Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone

I just got a beutiful Mex. balck king, shes a baby. I have a Nelson milk that I rase since he was a baby. I notice some diference though, the King is very nervous, I imagine its because she's a bay, but do anyone have some advise in how much handle should I give, or till when should I handle it more. I just want a lovely and tame pet

Thanks everyone

Warning: I am NOT AN EXPERT!

I am new to snakes. We got a King (Florida Brooksi) earlier this year and added a corn a month or so ago. Both from the same breeder/dealer.

Anyway, he told us when we got the King to handle her pretty often, and when we do, to touch her head. She flinches at first, but then settles down. Supposedly this is to help them not be afraid to be touched on the head when they get bigger.

Regardless, this King is now almost 30 inches long, and is SUCH a sweetheart! Could not ask for a better temperament. And I handle her pretty often. I could have gotten lucky, but the corn we got was bigger than a baby and didn't seem to have been handled as much, and he is WAY more skiddish than the King.

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0.1 Lampropeltis Getula Floridana
1.0 Elaphe Guttata Slowinskii

I don't touch ANY of my snakes on the head- it's just not a good idea, especially when your MBK gets to it's first big growth spurt and is hungry- he will DEFINITELY try to eat your finger.

Probably the best advice is to handle the snake every day, once a day for 5-10 minutes very gently, and let the snake cruise around in your hands/fingers. (not after feeding, and not while eyes clouded over)

Just keep your hands moving, and don't try to restrain it.

The other thing that helps a lot is that when you go to take him out, if you've got him in a small enough enclosure, I'd suggest picking up the enclosure and 'pouring' the snake out into your hand instead of reaching in and grabbing it out.

The Mexican Black Kings settle down to be GREAT pets!

//Todd

Exactly. Do not restrain your snake, as it may feel it is being predated upon. And I have yet to meet a Colubrid that enjoyed having it's head touched. I've never been bitten because of it, but it seems to make them very nervous, so it's best not to do it.

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Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
0.1.0 Boa Constrictor
1.2.0 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.1.0 Hypo Everglades Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Trans-Pecos Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Salt and Pepper Bull Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Pacific Gopher Snake
2.1.0 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Sonoran Gopher Snake
1.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnakes
1.0.0 Gray Banded Kingsnake
0.1.1 California Kingsnake
1.1.0 Thayeri Kingsnake
3.2.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican, Temecula, & Mid Baja)
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
1.1.0 Cape York Spotted Pythons
1.0.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Western Hognoses
0.0.1 Lyre Snake
0.0.1 Glossy Snake

LIZARDS
2.0.0 Bearded Dragons
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
1.0.0 African Fat-Tail Gecko
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.4.0 Leopard Geckos
1.0.1 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
1.1.0 Chuckwalla
1.4.0 Banded Gecko
0.0.1 Gold Dust Day Gecko
1.1.3 Sandfish

AMPHIBIANS
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
1.0.0 Bubbling Kassina
0.0.1 White's Tree Frog
0.0.2 Gold Frogs
1.0.0 Fire Salamander

Thanks everyone for your help and advice, I'll handle my snake every day and i'll keep you posted if anything hppens. T
Thanks