Questions about feeding and mite prevention

[D Grade]

Hey everyone,

We'll be picking up an adolescent Cali King very soon and I had some questions for the veteran King owners here.

1. It appears most of the owners here feed prekilled, is that the case for most of you and have you ever had to resort to feeding live in order to get your King to feed?

2. I noticed most feed in-tank. Is this safe in regards to keeping the snake tame and bite-free? I have a coworker who used to feed his python in-tank and he ended up getting bit, not sure if Kings are the same and need to be fed out of tank to keep them freindly.

3. Would it help to do a mite treatment in-tank before bringing our snake home or does a mite treatment only need to be done when mites are present?

Thanks for the help!

[EL Ziggy]

I feed all of my snakes frozen thawed prey. The only time I had to feed live was when my male king went off feed for (3) months last winter. I didn't really have to feed live then but I panicked because it was my first experience with a snake going off feed for that long. He took another food break this year but has been eating well for the last few weeks. I also feed all of my snakes in their enclosures and have never had any issues with cage aggression. I've never had any issues with mites and haven't used any mite treatment as a preventative measure. I'm sure others will share their advice and experiences soon. Best wishes.

[Cmwells90]

Hey D,
While I don't have a king snake, many of these questions are general.

1) Prekilled or frozen/thawed (F/T) food has fewer risks. First, you don't need to worry about the food item fighting back and causing harm to your snake, or in some cases, killing them. Also you can store more F/T food at a time where as keeping live mice would need an enclosure.

2) It's a common myth that feeding in the enclosure will cause a more aggresive snake because they'll associate opening the cage with food, but if you follow this logic then they'll associate being taken out of the cage with food which holds the same results, getting bitten. There's no real harm to feeding in or out of the enclosure, but there's no real bennifit to taking them out to feed. If you're worried about being bit, try hook training. I use this on my Boa, just tap them with your snake hook when you enter the cage to do anything other than feeding, that way they know it means it's not feeding time, my Boa goes from mad as hell, to calm is seconds with this.

3) personally I wouldn't treat mites until it's an issue, you can still spray the cage down and stuff, but I don't like to use any chemical or treatment unless absolutly nessisary!

[Derek1]

I like F/T because you can buy in bulk from rodent supplies for much cheaper than buying a box of 6 or 12 from petsmarts, ect..

I got a baby cal king earlier this year. I started out feeding her in a separate box. Then I joined here and read all about feeding in the enclosure. That's all I do now. Zero problems. She will let me hold her and she will grab a pinkie from her food dish.

[Minkness]

CMWells90 - Very well said!

My input is similar.

I'm still a newb so I'm trying what works best for me. I have fed in tank and out and so far no aggression either way, though I will admit she seems more 'excited' when I put her in the critter keeper I use. I may be wrong, but I'm still learning. I chose to try feeding outside of her tank because I noticed some of her bedding (I use sanichips which are smaller pieces of aspen) sticking to her meal and it going down with the mouse. By removing her I eliminate that fear (even if it's simply for my benefit). Also, I feed f/t for the same reason you'll hear everyone else say. No risk, cheaper, easier. I warm mine up by putting it in a small ziplock baggie and then leave it sit in warm water until it's warm and soft all the way through (but not hot, don't want to cook it!).

As for mite prevention, I'm with the above poster. Don't use chemicals unless absolutely needed.

[D Grade]

I feed all of my snakes frozen thawed prey. The only time I had to feed live was when my male king went off feed for (3) months last winter. I didn't really have to feed live then but I panicked because it was my first experience with a snake going off feed for that long. He took another food break this year but has been eating well for the last few weeks. I also feed all of my snakes in their enclosures and have never had any issues with cage aggression. I've never had any issues with mites and haven't used any mite treatment as a preventative measure. I'm sure others will share their advice and experiences soon. Best wishes.


Thanks alot, EL. Ive read alot of your posts on the forum helping alot of others with questions and I greatly appreciate it. :)

[D Grade]

Hey D,
While I don't have a king snake, many of these questions are general.

1) Prekilled or frozen/thawed (F/T) food has fewer risks. First, you don't need to worry about the food item fighting back and causing harm to your snake, or in some cases, killing them. Also you can store more F/T food at a time where as keeping live mice would need an enclosure.

2) It's a common myth that feeding in the enclosure will cause a more aggresive snake because they'll associate opening the cage with food, but if you follow this logic then they'll associate being taken out of the cage with food which holds the same results, getting bitten. There's no real harm to feeding in or out of the enclosure, but there's no real bennifit to taking them out to feed. If you're worried about being bit, try hook training. I use this on my Boa, just tap them with your snake hook when you enter the cage to do anything other than feeding, that way they know it means it's not feeding time, my Boa goes from mad as hell, to calm is seconds with this.

3) personally I wouldn't treat mites until it's an issue, you can still spray the cage down and stuff, but I don't like to use any chemical or treatment unless absolutly nessisary!

Awesome, thank you!

I like F/T because you can buy in bulk from rodent supplies for much cheaper than buying a box of 6 or 12 from petsmarts, ect..

I got a baby cal king earlier this year. I started out feeding her in a separate box. Then I joined here and read all about feeding in the enclosure. That's all I do now. Zero problems. She will let me hold her and she will grab a pinkie from her food dish.

Excellent, good to know. Btw, my name is Derek as well. :D

CMWells90 - Very well said!

My input is similar.

I'm still a newb so I'm trying what works best for me. I have fed in tank and out and so far no aggression either way, though I will admit she seems more 'excited' when I put her in the critter keeper I use. I may be wrong, but I'm still learning. I chose to try feeding outside of her tank because I noticed some of her bedding (I use sanichips which are smaller pieces of aspen) sticking to her meal and it going down with the mouse. By removing her I eliminate that fear (even if it's simply for my benefit). Also, I feed f/t for the same reason you'll hear everyone else say. No risk, cheaper, easier. I warm mine up by putting it in a small ziplock baggie and then leave it sit in warm water until it's warm and soft all the way through (but not hot, don't want to cook it!).

As for mite prevention, I'm with the above poster. Don't use chemicals unless absolutely needed.

Will do, thank you!

[nyjon]

i had mites twice. my king came with it and my ball python got them from a bag of chips i got at a reptile store. i used natural chemistry reptile spray. never had an issue after treatment. i feed them in their enclosure without problems. i dot not handle them on feeding day. i feed them frozen thawed mice/rats from my local breeder.

as far as mite prevention, i guess you cant really prevent it but you should always be on top of your pets. i check mine out at least once a day, but i only handle them once maybe twice a week. clean water and a clean home will go a long way. :)

[D Grade]

Awesome, thanks for the suggestions everyone and Ill certainly take heed to those suggestions as well as what Ive learned from the book I picked up. And no worries, were very clean here and he/she will be adored once they're here.