Hello! My daughter recently took in a yearling brooks kingsnake (previous owners no longer wanted him because he lost his bright color). Very nice snake, calm and curious. But he tends to shake his tail occasionally. I know from my other king snakes that would mean they were scared, but that is not what I'm seeing from this little guy. At first I thought it was excitement. But today he did it when he had every appearance of being relaxed and calm. I've never had a brooks or florida king before, though, and am wondering if they're more prone to this behavior, maybe I'm reading him wrong, or this little guy is just quirky?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
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New yearling brooks kingsnake question
Replies (2)
Lots of kings do that. In fact, lots of snakes do that. What you are witnessing is what kingsnakes do, especially young ones.
Lucky for you brooks as adults tend to be one of the calmest kings you could have. But when young, they are just like any king, rather wary when confronted by someone or something they do not know. Including other kingsnakes. Tail vibrating is the common indicator.
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 hope that this helps. 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.
Best wishes!
