Snakeweed & Ratking

[nyjon]

Originally Posted by Primal Rage

Nice MBK! I forgot how much I liked these guys. Thanks for posting all the pics nyjon!

thanks primal. ive had my eye on a mbk for a while now. hopefully she goes 100% black when shes all grown (that's what attracted me the most when i found out about the mbk)

Originally Posted by sharthun

Congrats! She's one beautiful snake!! I agree, I think the seller mislead you. You can see the milk snake cross banding in a couple of pics. Definitely a keeper though!!

Steve

thanks steve. after going back and forth, i decided to keep her. the seller offered a full refund after swapping a few emails but she is beyond docile (i hope thats normal) to the point my 4yo son enjoys handling her

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

She's a beauty. What did you name her?

my 4yo named "her" ratking lol. i was expecting a male, but there were some issues with that order so i ended up with a female. so ratking it is lol

Originally Posted by Starbuck

I've seen lots of pictures of jevenile mbks with banding that goes away as they get older. If the seller owns black milks I guess its a possibility, but I wouldn't say it is guaranteed.


Just something to think about, Op: as you add to your collection, which I'm sure you will, make every effort to quarantine your snakes for at least 3 months before putting them in the same room. This means separate rooms, separate cage furnitire, feeding tongs, everything. It would be devastating if a new snake were to bring a pathigen into your collection, or if an older one gave something to new, higher end animal (since many ofnus twnd to 'trade up' as we add to our collections.).
Your snakes are very beautiful, it will be great to see them grow up.

thank you starbuck. i have done my due diligence this time around to make sure i keep them as long as possible. i was not successfull with my first 2 corns i owned but i knew nothing about snakes. i spent a good 2 years reading and just waiting till i was ready to own another. i read about quarantining them and to be honest i was so excited that i didnt think about it. i did leave her in a tub for an hr to check for mites but that was it. definitely worth noting if i ever get another. thanks


is it normal for them to go to their humid hide after eating? i fed my milk snake in his enclosure last nite (good advise steve) since he was being picky about eating when the king snake arrived. he ate the fuzzy without issues and 15 mins later i see him in his humid hide is this normal? the ambient temp was 75 and his hot spot was at its normal temp between 88-90..

thanks guys!!

[drumcrush]

Mbks grow fast! Just thought I'd warn ya

[nyjon]

Originally Posted by drumcrush

Mbks grow fast! Just thought I'd warn ya

she is one active lady thats for sure. she was exploring her tank even after she ate a nice 2" fuzzy if that would of been my milk snake he would of been hiding until the next feeding time lol

[nyjon]

She a night crawler lol

Are king snakes more active than milks? I rarely see my milk out. He eats well but i never see him out. Only when he was brand new.

I see my king out eveynight..

[sharthun]

Originally Posted by nyjon

she is one active lady thats for sure. she was exploring her tank even after she ate a nice 2" fuzzy if that would of been my milk snake he would of been hiding until the next feeding time lol

Lol just like Darth!

[Starbuck]

Your milk is probably more used to his environment, while the mbk is still.exploring and figuring out where everything is. My kings are faorly active though, at all times of day.


Additionally (this is only heresay, idk if there is proof) I have heard of other snakes acting more 'nervous' if kings are present, as they can smell the kingsnale and recognize that it is a predator, regardless of size. That being said, milks are in the lampropeltis group as well and caan amd will eat other snakes so.... my corns and kings and rosy boa are all in the same.room and I.don't have any.problems (after a 6month quarantine)

[nyjon]

Originally Posted by drumcrush

Mbks grow fast! Just thought I'd warn ya

Originally Posted by Starbuck

Your milk is probably more used to his environment, while the mbk is still.exploring and figuring out where everything is. My kings are faorly active though, at all times of day.


Additionally (this is only heresay, idk if there is proof) I have heard of other snakes acting more 'nervous' if kings are present, as they can smell the kingsnale and recognize that it is a predator, regardless of size. That being said, milks are in the lampropeltis group as well and caan amd will eat other snakes so.... my corns and kings and rosy boa are all in the same.room and I.don't have any.problems (after a 6month quarantine)

i was wondering if my milk is stressed. ever since i got my king snake he has been musking me ALL THE TIME. he was doing good until i got her. actually this was the first weekend since i got her that he didnt musk me. he has been a real picky eater ever since she came also. maybe there is some truth to that. i hope he gets used to it. what i do now, is if im going to hold any of them, ill hold him first, because she can care LESS. she is definitely a one calm king. she only musked me once while i was taking her out of the box when she was first shipped. other than that, she never tries to flee or bite me or anything. shes enjoys being out. my milk on the other hand -.-


anywho, i tried feeding both (mondays is usually feed time) and both refused to eat. i did upgrade their fuzzies last time so maybe they are still full. i dont see any lumps so maybe they are just on a break.

here is king. shes in blue









i mentioned the scales on her nose to the seller when i first got her. he said she might have been rubbing her nose on the plastic tub when she was being shipped. i hope thats true and hopefully she clears up after a few sheds.

[nyjon]

i noticed there was a little bug walking on my mbk and i decided to take some pictures. this thing definately looks like a mite. i last week i picked her up and saw something crawling and didnt think much of it and now i see this again. i should of quarantined her when i got her. i kept her in a container for an hr when i first got her to see if there was anything on her and i didnt see anything on her. i never had an issue with mites until i got my mbk.

i got this snake from ryan beatty from kingsnake.com and it has been nothing but a headache. im so pissed off. i originally bought a male mbk from him. i specifically asked for ALL black king with no pattern and no white. he said he had one male left that was all black. i told him the temperature was in the 30s here in new york so be sure to add a heat pack. he ends up putting 2 heat packs in the box and drops off my snake too late at fedex and missed the last overnight pick up. i tell him the next day the tracking info has not changed since and the snake never came to my house. he calls me and tells me the snake died in the fedex facility. he offers another male snake but tells it has pattern. i said no. i didnt not want a mbk with pattern. he tells me he has a female thats all black. i said ok, please ship her as i didnt care much about he sex, as long as it was all black.

u guys can see the pictures that ive posted and shes clearly no ALL black which i repeatedly told him i didnt want any pattern or white marks. now i have mites. this is the second mite ive seen on her.

how do you guys recommend i treat her? this just pisses me off man. im never buying another snake from that guy again. he said he had a x amount of years in this business with a good reputation and i find that really hard to believe right now...

[Starbuck]

it does look like that could be a mite, but without clear magnification we can't be 100% sure. It could be a dust mite, mite from a dog or cat (if you have any) etc… HOWEVER i would recommend starting a course of mite treatment for BOTH your snakes and their enclosures (look on this forum for more tips on this…).

I will also say that from what i have seen, many MBKs grow out of their pattern and end up as solid black adults.

[sharthun]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

it does look like that could be a mite, but without clear magnification we can't be 100% sure. It could be a dust mite, mite from a dog or cat (if you have any) etc… HOWEVER i would recommend starting a course of mite treatment for BOTH your snakes and their enclosures (look on this forum for more tips on this…).

I will also say that from what i have seen, many MBKs grow out of their pattern and end up as solid black adults.

I agree with Starbuck. Definitely a mite! Treat both snakes and enclosures. I found this mite treatment how to link:

Dealing with Snake Mites

[nyjon]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

it does look like that could be a mite, but without clear magnification we can't be 100% sure. It could be a dust mite, mite from a dog or cat (if you have any) etc… HOWEVER i would recommend starting a course of mite treatment for BOTH your snakes and their enclosures (look on this forum for more tips on this…).

I will also say that from what i have seen, many MBKs grow out of their pattern and end up as solid black adults.

thanks starbuck. i started treatment today. i went to my local reptile shop and got a bottle of reptile relief and spray both of them. i didnt see any mites on them tonight when i took them out.


this is what confuses me. so far ive seen 2 (one per week). i hope this kills any eggs hanging around their scales. ill spray the substrate tomorrow and let it air out.

Originally Posted by sharthun

I agree with Starbuck. Definitely a mite! Treat both snakes and enclosures. I found this mite treatment how to link:

Dealing with Snake Mites

thanks for your continuous help steve!

i started treating both my lil guys tonight! hopefully these bugs die out soon

[sharthun]

Sure anytime!!

Originally Posted by nyjon

thanks starbuck. i started treatment today. i went to my local reptile shop and got a bottle of reptile relief and spray both of them. i didnt see any mites on them tonight when i took them out.


this is what confuses me. so far ive seen 2 (one per week). i hope this kills any eggs hanging around their scales. ill spray the substrate tomorrow and let it air out.



thanks for your continuous help steve!

i started treating both my lil guys tonight! hopefully these bugs die out soon

[nyjon]

kings first shed was perfect

this actually makes me feel like a better owner. after seeing these mites this is a definitely a positive. i cleaned both of my tanks again. while i was cleaning snakes tank somebody was out for a cruise. i figured she might be hungry since she didnt last week as she was blue. moments like these make it worth while. im glad i didnt return her



she went out for a soak after i sprayer her with reptile relief last night..


this was her today going for hunt lol


stuffing her face!

[EL Ziggy]

Looking really nice nyj.

[sharthun]

Awesome!! She's beautiful! I would have kept her in a heartbeat!!