Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I'm new to this forum (posting wise) so forgive me if I do/say anything noobish. Anyways, I got my first kingsnake a few months back in March, and a few questions have arisen since then. First of all, here's his stats:

-Mexican Black Kingsnake
-Sex: I dont know...I've been calling it a 'he' and since Im not interested in breeding, I'm not too concerned about its sex.
-Age: Still pretty young, I'd guess about only 8 months?
-Habitat: 10 Gallon terrarium (he's still quite small), two hides, large water dish, aspen shavings, and a temp gradient with an UTH. [Dont know if any of that is really helpful for my question but, eh.]

Ok first of all, every time I handle him he musks all over the place and continually bluffs with his tail, he has also struck once or twice. I'm very careful in handling/picking him up...I move slowly and generally pick him up near his middle. What I'd like to know is whether this aggression/fear will go away as he gets older? I handle him on a regular basis to try and get him used to it, but it doesnt seem to help. Any input on this is very much appreciated

Ok and here's a question thats not too relevant to the snake:
In these forums, many people have numbers next to the lists/species of reptiles they own such as this: 1.0 or 1.2 This will probably have some simple obvious answer, but for the life of me I cant figure it out :0 Could someone fill me in on this? ^-^

Quick answers to noob questions!

Regarding the musking and tail rattling, your snake will eventually settle down (probably!). Young snakes often musk and rattle their tails when handled. Frequent handling helps. Also pick up your snake deliberatly and gently, without hestitation. A confident and gentle handler seems to calm them.

Now about the numbers. Like I have 2.1 California Kingsnakes. The first number refers to the number of males, the second refers to the number of females, and if there is a third number it refers to snakes of unknown sex. So you have 0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnakes!

Sounds like you're taking good care of yours. Good luck.

*Nods* Alright, that was what I was assuming/hoping. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

And thank you for clearing up that number question...I knew it had to do with the number of animals you own, but I couldnt figure out what the order meant.

I recommend using a snake hook to remove your kingsnake from it's cage. It's a lot less stressful to the snake to be picked up from a hook than from an intimidating hand. That's probably why you're getting musked. After the snake gets older you can start to remove it by hand after it relizes that you're not going to hurt or eat him.
You can make a hook from a wire hanger or pick one up from a swap meet.
Just my two cents.
Good luck.