Lately my kingsnake has been in the bedding a lot more and hardly ever comes out. This is new, because i could almost always come in my room and see him climbing around. Is it just because it's winter time that he's doing this, or is this a habit that will go on through his whole life? Should I take some bedding out so he's harder to hide in it and he gets used to people walking by and looking at him?
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~Banana~
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lazy kingsnake
banana
Nov 18, 2003 09:19 AM
Replies (2)
meretseger
Nov 18, 2003 10:52 AM
Your kingsnake should be allowed to engage in any behavior that it sees fit. No one likes to be on display all the time! He'll probably get stressed and aggressive if he can't feel secure.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?
Hotshot
Nov 18, 2003 12:46 PM
Lately my kingsnake has been in the bedding a lot more and hardly ever comes out. This is new, because i could almost always come in my room and see him climbing around. Is it just because it's winter time that he's doing this, or is this a habit that will go on through his whole life? Should I take some bedding out so he's harder to hide in it and he gets used to people walking by and looking at him?
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>>~Banana~
It could be that he is slowing down some for the winter. I dont brumate my snakes, and they slow down quite a bit this time of year. My snakes are just about always in their hides anyways, but the feeding slows down some.
It could be that he is going into the "blue". If he is starting his shed, then he would hide more often because when they go opaque, their limited vision is reduced considerably.
If not, snakes are naturally secretive animals, especially at young ages. Evolution for survival has made these creatures hard to find for a reason. Until the snakes reach adulthood, they are preyed upon by all sorts of animals; coyotes, raccoons, skunks, foxes, various birds of prey, even turkeys. So in order for them to survive, they naturally are very secretive. When you take this abillity to "hide" from a snake, then stress sets in and you can have various effects on the snake.
Its best to let your snake do what comes natural. If it wants to hide 18 of the 24 hours in a day, then that is exactly what you should let it do. The snakes enclosure should be built to the snakes needs and not your wants. If you want to show someone your snake, you can always pull it from its enclosure. But once it gets put back in its enclosure, it should have the abillity to feel secure.
If you want a snake that is out and about, then an arboreal species would fit the bill. However, most are hard to care for and are not for beginners. Some rat snakes are arboreal part time, and would do well in an arboreal set up, as long as it had a hide on the floor of the enclosure as well.
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Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian
