Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
First time asking a question here. My california king has starting rubbing his mouth against his cage after he eats? I've had him for about four months. This might be nothing but I thought I would ask. Thanks.

Phil

I'm by no means an expert, but it seems as though your cal king may be looking for another bite. How old/big is it? How much are you feeding it? Try adding an additional mouse to each feeding.
-----
Chris - TX

Don't know the age but right at 3 feet. Been feeding him/her one large f/t mouse every seven days.

Phil

Depends on what you mean by rubbing his mouth. Does it look like he is trying to get out... or is it more like he is wiping the sides of his face? Mine sometimes do this after they eat when they have a bit of substrate stuck to their mouth and they want to get it off.
-----
Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

Don't know the age but right at 3 feet. Been feeding him/her one large f/t mouse every seven days.

Here's the problem. And this subject of choices come up quite often on this forum.

Feed him at least a couple times per week. Or give him two mice at each meal. Better yet,,,,,(!!!!) offer food whenever the kingsnake is hungry and wants food. Which could be as ofetn as 2-3 days per week. Depends on the snake and how much BW he has to make up, stage of life, breeding season ect ect.

For a growing king such as your you should offer food and feed it as much as it will eat. Let the snake decide what and when it needs. They make decisions in nature and survive just fine.

I also hope you are using an undertank heat source so the snake can choose it temps as well! This is alo part of good husbandry that offers avalibe choices for the snake to make.
-----
www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to agree. Sounds like your snake needs more food.
-----
Chris - TX

I may have missed it, but I didn't catch the subspecies; dont' some top out at 3' or so?
-----
We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.

Wild caught north of California.
Phil

I do have an under the tank heater and a lazer temp gun.

I think your snake is re alining his jaws. I've seen mine do it many times over the years and it has nothing to do with still being hungry. Its usually after a large meal. The way you described it, that's what it sounds like to me. The king will rub the side of his mouth on the glass or even the bowl or log with a little pressure. It usually lasts 1-3 seconds. Now, are they really re alining their jaws? I don't know but its something like that.
-----

I was going to say the very same thing Ross..LOL!

I wish I had a nickel for every time I have seen a snake rub it's face on the side of the enclosure immediately after eating..

It is often a combination of what both you and Aubrey stated that tend to make the snakes rub their snouts and jaws on cage surfaces either to get a piece of substrate out of their mouths and/or to re-align the jaw back to it's original position.

It would help to feed it two of whatever it is eating every few days as well while it is young and growing too.

~Doug
-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

re-align

So that's how you spell it. I knew I had it wrong. lol
-----

.
-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I wish I had a nickel for every time I have seen a snake rub it's face on the side of the enclosure immediately after eating..

I think that the OP wouldn't make a post about this unless there was execissive rubbing. A little mouth rubbing or cleaning would be to obviously natural.

I guess the OP needs to explain why he made this post if it was just a little wiping or jaw realigning. Otherwise i will assume he meant something like trying to rub its nose and anxeity over where their may be more food.
-----
www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I very much agree. The OP didn't make it very clear with more details of how often, and how long the snake is doing the rubbing. Only after feeding was mentioned in the post. As we both know it can be a couple different things happening simultaneously, and it searching for more food is very likely as it is working it's jaws back into alignment, or getting a little sliver of substrate out of the corner of it's mouth as it pushes the first meal down as it crawls and rubs looking for more.

As both of us know, if the snake was doing this constantly when not in a worked-up "feeding-mode" from just feeding, it would indicate something not right with the snake's environment/husbandry, and it is seeking other more optimum conditions.

~Doug
-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

As both of us know, if the snake was doing this constantly when not in a worked-up "feeding-mode" from just feeding, it would indicate something not right with the snake's environment/husbandry, and it is seeking other more optimum conditions

right! It could be husbandry, mites or similar things. But since he said it was right after eating, that narrows it down. But yes, the OP needs to expound!

We need more information. Sometimes these posts with an open end questions begging for more questions can offer up advice and answers to mltiple problems being narrowed down.
-----
www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.
-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks for your response. He only rubbed the side of his mouth this one time after eating. What other things can I tell you?
Phil

First time the king has done it.

Makes sense.