Handling Severus Snake (King)

So I've gone and done it this time.

Earlier this fall, our neighbor brought over a couple baby garter snakes he nearly ran over with the mower to show the boys while they were all playing in the yard. Ours took a liking to them, and being the idiot I am, I told kiddo that if he really liked them that much, we had some empty smaller aquariums that we could keep them in for the winter.

I figured that garter snakes are generally greedy little pigs, not really bitey, and would make an excellent learning took for the six months they'd stay with us. It was very similar to something I'd done with a pair of rat snakes back in college, and I'd thought it would be no sweat to keep 'em.

Yeah ... about that. For some reason, I couldn't get them started off on anything, and we ended up letting them go so they didn't die on us. But kiddo was crushed.

So ... about two weeks after that, we ended up at the local reptile store and home with a baby Cali kingsnake. Husband and I discussed it, and kiddo was about the right age to have a small pet of his own (with supervision and help) and snakes are low maintenance in terms of cage work and feeding so the elbow grease demands would be low. I am not at all bothered by snakes (odd, I know), so I had no trouble with the idea of getting him started on how to care for and handle his reptile properly.

And now we've added a Cali kingsnake to our family. Kiddo calls him King ... 'cause he's a kingsnake, 'duh! I call him Severus Snake because as a baby, he's a defensive, bitey little git. This is causing issues because so far, I have more luck holding him without getting tagged. It's not that it hurts; he's far too small. It's just that it hurts kiddo's feelings. It's *his* snake, and he gets bit but mom doesn't. Ergo, the snake, who's never going to *like* anyone, likes mom more than him. He hasn't learned that mom just has more experience with snakes and can read them better.

Making progress though. Today, I got him to handle the stinker without getting bit for the first time. Kiddo is learning. He better because that snake will have to go to college with him!

Any pics of King?

a reply to: ketsuko

Damn, you have one very lucky kid. I hope some day he realizes how warm his childhood was. I have a feeling he will.

a reply to: Macenroe82

Not at the moment. He tends to strike at anything in his field of vision that moves suddenly when we handle him and I haven't photoed him in his terrarium yet. I've been meaning to though especially since he'll have to be moved out in the living room for the winter.

All kids ought to have a pet snake at least once!

My daughter inherited one from an Ex an whatever it is, it's very handleable, but she's worked with it a lot. The Grandkid isn't as on board as she is ( he's on the spectrum) , but I find it hysterical when I go visit that you're apt to see mice thawing out on her kitchen counter!

Too COOL!!!

a reply to: ketsuko

Kings are great starter snakes, I usually pull a couple out of my pool every year and never got bit but and a nasty but, they love to musk you when they get spooked.

originally posted by: Muninn
a reply to: ketsuko

Kings are great starter snakes, I usually pull a couple out of my pool every year and never got bit but and a nasty but, they love to musk you when they get spooked.

Yeah, I can handle the musking and pooping though.

And he'll grow out of his defensiveness in time. It's just a baby snake thing. Right now, he's pretty convinced everything bigger wants to eat him. He's already getting better about the biting. The striking is mostly bluff these days.

You'll have to get pics for us when you can.

a reply to: Night Star

I tried to sneak some when I got home today, but he was all stretched out underneath his bedding. All you would have seen was a random loop of coil. I'm a bit surprised. Usually, he's all coiled up underneath his plastic butter dish hide, but I gave him bedding deep enough to burrow under and so he's all stretched out today.

a reply to: ketsuko

It will help with the biting to keep it well fed, and handling as much as possible..

Remember that its important to have LOTS of ambient light, if not, you risk it going blind in about ten to fifteen years, sometimes i see reptiles with only a uv light, it causes the pupils to dilate and will eventually blind them.

Well anyways good luck!

a reply to: solve

Nah, he's got both an undertank heater on a rheostat and an overhead halogen basking light that stays on for about 12 hours on his hot side.

It's the only way we can guarantee the tank gets warm enough and holds warm enough through the night (85 during the day and stays above 70 to 75 overnight) on one side.

Right about now, he's starting to poke his head out to look around, and he won't actually get active until I turn the light off for the night, and then he'll come out and crawl all over although he may not tonight since he just ate yesterday.