Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a sub adult king, sweet little guy but now at days its all about the food. He is around 189 grams, sheds fine as good temps but I can feed him and feed him and he still looks for food. Now I seem to have become a food source for him when I take him out of the cage he seems fine and then latches on to part of my hand or arm. I have him on hoppers now he even ends in a shed. Any suggestions would be great as I have always handled all my reptiles but I don't want this one to keep grabbing me like a mouse LOL. Thanks for reading and look forward to help.

You should be thankful that he is a strong feeder.

I prefer them to be aggressive during feeding.

Of course you could alays feed him more. Most people don't feed their kingsnakes enough and they are basically on a starvation diet.

How often are you feeding and what size is the snake and what size (grams) are you feeding him?
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FR quote:
"Doing the same things over and over expecting to learn something else, is the definition of insanity"

That is not a bad thing!
I call those the "teenage" years for many types of snakes, when food drive of the subadults seems to overtake everything else.

Most of the time the behavior wanes after a few years of adulthood. However, there are individuals that remain so optimistic that everything seems like a possible meal to them.

I am not the expert with Florida kings. The few I raised many years ago were insane feeders for 2-3 years where it was hard to hold them without a bite, then they really calmed down after that and became the most tractable getula I've ever had. Its those darn Cal kings that can be unpredictable well into adulthood.

I have childrens pythons. The babies are super timid snakes, always hiding, won't eat in front of me. When they get to be 1-3 year olds, they are insane eating machines that think everything is food. A few have even chased me for a short distance. Once adults, they use a bit more discretion.

Food, food, more food. Growing kings are eating machines. Much of that food will go directly into growth. In the summer, my pair of Florida kings eat twice per week. The male sometimes three times per week.

My prior forum link, from the original from last May, may offer some insight & hope:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=2028590,2111252

I had posted a similar concern about Florida Kingsnakes last year, but since then have new information that is good news.

Like persons, snakes can change in personality. It is also quite common for them to display a more calm, predictable behavior as they mature.

I have found that the more naturalistic my setup, with branches and climbing opportunities, the healthier & happier my snakes seem to be - and they are definitely more active.

*** I agree with your comment that Florida Kings may be the most tractable getula species of all. ***

Best wishes!