Completely new to the snake world

[chydro]

Hello all, my name is cory im 24 and live near detroit mi, i just bought a Mexican Black Kingsnake, already love him. His Name is Hydro. not sure how old he is, hes still young though, i believe. i bought him from a local pet store. this is my first snake ever. im joining this forum to gain knowledge from experienced owners and new owners alike. if you know of sites or great tips please send them my way. also if anyone has time, i have tons of questions to ask. and if you have a mexican black kingsnake please please help with some advice, i want the best for hydro.

[infernalis]

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

[stephanbakir]

Welcome, I'm sure you have tons of questions and concerns. If you scan through the posts in this forum quickly most of them have probably been answered but feel free to ask any question you want, we are here to help :)

Post pics of Hydro!

[leper65]

Welcome! I've wanted an MBK for some time now, but have never got one. I'm envious!

[chydro]

thanks guys, and if i knew how to post pics i would. i have already taken a few. well one of my first questions is, i want to hold him and show him some attention, how long should i wait to hold him after bringing him home from the store? i have held him once since then, its been 2 full days hes been here now. the reason im asking this is, hes very skidish when i go to grab him at first, once i have him in my hands he uses my fingers as a jungle gym. but it worries me because it makes me skidish to pick him up when he acts like that, i dont wana tramatize him in anyway.

[belovedboas]

Kings are easy to care for snakes imo, Just make sure If your gonna be handling it, than you should handle him frequently. Others may disagree but they can be mean lil buggers lol I used own a desert king and a reverse cali king.....and spent enough time around them over the years....never owned a MBK though I love pure black snakes:) I'm envious lol



and to answer your question, me personally I would'nt bother him for at least a week to let him settle in....Kings are skiddish snakes to begin with, fast paced and nervous. When you do handle him just take your time move slowly so you don't scare him. He might bite be prepared for that or musk, just be persistent and continue handling at least once a day imo and he should calm down.

[chydro]

ok thank you guys for ansering that, and i got a update for you guys i just held him for like 45 mins and i think he was having fun he just kept moving around my fingers and trying to taste the air all over, he was skiddish to my touch when i first picked him up, after that totally cool and collective, also i dont know if this is a good sign or not, but he lets me touch his head, started out by just pretending my fingers bumped into his head then i would try a slight touch to his head, he didnt seem to mind. hes very very active. all last night he kept trying to reach the top of the cage, guess he tryin to get out lol, good thing i bought clamps.

[stephanbakir]

If a non venomous snake bites you DON'T put him back into his terrarium, he will learn quickly that biting = getting left alone and bite whenever he wants to be left alone. Just hold him and be careful till he calms down/tires out then put him away.

[Marica]

Hi Cory, welcome to sSNAKESs and congrats on your MBK! I got to your other thread first and tried to answer some of your questions there. I've had Corns for 8 years and just acquired my first MBK last fall, so I'm still a bit of a MBK newb myself.

I try to handle my guy frequently and some days he's fine, others he's feistier. He's not too nippy, usually just head butts. But,he almost always musks, so I keep a piece of paper towel handy to hold him in until he's empty, then he's a doll to hold.

[marvelfreak]

Hello and welcome!

[chydro]

If a non venomous snake bites you DON'T put him back into his terrarium, he will learn quickly that biting = getting left alone and bite whenever he wants to be left alone. Just hold him and be careful till he calms down/tires out then put him away.

didnt think of that, thank you, it makes really good sense

Hi Cory, welcome to sSNAKESs and congrats on your MBK! I got to your other thread first and tried to answer some of your questions there. I've had Corns for 8 years and just acquired my first MBK last fall, so I'm still a bit of a MBK newb myself.

I try to handle my guy frequently and some days he's fine, others he's feistier. He's not too nippy, usually just head butts. But,he almost always musks, so I keep a piece of paper towel handy to hold him in until he's empty, then he's a doll to hold.

Hydro is pretty active, except today, he has been in his cave for like 10 hours or more. he doesnt show any aggressiveness so far yet

Hello and welcome!

hello and thank you

[chydro]

ok so i fed him for the first time today, he did very well. now that my lil guy is full( atleast i hope so) he ate 1 pinky. how long should i wait to hold him again?

[infernalis]

I vote give it a couple days to digest.

Have seen my own snakes throw up before from being disturbed while digesting.

[mistersprinkles]

Yup. 48 hours after eating as a minimum. Honestly, my opinion is that snakes shouldn't be held except for maybe day 5 and 6 if they are eating every seven days. This is most ideal to avoid disturbing digestion. You'll notice especially the first 2 days after eating the snake is trying to move as little as possible.

[chydro]

alright i wil try that thanks for your advice guys.

[mistersprinkles]

So do you think you're going to get MSS and get other snakes :)?
There are a lot of different kinds of behavior you can see with different species.
Garter snakes will chase guppies. It's entertaining.

[infernalis]

Garter snakes will chase guppies. It's entertaining.

Wow, never knew that. way cool to know.:crazy2: