Reptile & Amphibian Forums

we have had our Black Mexican King for about 6mos, she is about 1 year old. the other day after she just shed she bit me .... so thinking she was hungry we fed her, and after that she bit me again. just wondering if she will keep doing this and what to do to prevent her from biting.

If she didn't used to be a biter, you may want to check her eye caps, if you haven't already, to make sure they both came off. If her eyes are good then the best I can recommend is to keep handling her and try to work her back to her old self. Hope she turns around(not just to bite).

good luck
Ed

I posted a similar question a fews days ago titled "Major behavior change in Cal King," and got some good replys. First off I would say to review all your basic handling rules, ie never have odor of rodents or other snakes on your hands, don't suprise the snake by suddenly reaching for it etc. Also, shedding is a vulnerable period for snakes (it's hard to run away from a preditor when your skin is half on and half off) and they can be tempermental after a shed. My Cal is very active after a shed and I don't even feed her untill the next day, just to give her a chance to settle down. Also, even at one year old many kings are still kind of jumpy and nippy, I have never had a Mexican Black though so I can't speak for them. A trick taught to me by a wise old herper is never pick up a snake by reaching down on top of like a preditor would, but rather place your hand palm up on the bottom of the cage away from the snake and then slide it to the snake and scoop it up mid body and get it's belly up off of the ground (thanks Paul H!) Again, I've never had a Mexican Black but I know with Cal Kings you have to be willing to take one for the team now and then. They are very hardy snakes with personality and they look at every creature with only 3 thoughts in mind, #1. can I eat it? #2. can it eat me?? and #3 can I mate with it? That is how the reptillian brain sees other animals, so with proper husbandry and handling skills we have to teach them scenario #4. NONE OF THE ABOVE, DON"T BITE ME! Hope this helps and good luck.

I had purchased a pair of '02 mexi blacks at a show in January of this year. They were both pretty docile at the time, no biting, just your typical tail rattling and a bit of posturing. After about 4 months or so, the female started to bite, hungry or no. She actually became quite the little terror, while the male remained fairly docile. Unfortunately about a month after her sudden change she mysteriously disappeared from her enclosure, and has not been seen since. No evidence of her still being around has been found either.
Anyways, I sent an e mail to the breeder, and he said that this seems to be common behaviour for Mexican Blacks, and that they seem to go through 'phases', on top of the normal nastiness that can be attributed to age, sexual maturity, shed cycles or feeding responses. He also said it seems to be a more prevalent trait in females = Figures eh?
GL with her, take advantage of her when she's next in a 'nice' phase, lol.