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new kingsnake

P

Phoenixphire55

New member
I just bought a baby male kingsnake yesterday at the rocky mountain reptile expo. He's a beautiful and active little black and white guy about 14 inches long. He is my first snake so I'm just looking for advice on how long to let him hang out in his cage before I hold him for the first time, and also when I should feed him for the first time. He seems pretty chill but this morning when I turned his light on he opened his mouth and may have hissed, not sure. I want to make sure he has a really good chance to get used to his new home and I don't wanna stress him out. Lemme know what you think.
 
Sounds like a California King Snake to me, so they can be known to be somewhat feisty babies. I would let him settle in for a few days before feeding him (at least a day or two), wait for him to digest (an additional two or three days), and then proceed to gently handle him.
Don't let him hissing, rattling his tail, etc.. discourage you either, he'll eventually come around with gentle handling. I try to hold my babies as often as I can if they seem fussy, of course avoiding handling after they eat. I would recommend at least one hour a week, and he should become a gentle pet in no time.

Good luck with him, and congrats!
 
King Snakes are so cool. I have three of them. Two MBK's and one Cali King. They are a little feisty and do settle down with handling, except my Cali, who likes to poop (musk) on us. And, all of mine love FOOD!

WE NEED PICS!

Good Luck,

Wayne
 
Thanks for the advice guys! So I should feed him first and handle him a few days later? and not the other way around? I don't know when he was fed last but since I got him on Saturday I suppose I could feed him a pinkie tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday.

Also, any tips on handling would be cool. I can figure out how to hold a snake on my own, but I'd be interested to hear from people with experience about what kind of things would be likely to upset the snake, and what to do with the snake while I handle it for like 20 minutes or whatever. I know this is a general question but I was thinking about it today when I changed his water and he popped his head out of one of his hides to watch me. I'm new to reptiles and its obviously hard to tell what they are thinking. Do I just open the lid and pick up his hide and pull him out of the cage? It sounds simple but it can be confusing to know how to approach a new snake.
 
I personally try to wait until my babies are feeding well and often before handling. I usually give them 3-4 weeks of feeding once every 5-7 days and NO handling, but this is probably extreme and I do have other adult snakes to play with! I would say two good feedings, minimum. Kings do have slightly slimmer throats than a corn of the same size, so be a little more conservative with food size. If he is 14-15" I'd start with smallish pinks, then go up to two smallish pinks, then to large and on up from there. Good luck!
 
I would definitely feed him before you handle, you want him to be as comfortable as possible before feeding, and handling should wait until you see that he's a good eater. Then proceed to wait a couple of days, and go right ahead and handle him. I have never had any problems handling after the first meal, so long as you give it at least two days to digest.
When handling him, reach in slowly, lift his hide, and sort of slightly cup your hand and position it under him. Let him move across your hand at this point, and keep a soft grip on him. Once you're comfortable about him being out, and sure he's not going to bolt from your gentle grip, you can just let him crawl though your fingers. Generally they love to do this, and my babies/small snakes will usually weave between your fingers for as long as they're out.
Be careful to make sure he won't fall, but don't over worry yourself. I was quite nervous with my first snake, but now realize that it bordered worrying too much. It's completely normal for a new snake, especially a baby Cal King Snake, to seem feisty and skittish, so take it slow and you will most likely have a perfectly calm snake in no time.
 
phew! This morning I successfully fed my little snakey. When I tried to get him out of his tank I was very slow and cautious about it because I was afraid he'd bite me and he just kept darting away and hiding so I had to remove the hides from his cage and I finally got him. He was actually a lot less skittish when I finally picked him up, and I put him in a tupperware container (with holes) and a little thawed pinkie which he ate right away and he is now in his cage again in the hide on the hot end of the tank. I'm glad that went well. I suppose I don't need to be so timid with him next time, I was just afraid that he'd strike at my hand and scare me, and I didn't want to reflexively jerk my hand away and hurt him.
 
You really have nothing to fear. If it is a hatchling, its bite will almost certainly be painless... and if there IS pain, it would certainly be less pain than if I pinched you on your arm.
 
This may sound silly, but I'd let him bite you if he strikes, instead of backing away. You will undoubtedly be surprised with how minor the feeling is, and it will get rid of your natural reflex to retract your hand once you know how harmless the bite is.
I understand it's more of the surprise factor than the bite itself, but it really isn't bad. Their mouths are too small to even penetrate as babies, it's like you biting a beach ball. It feels more like a poke on the finger than a bite, even a slight pinch feels worst.

That's great he ate for you, and it's a very good idea to feed him in a separate container. That will make all the difference, and he should calm down quickly with separate feeding, and gentle handling.
 
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