Hello from a new snake family!

saturnascends · 02-26-17, 10:47 AM

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to snake ownership as well. I've owned all sorts of animals over the years, but never a reptile. Snakes have always interested me, but I never necessarily thought I would own one. Then, in recent times, my 7 year old son started to ask me for a pet snake (we saw some at Petsmart while picking up dog food and of course he was mesmerized). I considered it lightly, then started to do some research. I decided this weekend was time, so we went for it!

We purchased a young California King Snake from a reputable reptile store here on Long Island. We've set him up with some basics in his tank, but I am already itching to upgrade and customize. I have my eye on one of the Exo-Terra terrariums but we'll see how that goes.

Anyways, so far he/she seems pretty friendly, though quick and fiesty, which I am told is normal for their age. My son and I both held it a lot at the store, so I was happy to see my son didn't fear it. He's in love with "his little guy" already and I am hoping we have a great pet for a long time to come. I wanted t name him Lazarus, my son wanted to name him Taco Del Mar (don't ask). I thought it was too hilarious to day no, so we compromised and he has been dubbed Taco Lazarus Del Mar. I will be calling him Lazarus

I hope to learn from this forum over time, thanks for reading!

afsgr88 · 02-26-17, 12:01 PM

Hi there! And welcome

It is nice to see young children interested in snakes, instead of fearing them! He looks gorgeous and I absolutely love the name xD All the best for you guys

**EL Ziggy** · 02-26-17, 12:24 PM

Welcome and best wishes. Congrats on your handsome new king snake. It's amazing how many of our kids helped ignite or reignite our passion for reptiles. My son was 4 when he decided he wanted a blue lizard. We ended up with a Cal King a lot like yours. He turns 8 in a few months and we have 8 snakes now.

saturnascends · 02-26-17, 04:30 PM

Thank you both! And yes, one of the awesome parts of being a parent is you get to experience a taste of childhood all over again...unless I just never grew up!

So in 24 hours under our care, Mr. Taco has been upgraded from a 10-gallon glass tank to an Exo-Terra medium low terrarium

I nearly had a heart attack once I got him into it though; I hadn't pushed the styrofoam decor all the way flush to the back, so there was a little space for him to squeeze into. Not a huge deal I thought, until I look over and he's crawling out of the top air vent (that I didn't know existed)!!! I managed to pick him up before he tumbled out but man, what a scare. Those vents are now securely closed and the background is pushed back as tight as possible!

TRD · 02-26-17, 05:55 PM

Welcome

My daughter was today jumping around my computer and saying she wants a black snake... she's almost 2 (1 month from now).

On my screen was a big black spitting cobra, might not be the best idea

Goodluck with the little Taco Lazarus from California, they'll grow big and confident soon!

BillyCostume · 02-26-17, 08:36 PM

Welcome to the forum

it's a great community here. My 10 year old niece recently got a ball python and reignited my love of keeping reptiles. Just a warning it's highly addictive haha

GyGbeetle · 02-26-17, 10:31 PM

I have to know where your 7 year old got the name now. Very awesome that you are doing this as a team. All 3 of my kids have snakes, and we make it a family activity. It's fun (until you ask for help cleaning the enclosure and they conveniently have to be anywhere else but there).

dave himself · 02-27-17, 02:19 AM

Hi and welcome

saturnascends · 02-27-17, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

I have to know where your 7 year old got the name now. Very awesome that you are doing this as a team. All 3 of my kids have snakes, and we make it a family activity. It's fun (until you ask for help cleaning the enclosure and they conveniently have to be anywhere else but there).

Oh man, I'm totally anticipating him to be suddenly "busy" when it comes time for cleaning!

As for the name, it's not really a big story but it's just random, haha. Back before Xmas, my son found this YouTube channel called Cute Mario Bros. It's a couple of 20-something guys making little skits with Mario, Luigi and other various plush toys. In one video, an elf on the shelf magically appears in their house. Luigi is pressured by the group to name the elf, even though he warns them that the elf is probably evil. He's looking around the room and sees a paper that says Taco Del Mar. That's what Luigi goes with. Turns out the elf goes on a killing spree or something, haha. So my son is walking around calling me Taco Del Mar and I'm like "What??" I came to find out afterwards that it's a chain we don't have here in NY, and Luigi was looking at an old taco wrapper. Then it became a joke between us and thus, it was the logical name for a pet in a 7 year old's mind.

And thanks again for the welcomes!

afsgr88 · 02-27-17, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturnascends

Oh man, I'm totally anticipating him to be suddenly "busy" when it comes time for cleaning!

As for the name, it's not really a big story but it's just random, haha. Back before Xmas, my son found this YouTube channel called Cute Mario Bros. It's a couple of 20-something guys making little skits with Mario, Luigi and other various plush toys. In one video, an elf on the shelf magically appears in their house. Luigi is pressured by the group to name the elf, even though he warns them that the elf is probably evil. He's looking around the room and sees a paper that says Taco Del Mar. That's what Luigi goes with. Turns out the elf goes on a killing spree or something, haha. So my son is walking around calling me Taco Del Mar and I'm like "What??" I came to find out afterwards that it's a chain we don't have here in NY, and Luigi was looking at an old taco wrapper. Then it became a joke between us and thus, it was the logical name for a pet in a 7 year old's mind.

And thanks again for the welcomes!

That's such a funny and cute story! ^^ I need to subscribe to that YouTube channel. Sounds awesome!

GyGbeetle · 02-27-17, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturnascends

Oh man, I'm totally anticipating him to be suddenly "busy" when it comes time for cleaning!

As for the name, it's not really a big story but it's just random, haha. Back before Xmas, my son found this YouTube channel called Cute Mario Bros. It's a couple of 20-something guys making little skits with Mario, Luigi and other various plush toys. In one video, an elf on the shelf magically appears in their house. Luigi is pressured by the group to name the elf, even though he warns them that the elf is probably evil. He's looking around the room and sees a paper that says Taco Del Mar. That's what Luigi goes with. Turns out the elf goes on a killing spree or something, haha. So my son is walking around calling me Taco Del Mar and I'm like "What??" I came to find out afterwards that it's a chain we don't have here in NY, and Luigi was looking at an old taco wrapper. Then it became a joke between us and thus, it was the logical name for a pet in a 7 year old's mind.

And thanks again for the welcomes!

hahahahahah!!!!! I love this! That is the cutest thing ever!

Klim · 02-27-17, 01:15 PM

Hi, I'm new also. This group has been great on giving advice.

saturnascends · 02-28-17, 10:07 PM

Hi all,

I wanted to ask a question I pretty much know the answer to, but need some reassurance. We got Taco Lazarus (haha, still makes me laugh) on Saturday. Sunday we moved him to the Exo-Terra. So in reality, he has only had a little over 48 hours in his new home. I have noticed he's hiding at the top of the terrarium a lot of the time - there is a small gap between the foam rock background and the roof - is this normal? I kind of feel it must be. We're leaving him be, and I do notice he moves around a little more when the light goes off at night...I just hope I'm not doing anything wrong. Will he come around eventually? I really hope he will be friendly and calm (I guess that's obvious to hope for)...and right now there's no way to tell what's going to happen. Is this normal new (and young) snake behavior? Any estimation of how long it will take a new guy to be comfortable? Thanks and sorry for being such a newbie!

afsgr88 · 03-01-17, 02:36 AM

Hey there! It sounds like he is still settling down. Most of my snakes were very inactive during the first week in a new home. Just make sure you have the temps right and, of course, that you're providing enough hideouts for him. He should be cruising around in no time

Albert Clark · 03-01-17, 03:32 AM

Hi and welcome to the forum. Young kingsnakes and most snakes in general will explore new surroundings and become relentless in finding weak links in the enclosure. Kingsnakes also are great climbers so just be sure to "baton down the hatches" to prevent any potential escape. The more room he has as a juvenile young snake increases his possibilities and routes of escape. Just be vigilant with your enclosure security and enjoy him.