I worked with kingsnakes for years and years. Some of the challenging ones, too, like Cal Mt kings and AZ Mt kings. Blair's and other Mexican forms, and a few getula here and there. Kings are not always easy to get feeding, especially hatchlings.

One day I found some truly outstanding Okeetee corns from wild bloodlines. Okeetees are common but outstanding individuals of any species can turn my head so I got several. One day I had their Sterlites laid out in a row on the floor of my snake room, each with a mouse defrosting on the lid. I had checked each Sterilite before defrosting something for the occupant, to be sure I wasn't defrosting a mouse for a snake that was shedding. I did not close one of the lids properly and when I came in to see if the mice were ready, one of the baby corns had escaped from its Sterilite and stopped to eat the mouse off the lid of its neighbor's tub. That's a corn snake for you. "I'm free! I'm free---ooo food."

At that moment I wondered why I had tortured myself for decades with kingsnakes.

Most ratsnakes keep their attitude until they get handled regularly. I had corns that I never handled, and they were killers. Talk about attitude--they all acted as if they were auditioning for the sequel to Snakes on a Plane.

But some of the most relentless attitude comes from my Aesculapian rats, Elaphe longissima. The longis are the least interested in being handled and the most willing to dish out what can only be called longi-tude.

How many of you saw that coming?

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