Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all i have an 11 month old cali king has always been a bit nippy as a hunger response but now he's getting nippy all the time. i just transfered him from a 20 gal to a 65 gal tank 2 wks ago . could this be his cause of more nipping and striking? he isn't hungry i don't think because he just ate on fri the 16th but since then has pooped . he's just very skittish not his usual self. he is dull looking as if he may be going into a shed cycle but his eyes haven't turned blue yet. could it be a start of a shed cycle? i'm leaning more towards the tank change over and stress . oppinions and thoughts will be appreciated. thanks snakeaddicted

Larger cages can create a more "fight or flight" response in small snakes. Kind of like bringing a pet snake and letting it go outside to crawl - very often they can get bold.

Cal kings are jumpy until they age some. In another year or two the snake should calm down alot more (unless it is wild-caught, then you can never be sure.)

Nothing wrong with a Cal king with a little spunk. Just make sure it has hides and temps aren't too hot.
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Mark

temps r right around 80 daytime and 77 at night. what can the lowest temp be for a colubrid at night . does this lowest temp need to be warmer during a shed cycle or the night of a feeding.is 74 - 75 ok or should a heat lamp be left on all night ? thanks snakeaddicted

Sounds like a typical Cal. King to me,LOL; Most Cal kings don't like their houses messed with, they get defensive. I find the best way, is to right at first reach in and grab them, and take them out to hold them or if your going to clean their housing, I put them in a temperary sweater box,then your not stressing out the snake, and the snake isn't stressing you out,lol.
Have Fun,its a great hobbie that I enjoy,
rbichler
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rbichler

I have a theory about this that needs more testing. My Cal King loves to try to bite me. No matter what I do he looks to take a patch out of my hand. However, my girlfriend can handle him all day without incident. So either he doesn't like men (he has tried to bite several other men) or he has associated my scent with food (I am the one that feeds him. I have yet to find a girl who is willing to handle him so I can't test any further. I am sure he will outgrow it as others have suggested but I am still curious what drives the behavior.