Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all
I got an eastern about two months ago, an 07. Beautiful little booger with a black belly. She was always a little nervous, musking me when she was handled. But just recently she began to rattle her tail and get in a striking pose whenever I approached her cage. Then last night I walked by her cage to clean some other cages and she repeatedly struck at the glass. Normal? Will she calm down? Or will she just be a mean one?
Take care
Joel

some baby snakes are like that,but consistent handling usually calms them down,with the possible exceptions of texas rats and select australian pythons(ok,mainly just ameythistines).
some baby kings can be pretty defensive,but you gotta remember-if you are as small as that baby king,you gotta assume that everything bigger than you thinks that you are a tasty snack.especially raccoons,possums,cats,you get the drift.
just give the little one time to get settled,handle it regularely,and it will eventually get to recognize your scent as a non-threat.not all kings are jittery,but it seems yours is.
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb baby red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb baby chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.3 wc baby stinkpots (inky,blinky,&dot)
1.1 wc eastern mud turtles (george & jane)
1.0 cb eastern painted turtle (fred)
0.0.1 mississippi map (lil' dummy)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
0.0.2 red-eared sliders(kaelan's classroom pets,summer babysitting)
1.0 cb06 albino corn (rusty)
0.0.1 cb07 apalachicola kingsnake
0.0.1 wc halloween crab
0.1 irritating cat (sassy )
2.0 cb children (sidney,13 & kaelan,5)
0.1 wc wife (danae,age withheld due to fears for personal safety)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

megalon,
Yea, each snake is definitely an individual. All my kings are unique (I have pairs of Thayers and Gray Bands as well as the pair of Easterns) but none have been aggressive. Still, I know what you mean, I plan on getting to know this little beauty better so she will calm down.

Thanks for your reply.
Joel

i don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of working with carpets,but i can tell you from years of experiance,there are not many baby snakes more defensive that a hatchling coastal carpet.evil,evil little buggers,capable of launching themselves almost totally off of the ground or branch that they are perched on,all in the interest of making the giant hovering over the tank completely afraid of them.opportunistic little nippers,almost like scaley chainsaws sometimes.but once they hit the magic 3' mark,bang,totally different temperments,for the most part.i've never had a carpet that i raised bite me once it was over 3' or so,with the exception of a couple feeding responses.
-----
1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb baby red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb baby chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.3 wc baby stinkpots (inky,blinky,&dot)
1.1 wc eastern mud turtles (george & jane)
1.0 cb eastern painted turtle (fred)
0.0.1 mississippi map (lil' dummy)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
0.0.2 red-eared sliders(kaelan's classroom pets,summer babysitting)
1.0 cb06 albino corn (rusty)
0.0.1 cb07 apalachicola kingsnake
0.0.1 wc halloween crab
0.1 irritating cat (sassy )
2.0 cb children (sidney,13 & kaelan,5)
0.1 wc wife (danae,age withheld due to fears for personal safety)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

Not sure I would like getting tagged by a carpet. I see what you are getting at though and I am sure you are right. She'll settle down.
Thanks
Joel

it's not too bad,usually.the white lips did much more damage on a regular basis.they almost never calmed down.
-----
1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb baby red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb baby chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.3 wc baby stinkpots (inky,blinky,&dot)
1.1 wc eastern mud turtles (george & jane)
1.0 cb eastern painted turtle (fred)
0.0.1 mississippi map (lil' dummy)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
0.0.2 red-eared sliders(kaelan's classroom pets,summer babysitting)
1.0 cb06 albino corn (rusty)
0.0.1 cb07 apalachicola kingsnake
0.0.1 wc halloween crab
0.1 irritating cat (sassy )
2.0 cb children (sidney,13 & kaelan,5)
0.1 wc wife (danae,age withheld due to fears for personal safety)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."