Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my new Mexican Black King I got this weekend at the Houston show. I have 5 corns, 1 rat snake and 1 python. Now a king. She is the only one that poops and musks on me everytime I pick her up. Is this a normal thing that these kings do??
How can I ever tell if she is in shed? She is solid black.Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated!

Well for one thing her eyes will turn 'blue' a few days before she sheds, her skin may also get kind of milky and dull looking. But you should know that already from caring for your other snakes?
As far as her musking goes in my experience this is perfectly normal for MBK's, as I have (had) a pair (my female escaped and is still AWOL) and the female especially has done nothing but that, rattle and strike since the day I bought her almost a year ago now. She is very bad tempered. The male isn't quite so bad, but he will also rattle and musk when held. They also seem to be excellent escape artists, so watch out for that. On a good note, I have heard of others here who have some very docile MBK's, in fact they claim that they're MBK's are the most docile snakes they've ever had.
Best of luck to you!
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"Klaatu...Verata...Nicht--cough, cough, cough!"

Lots of King snake hatchlings start off with bad temperments, but if you hold them frequently they will grow out of it.