Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I found my MBK 2 months ago in my basement, it was around 14 inches long. Now it's a little over 16 and it started hissing when I open up the cage. Tt didn't do that when I first found it, why is it doing it now? Also how old could 16 inch snake be? And how long will it be when it's fully grown?

sorry for all the questions but it's my first snake...

Yeah if your MBK is hissing when it didn't used to, it could be because of LOH or FOY or ICBH.

Not everyone is up to date on the abbreviations. Please specify your animal, and help can usually be provided better.

Chris
-----
Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

oh, sorry...its Mexican Black Kingsnake

Oh ok.

Well, I would first check your temperatures. If the snake is getting a little hissy it could be related to temperatures or it could be related to hunger as well. How often do you handle it? Some snakes it is typical of them to be a little hissy, especially while they are young.

Mexican Black Kingsnakes, or even Kingsnakes in general are actually pretty docile snakes for the most part. I would make sure you aren't spooking it when you first open it's enclosure. My young kingsnakes were a little hissy when first purchased, but after some handling they came around just fine.

Hope this helps,
Chris
-----
Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

S/he could't be hungry since I fed it yesterday. The temp. was about the same as it is now (84*F). I handle it almost everyday for like 10 to 30 min. I don't know how old it is, but from all the pictures I saw, it looks pretty young compared to some of the ppl's snakes.