thinking of buying a california kingsnake, wanted to know......?

Question

ok i have never owned a snake of my own before but am thinking of getting one tomorow. i wanted to know if you think it is stupid to buy one that is about 2 years old. the owner says he is tame and has never bitten except once when they first got him and tht was becaause he was holding a mouse right before he was going to hold the snake. but has never bitten since then. ive always had a littlefear of snakes but have also been facinated by them, so i was told cali kingsnakes make great pet snakes. my last question is if i do get bit how bad is the pain??lol, i just want to know. oh yeah and the guy said that im getting the snake from that they always feed the snake outside of his cage, cant remember why but is this heard of??? any info is appreciated.thanks.

Answer 1

I will keep this one as short as possible. It's fine to get one at 2 years old. They're past that hatchling stage where they are defensive and sometimes snippy. Don't touch food and then expect your snake not to bite you. That one's common sense. It your pet store employee did that, I would hope that it was just an error in judgement, not a routine behavior. I've been bitten only once by my hatchling kingsnake. Didn't hurt a bit. Didn't feel any pain, just that little bit of pressure. And you feed outside the tank to keep her from always associating your hand with food. For example, if you're reaching in to feed your snake, maybe next time you reach in to hold her, she will think she's being fed and strike. I would recommend getting the tank and accessories cleaned and set up now if you're planning on bringing her home tomorrow. You need to make sure you can regulate the temps, have everything clean and dry...etc before you introduce your snake. I have three beautiful kings and they make the most amazing pets I could have ever imagined. Good luck!!!
Isis the first day we brought her home- http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=12637153&albumID=1304349&imageID=11873090

Ayden-http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=12637153&albumID=1522160&imageID=19666500

Kali-http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=12637153&albumID=1748527&imageID=20203391

PS- Woah woah woah... Twice a month?!? My kings eat every 5-7 days. I would check the pet stores feeding schedule before you set your own.

Answer 2

A lot of the info offered was very good. Use tongs when handling the mice. This will keep your hands from smelling like them and keeps your hand a a distance in case the snake gets over-zealous.

Yes - snakes bites can AND do hurt. I have a pretty high threshold for pain and I've been bitten by some that hurt and some that don't so much. Depends on the size of the snake. A 4' black racer was the worst bite I've had.

I use feed boxes for my snakes. Many responsible keepers do. The reasons were stated above - disassociation and impaction are the big reasons. I keep them in an appropriate sized box to keep them contained in one place and so they associate the box with feeding - not a room. They don't always eat right away. I warm the f/t pinkies or rat pups in hot water to get them warm and leave them in there for about 30 mins. max. Usually the food will have been eaten much sooner and they can go back in the enclosure after about 15 mins.

So - get it! Whatchya waiting for!! :-D.

Answer 3

Owning a snake is not hard. Keep them in a nice terrarium and you'll need to feed them twice a month with 2 mice. I suggest using frozen mice, fully thawed in warm water, because I have heard that if you just drop a live mouse in for the snake to eat when it gets hungry, the mouse might attack the snake and kill it. You can get frozen mice of various sized at most pets stores.
2 years old is still rather young, in captivity they live 15-20 years.
I have been bitten by snakes before, and it doesn't hurt. Most of the time its due to mistaken identity (when you have been handling mice, or the snake may lock onto your hand instead of the mouse by mistake, in which case they won't bite hard and will quickly let go). They will bite if you really piss them off, at which case its best to just stay still and wait for him to let go. Bites don't hurt much, its more of a startle, but it will certainly draw blood and require minor first aid to sterilize the wound, as it could easily get infected.
Their are two reasons why you want to feed your snake outside of your cage. First, so that it doesn't learn to strike at anything you stick in the cage. This is important if you decide you might want to take it out of the cage now and then and let it roam around or just hold it. It might start striking at you whenever you stick your hand in the cage. As long as you don't do something to startle a snake they can be fun to hold and watch slither around. Secondly, you don't want them to accidently swallow any bedding in the cage, it tends to get stuck on the mouse when they are eating and will tear them up inside. It's best to feed them on a hard bathroom floor.