thank you for this! I also have a 5-month-old black & white banded Cali Kingsnake, and I first used the approach of just grabbing her, and I would always get musked and pooped on as well as struck at. I just felt that it was stressful for both the snake and me and I was trying this approach but I wasn't sure if it was counterproductive. I've seen people say to just go for it but I've found that this scared the snake way more and with this method, she's been approaching me more rather than slithering away. It's also hard to grab them because they are so long and skinny and this advice was very helpful!
By baby king likes to be handled. I wish I could let you show some of my pics of how much he trusts me and my grandma, but no other person.. I live with my 76 year old grandma and we really love my little boy. He's the sweetest Cali King there is.👍🐍😃 He gives me little snake kisses. I really love Ziggy my male aberrant Cali king.🐍🐍
Once I tamed her she went to a friend of mine and was replaced with my Northern Pine. I’m sorry I can’t give you her weight, Michael. I hate not helping
My first snake was an aberrant female Cali king and I was SO lucky when it came to her temperament! She was an absolute sweetheart through and through, never struck, never musked, never tail rattled, just chill and friendly; she’s never even gotten grumpy or defensive when she’s been in shed! I still have her and she’s still an absolute doll! 😊
I just got a King Snake and i cant even put my hand in the tank and he tries to nip me. I havr had baby ball pythons and i never had a problem with this before. This is my first King and i always thought they were good snakes. The problem is because he is nippy its freaking me out even though i know it wont hurt me. I just dont want to hirt him with my reflex of trying to avoid getting bit.
Just take your time and be patient with him. With time they usually grow out of it. They certainly have a lot of spunk, but are excellent snakes once they get to know you. The reward is worth the effort!
Victoria Ramirez Baby king snakes can be very hard to tame. Just move slowly and have a lot of patience. This little girl is still skittish, but her good days are out numbering her bad days.
I got a baby Cali King last October and she is such a sweetie! She can still be a bit flighty when I pick her up from her terrarium, but she doesn't mind being handled otherwise. She is really calm once I'm holding her. She has never bit me and only musked on me only a handful of times (to be fair those were my fault). She is also a great eater and very curious. I definitely couldn't have asked for a better first pet snake.
They are wonderful pets for sure. I’m glad to hear that you are having such a great time with yours. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience.
My baby kingsnake will start eating my fingers if I show her my hand lol. But using an object like a hide box for her to crawl on part way and then lifting it and scooping her underside slowly and gently with my hand works well.
Nice clean looking cali kingsnake. She seems to be pretty relaxed with you. She didnt try and bite or musk you thats a plus. I have an assortment from calm to a bit aggressive. I will start working on getting them calm. Some good tips in this video👍
I have kingsnakes but only one that's unmanageable with handling. He instantly strikes when you walk into the room, tail rattling, repeated strikes at the glass, poops and musks... he's a little psychopath and was this way when we got him. He was in a terrarium that was way too small on aspen bedding with only a small wood half tunnel hide like we use for our tarantulas... any tips on how to even get them out?
My baby male aberrant Cali King is super easy. Never bites or musk. He's a super curious and social snake. I'm very happy that mine is a very chill snake.👍🐍
My daughter has a Pueblan Milk Snake (12 weeks old) and I was having so much trouble feeding and trying pick it up. This video was so helpful. First try using these techniques, and success. Thanks for posting this video. Super helpful video and I'm glad that I watched it. My daughter's Milk Snake is so loving now. No more musk, biting, and running away anymore.
Oh man that is great! I so appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the comment and I am happy for your daughter. Those Pueblans can be SO hard to tame. So great job!!!
I just picked up a Mexican Kingsnake from our reptile show, and her behavior is the exact opposite of what your King is doing 😂. I'm really hoping it won't take a long time to calm down 😒
My baby king snake is almost 1 year old & shes decent when it comes to handling. Sometimes shes flighty & sometimes shes really calm but lately, shes been rattling her tail when we try to handle her or while feeding. When she does this, we usually just leave her alone but I dont want to develop this pattern. How can we help her?
I have found that a lot of kings go through what I call “puberty” for lack of a better term at 1 year. As long as she is not musking all over you, don’t let the tail rattle bother you. Just be slow and calm with your movement and you should be good to go.
I'm having a lot of issues with my baby Cali king she won't even let me get my hand near her without biting so I've been really reluctant with trying to socialize her :/
There is just something about baby Kings sometimes. When they are that bad, you just have to take the bite and the musk and give them handling time. I call that the tough love approach. They should quickly learn that you aren’t a threat.
I've had a baby Palmetto corn snake for about 10 days now, and every time I even open the viv he's terrified, i feel so bad :( I've held him once for about 2 minutes because he was so fast and obviously nervous, and I didn't wanna stress him out needlessly.. I think ill try this method of just leaving my hand in there and seeing if he gets used to me over the next few weeks instead of what others suggest of just scooping them up
@@Retics after my comment, I decided to leave him alone aside from feeding and he's become a lot more chilled with me :D when I clean his home he comes up to check me out and will even climb over me :D I still haven't held him since 3 weeks ago, and I don't plan to again until he seems ready 😊
@@Retics I've now had him three months and have held him twice just to transfer him into a container to quickly weigh him 😄 he's growing a lot more confident and will happily sniff my hand and see what I'm up to, but I don't plan on holding him until he willingly decided to climb up and explore ❤️ 🐍 even if I never get to hold him im not too fussed- just watching him brings me so much joy :D
I just got my first kingsnake and she keeps rattling at me. She was great in her little container that I bought her in, but after putting her in her new home, she spazzes out and I can't catch her? Even when I brush my finger on her she runs. Any ideas how to take her out?
Excellent question! First, let her settle in for a couple of days. She’s very stressed out right now. I know it’s tough because she’s new and you want to hold her but give her time to settle. Slowly work up to taking her out. Just place your hand down and let her know you are there without actually moving toward her. This might be a 15 minute process, but slowly and calmly move your hand toward her. Eventually, just barely brush up against her. This is the trust building process and it can take several days to a week. Your job right now is to take away her fear of being eaten by this big creature that you appear to be. Please keep me posted. I will be anxiously awaiting your progress. And let me know if there’s anything specifically I can help you with along the way.
King snakes are so difficult I have a baby that constantly pisses on me rattles his tail hisses and has striked me during this process I remained very calm and slow-moving I handle it for at least two times a week for at least 20 minutes you would think by now the snake wouldn't find me as a threat
Ty for this!! I just recently got my California King snake and was scared to pick it up so my sister just grabbed it by the middle of the back and put it in her hand (not roughly, a gentle grab) I hope that didn’t harm it :c It was the first time holding it so at least I didn’t do it to many times? I need advice Ive seen to many things on how to hold them I don’t know anymore but ill try this^^ (Probably sound like a bad snake owner right now but trust me this is like the only thing i was confused about and im a new snake owner :,))
Forgot to mention that I did put my hand out in front of him but he kinda glared at me and looked like he was about to rip my hand off so I took my hand out- I realized later that he actually isnt very aggressive at all and that helped with the scared of being bit thing
Glad I could help out. Doesn’t sound like you are a bad snake owner- you are learning just like all of us. Thank you for the comment. Here’s to many years of happiness with your new snake!
How did you gor her out of her Terrarium? I have this Problem with my snake. He has a lot of hides so its difficult for me to get him. He is so sqirmy when I try to take him out
This was actually the enclosure. When I get a new snake I like to keep them in a minimalist tub so I can monitor for mites and feeding and pooping easily.
Mine just thrashes around I use a glove when handling he’s ok when I put my hand in but makes his whole body a “S” and slowly slinks by me hand or when I touch the base of his tail he flails and bolts no tail shaking I don’t wanna stress him out too much
She was a floppy and musky gal when I first got her. Hated being handled. Would actually jump off the floor when she flailed. Keep at it. Stay slow and let him get to know you. Most will calm down with exposure, handling, and age. If you want to see a real joy, look at my Florida Pine vids 😆
Thank you. She went to be with a friend of mine when I started focusing on Black Milks and Bull snakes. But I do miss her. If I get back into Kings, I want one that looks just like her. Desert Banded with rich blacks and crisp whites. Congratulations on your King! They are wonderful animals.
How do you get her out to begin with? I'd love to be more gentle for handling, but getting her out of the dirt to begin with is super stressful for the snake. But if I don't, I never see her.
Get a small foam paint roller handle to use a snake hook. That can help. Otherwise, switch to paper towels or packing paper substrate so it’s easy to get to him. Hope this helps a bit.
I’d say the latter. Although I also believe they can come to recognize people. Look up the video about the wild Water Snake and the old man. It’s eye opening.
Glad to see someone else who is patient and gentle with their snakes! I'm using similar technique for taming all my snakes (ranging from 4 months old L. leonis to my newly purchased 3 years old male B. imperator) and it's honestly so amazing to see what a bit of patience and respect can do. It's such a pleasure to work with babies and especially king snakes, their curious nature and inteligence is just on another level. Wish you a lot of successful sessions with this beautiful girl 🖤
Thank you so much. She is doing great and is now with a dear friend of mine. I am hoping to get one of my dream snakes soon - a Northern Pine snake. It was great taming her for my friend. I really enjoyed building that trust.
I'm thinking about getting a Mexican black kingsnake as my first snake and I'm very nervous about getting bitten! I'm scared I'm not going to be able to recognise their behaviour. I'm a very step by step instructions kind of guy. So if I get one, this is what I have to do when he firsts arrive to transfer him into his enclosure? (I've done alot of re search I swear there's just so many mixed results on everything to do with them and I want to do what's right for the snake)
Thanks for stopping by! Some snakes are easy going. Some are fearful. Some are defensive. Try to put your fear of getting bitten away. It truly doesn’t hurt much at all. A cat scratch is MUCH worse. Some snakes will take you simply picking them up. This little King loved to musk and jump at first. So I took it slow. If you see your snake jumping and musking and biting- this certainly would be something to try. Who knows- maybe he will be fine with you right from the start 🙏 Good luck. They are beautiful snakes! It’s a great way to start into the hobby. PS- A corn is far less likely to give you issues if you went that way.
@@ClearBrookExotics thank you so much for replying, I really appreciate the advice! I've read that corns are easier to handle but from the second I saw a MBK I was in love, I mean how can you say no to their beauty. I think I'm more nervous of the fact he'll bite me because I've done somthing wrong rather then the actual bite itself if that makes sense? I feel like it's more a get to know the snake and learn from him thing (which is hard because like I said I like instructions but I'm more then willing to listen to the little guy) Again thank you so much for taking the time
@@ClearBrookExotics I've been doing more research and may purchase a starter kit that comes with a heat pad. I'm not getting a straight answer when it comes to what thermostat ill be needing. Any advice? Sorry you're the only snake person I know lmao
@@gideonxr No apologies needed. You can get an iPower or BN Link ( probably the same thermostat) on Amazon for around $16. I am currently using 2 of them and they have held up well. If you want to go higher end, a Herpstat is around $120.
