Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, so my Cal King is behaving differently toward my husband than myself. My snake is perfectly calm when I take him out of his cage, but when my husband takes him out, the snake grabs onto his tree and musks, and rattles his tail, etc. My Cal king has never tried to stike anyone who's handled him. He didn't used to behave this way when my husband first started taking him out of his cage(even if I wasn't home), but I've been out of town for work for a few months and the longer I was away, the worse it got. My king is always fine with anyone if I take him out first. My husband and I pick up the snake almost exactly the same way, we both leave him alone during shedding, we handle him at the same times of day, etc, etc, etc. Is there some better way I can associate this snake with other members of the family? I don't want to cause undo stress to my Cal King, but I want him to be friendly with my family. How many times a week should my husband handle him, etc. Sorry, I know this is a little long winded, but I'm trying to better understand reptile behavior. I've noticed this same behavior in my cornsnake (although to a much lesser degree). Any thoughts?

I don't know how much help I could be, but I have noticed in my own pet owning experience, the some animals do become more tolerable, I don't know if that would be the word I'm tring for, of some people than others. The king we have now was very jumpy at first, but has become calmer after I have been working with him more. But I have noticed that when I hold him, he wraps around my hand and will sit still for me for extended periods of time while I'm doing simple things like working on the computer or just walking around the house. But when I hand him over to my wife, he musks and squirms and won't sit still for her. Same with my kids. (My almost 3 yr old daughter doesn't want to hold him because he "poops" on her. she even scolds him, telling that he is supposed to poop in the potty, not on her hand or in his cage. LOL) He's getting better though. he is starting to sit still for my 4 yr old son. Anyways, an iguana I had several years ago was the same way. He would let anyone else hold him, would whip his tail, try to bite, but for me he would eat right out of my hand. I believe it is nothing more than who has truly devoted their time to handling, feeding, and taking care of the animals general needs, and they may be more familiar with that person. Like I said, these are just things that I have observed in my own experiences. Maybe with more time alone with your husband, and having him take over some of the chores such as feeding and cleaning, the snake might become more comfortable with him picking up and holding it. I'm not a breeder or any sort of expert, but I enjoy being a pet owner and observing different animals, and I have learned a great deal by just watching the way they interact in their environment, and with different people. I wish you luck. I hope I have been of some help, though I'm sure this is nothing new that you didn't already know.

THanks DragonTaTu,
That is very helpful and I really appreciate the response. Your daughter sounds like a cute little girl, thanks for sharing your experience.

sorry about the typos, it's late and I'm typing in the dark. anyways, good luck again.