Manic Milksnake?

Gravelanche · 03-12-13, 09:16 AM

So on sunday i brought home an albino tangerine milk snake and when i transfered her from traveler to tank she went nuts on me and took a few strikes, peed on me and tried to escape with everything in her. i chalked it up to stress and let her settle in. during the night she spilt her water dish so i had to go in and clear out the bedding, after 2 days all my other new snakes are much calmer but this one still went nuts the second i took her out. definitely glad i invested in a snake hook for this one.

on another note she did hapily down her dinner last night, so i dont think she is super stressed.

Chu'Wuti · 03-12-13, 09:25 AM

Every once in awhile, this happens. I have a buckskin morph Honduran who is still edgy after several years, but I probably don't handle him quite enough to help him get over his nerves.

You might try leaving her completely alone for a week or two. Then begin handling by just touching her around the middle, avoiding her head; don't even pick her up, just touch her. Move very slowly and calmly. If she strikes immediately when you put your hand in, just slowly put your hand in the tank way back from her head and hold it a few inches above her for a bit, then slowly move your hand away again. Do this a couple times a day for a week or so.

Over time, progress to picking her up only partially--maybe just lift the middle portion of her body a couple inches off the cage floor very gently, without compressing her body at all. Then let her go; don't try to prevent her from escaping. You want her to begin to get the idea that whenever Godzilla touches her (you're Godzilla), nothing bad happens. Right now, "bad" in her mind is you even touching her, but eventually her fear will decrease.

Eventually you should be able to progress to increased duration of holding her in the tank, then lifting her higher, then taking her out of the tank, etc.

Just takes a lot of patience with some of them . . . . and, of course, there's no guarantee that she'll learn to feel safer with you, but most of the time, this works.

Good luck!

DragonsEye · 03-12-13, 10:08 AM

Welcome to the "milksnake experience". heh

IME, this is perfectly normal milksnake behavior -- they have a well deserved rep for being skittish/flighty as well as musking and defecating when they are picked up. Some grow out of it, many never do. It is just the nature of the beast.

Gravelanche · 03-12-13, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Welcome to the "milksnake experience". heh

IME, this is perfectly normal milksnake behavior -- they have a well deserved rep for being skittish/flighty as well as musking and defecating when they are picked up. Some grow out of it, many never do. It is just the nature of the beast.

if that ends up being the case im cool with it. she is a gorgeous show snake either way

KORBIN5895 · 03-12-13, 03:42 PM

A snake hook for a hatchling? Good call....

Gravelanche · 03-12-13, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

A snake hook for a hatchling? Good call....

yepp, a good old 2.5 foot hatchling... where in there did i ever mention she was a hatchling dude, sarcasm works best when it isnt ignorant

stephanbakir · 03-12-13, 03:50 PM

Milks are fun but I've never seen any of that behavior present other then a KILLER feed response for a small colubrid, stunning animals. I had a4-5 inch baby try and eat my finger.

Chu'Wuti · 03-12-13, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Welcome to the "milksnake experience". heh

IME, this is perfectly normal milksnake behavior -- they have a well deserved rep for being skittish/flighty as well as musking and defecating when they are picked up. Some grow out of it, many never do. It is just the nature of the beast.

Really? I've had milk snakes for about 15 years, and only one adult has exhibited such behaviors. Hatchlings have started out this way, but they quickly tame down. I have had them musk me when I first got them or as hatchlings, but they all either became calmer or grew out of that behavior over time as well; even my guy who hates being handled neither musks me nor bites me anymore, he just works on getting back in his enclosure.

I just haven't seen much of this kind of behavior in either my milk snakes (Pueblans and Hondurans, though currently all Hondurans) or in milk snakes owned by other herpers I know here locally (Sinaloans, Hondurans) or in their king snakes, though that's another snake that has gotten a reputation of being bitey.

I really think that with patient handling for short sessions daily (after a destressing period, since yours is new in your home), you'll find that this behavior goes away. I can't guarantee it, of course, but I don't think that a reputation for being skittish, bitey, or musking a lot is truly deserved.

Gravelanche · 03-12-13, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu'Wuti

Really? I've had milk snakes for about 15 years, and only one adult has exhibited such behaviors. Hatchlings have started out this way, but they quickly tame down. I have had them musk me when I first got them or as hatchlings, but they all either became calmer or grew out of that behavior over time as well; even my guy who hates being handled neither musks me nor bites me anymore, he just works on getting back in his enclosure.

I just haven't seen much of this kind of behavior in either my milk snakes (Pueblans and Hondurans, though currently all Hondurans) or in milk snakes owned by other herpers I know here locally (Sinaloans, Hondurans) or in their king snakes, though that's another snake that has gotten a reputation of being bitey.

I really think that with patient handling for short sessions daily (after a destressing period, since yours is new in your home), you'll find that this behavior goes away. I can't guarantee it, of course, but I don't think that a reputation for being skittish, bitey, or musking a lot is truly deserved.

i really hope so, im not touching her for a week or so from here on out, only reason i took her out in the first place was to clean out some of her bedding from a silled water dish, it was way too damp in there

Chu'Wuti · 03-12-13, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravelanche

i really hope so, im not touching her for a week or so from here on out, only reason i took her out in the first place was to clean out some of her bedding from a silled water dish, it was way too damp in there

Now THAT'S typical behavior! One of my females came from a guy who used paper toweling for substrate, and she drove him crazy because she was always "messing it up and getting it in her water bowl." LOL!

Keep us posted on how things go, OK? I'll be interested to hear.

KORBIN5895 · 03-12-13, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravelanche

yepp, a good old 2.5 foot hatchling... where in there did i ever mention she was a hatchling dude, sarcasm works best when it isnt ignorant

Sorry she looked pretty small in your pics. I will still say a snake hook for a milk snake is pretty funny. I bet she would do a ton of damage if she actually bit you.

poison123 · 03-12-13, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Sorry she looked pretty small in your pics. I will still say a snake hook for a milk snake is pretty funny. I bet she would do a ton of damage if she actually bit you.

I still cry when i get bit by a baby snake

stephanbakir · 03-12-13, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Sorry she looked pretty small in your pics. I will still say a snake hook for a milk snake is pretty funny. I bet she would do a ton of damage if she actually bit you.

It's good practice to avoid bites at all cost. I've seen people twitch on receiving a bite and break the jaws of baby snakes.

stephanbakir · 03-12-13, 04:42 PM

Also why would you risk breaking their teeth...

Gravelanche · 03-12-13, 04:43 PM

probably not, but it was $5 so why not, at least till she calms down a bit