Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 3 questions for you guys:

1. What does it mean when a snake bites it's tail (lightly), mine did right after I put him/her into a box with a mice...i guess s/he didn't see the mouse and tried to get out, so when I picked him/her up s/he bit it's tail.

2. While handling my snake s/he peed on me...does it mean my snake doesn't like me? (lol)

3. After my snake finished eating (in a box) I can't pick him/her up to put it back into it's cage, because it tries to bite me. Is this normal? Or do I have to train and overcome my feers of being bitten by a snake?

Thanks in advance!

here's a pic of my snake right after a shed

1. What does it mean when a snake bites it's tail (lightly), mine did right after I put him/her into a box with a mice...i guess s/he didn't see the mouse and tried to get out, so when I picked him/her up s/he bit it's tail.

Snake saw movement, smelled food, struck at what moved.

2. While handling my snake s/he peed on me...does it mean my snake doesn't like me?

Just about every snake will do this at one point or another... Especially baby kings. They usually grow out of this once they get larger.

3. After my snake finished eating (in a box) I can't pick him/her up to put it back into it's cage, because it tries to bite me. Is this normal? Or do I have to train and overcome my feers of being bitten by a snake?

It's normal. To the snake it's still feeding time, just like with it trying to eat it's tail... It sees movement and knows it's time to eat.

Nice snake. And FYI... MBK are known for being agressive feeders..
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.freewebs.com/badyear2005

I have 8 snakes right now and the only one not eating is my black mexican kingsnake. The Black Mexican King also happens to be one of my favorites.

1. Whether the snake bit its own tail or a mouses tail....not sure of what you meant but any which way I think it is safe to assume it was a feeding response.
2. The snake in the pic looks young, snakes will crap on you or musk you as a defense,many outgrow this and just stop doing it when they're a little more used to being handled.
3. If the snake was just fed, food will remain on its mind for a bit. Therefor it may bite anything in front of it, especially a nice warm finger. Either try to gently dump the snake out of its feeding box into its cage or wait a day to pick it up. I would not encourage the snake to ge used to biting you every time you pick it up after feeding. You may want to feed it in a box small enough to place into its cage after feeding. Then it can come out on its own when it is ready. Tom Stevens

On question #3, the best advice that I've received is to feed a snake by putting a thawed mouse in a small, brown, paper bag and to put the bag in the cage. My California King is an aggressive eater, and he'll slither quickly around the cage until he finds the bag. He'll then go into the bag and eat the mouse. Usually, he'll then come out of the bag and hide under his favorite bowl. Sometimes, he spends the night in the bag, but there's no harm in letting him do that. At times, I've tried to help him find the bag by wiggling fingers near the bag's entrance but outside the aquarium. He sees the movement, smells the mouse, and strikes at me through the aquarium. I don't want him to hurt himself doing this, so I now just let him find the mouse on his own.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.