they're one of my favorite groups of snakes, and are worth every second.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

thanks for the advice, I will keep trying.

I got her sunday and i haven't fed her yet. I'll be feeding her, for the first time tomorrow so wish me luck :wall:

i don't know how i'll get her off my arm and interested in food, she freaks out when i touch her. should i be able to dig her out of her bedding? is that something that would freak out a "tame" snake?

i dunno why, but i was so excited to get her at the show, and so excited to hold her, and now that i have her home she scares the shit out of me >_<
i guess she was very calm at the show, and now she is extremely nervous and about makes me about piss myself when she darts around and i'm trying to keep her from taking off.

i will keep trying but if she doesn't calm down soon, i will have to find somebody sell her to or trade her for tarantulas or something that isn't going to give me a heart attack.

 

[Ram!]

How long is you king? Is it a hatchling?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

i will keep trying but if she doesn't calm down soon, i will have to find somebody sell her to or trade her for tarantulas or something that isn't going to give me a heart attack.

Why? It's not like she can actually harm you. You've been given plenty of good advice in this thread - *you* need to calm down, and be patient, and follow it. You can't put a wild animal on a deadline for changing its behavior, especially when it's been in a new environment less than a week and is probably ravenously hungry to boot.

I doubt she was "calm" at the show. She was probably scared and stressed and cold and generally overwhelmed, which humans frequently mistake for "calm."

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

;P she's about 3-4' and about as big around as my middle finger

her body language was very different when i held her at the show, very calm and relaxed. as opposed to now when she becomes extremely agitated at even the slightest touch.

i fed her today and that was another adventure, she shook her tail at me through out the entire ordeal and attempted to bite me on several occasions, although the gloves i got seemed to deter her a bit, as she would smell them and appear confused instead of biting.

of coure i have gotten a lot of great advice on this thread and i do appreciate it. obviously part of my problem is my own ability to handle this animal, i'm sure it would be helpful if would "calm down." i'm going to keep trying, but i'm not going to force myself for months on end to try to cope with an animal that is causing a lot of stress. i really don't see any harm in me trading her for something i'm more capable of enjoying if it comes to that point. i've kept tarantulas for five years and the only thing near this stressful was packing up my mm h.lividium for breeding ;P i'm going to continue to look at this as a challenge to overcome, but if worse comes to worse i will find someone would want her (whether it means trading, selling, or giving away), as opposed to dumping her on an animal shelter or something irresponsible.

 

[crpy]

no worries, you never know unless you try.

If you want to go that route, there should be someone to take it here.

 

[GrammostolaGuy]

If the king is 3-4', then I'd suggest maybe two full grown mice a week, more if she continues to act hungry (actively searching the cage, biting without getting defensive). I would expect a 3-4' kingsnake to be bigger around than someone's middle finger, so she might be on the skinny side. She may not be a youngster with growth spurts, but kingsnakes are typically bottomless pits regardless. She won't harm you if she bites you, and the best method is to continue to handle it until she learns that nothing's going to hurt her. Both baby and adult kings I've worked with sometimes squirm, bite, musk, and tail rattle, when first getting accustomed to handling, and within 1-2 weeks are well behaved and easily picked up, just because I picked them up anyway despite their temper tantrums and they've learned I mean no harm. Another thing, is that snakes frequently acclimate to undesirable behaviors like biting, when they discover it keeps that giant hand from touching them, so like I said, just make it a habit to pick her up anyway. Persistance, and recognizing that she's in need of frequent handling and the time you have to provide to calm her down, is what is going to help you in this situation.