| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| bonnianddan |
Posted - 02/09/2010 : 17:06:30
Hi
I have just got a 4yr old Califonian King named Dave, the previous owners no longer had time 4 him so i took him (thankgod i did, poor thing!) When i collected him his viv was filthy ( when cleanin it i even noticed the bottom rotting!) He is rather fiesty tho not had much handling but seems happier now he is clean! As i'm new 2 kepping snakes just wondered the best way 2 tame him, he is quite defensive but usually comes an has a sniff if i put my hand in an keep it still.
Also he was fed 1 medium mouse yest as previous owner said and then this morning i was wiping a bit off condensation off glass an he just flew out his hide and went for me! After talking to my dad (whos had many snakes over the yrs) he suggested that maybe 1 mouse a week wasnt enough and maybe he needed 2, fed him another an he gobbled it up. Do u think it likely that he was being under fed previously and that was why he was so aggressive? |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| bonnianddan |
Posted - 04/09/2010 : 14:34:15
Well Dave has now been out 4 the first time since bringing him home, after coming out the viv of his accord he was happy 2 b handled 4 an hour or so and then the other half, a while later put his hand in viv 2 pick him up an got bitten hahaha obviously i just creased up! So it seems that Dave isnt keen on his space being invaded or associates hands comin in wit food, not sure whether 2 continue wit the tweezers an hope he starts 2 associate them wit food or 2 get a RUB 4 feeding times? An as for defending his home, if he got used 2 our scent being inside the viv would he then b mre accepting of us putting r hands in? was thinking i could maybe put a used pillow case or somethin in his pot?
Substrate? What do u all recommend? Practically i would prefer 2 use something that can b cleaned and reused, at the moment he has got orchid bark can that b disenfected an then dried? If it can i may start using 4 my BD's 2 as it will save money on sand an doesnt make as much mess! |
| Carl |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 22:17:17
Stick to false plants, also what you where saying about the aggression with the mice, I think your dad was right, I feed my king two large mice each time I feed him, he calms right down and stops coming out of his hide so fast and aggressive when he smells mice. |
| bonnianddan |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 20:45:35
Excellent thanx  |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 20:38:12
Some live plants can be, yes but ideally they should be on sterilised soil and be nice hardy plants as well, a king will easily destroy most live plants. 
We do have a list on our mother site and one of our sister sites, I shall grab the links for you shortly. |
| bonnianddan |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 10:44:20
Oh an i was just wondering if live plants can b placed in viv? Dave has taken a peticular interest in a spider plant just outside the viv! |
| bonnianddan |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 08:41:22
Thanx,
As far as i no he has always been fed in the viv but when we fed him we used a nice bright coloured zoo med tweezers 2 put mouse in (hoping he will start associating the tweezers with being fed rather than hands! worked a treat wit my BD's!)
He is in a 3ft viv (saving 2 get new 1 as its fallin apart! any websites with good deal goin?), he is 4-5ft, viv is at about 30 C ranges between 27 - 33, thermostat, heat mat and a standard bulb 4 light during the day.
Although there has always been snakes in the family home as i grew up, my dad done all the care side an he has only ever had pythons so any advice is greatly appreciated! |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 03:09:00
Kings can be feisty in general, but with perservance he'll hopefully calm down.
A note on the feeding side of things though, when you've fed him it's best to leave him be for about 48 hours to let him digest his dinner.
What size viv have you got him in?
Roughly how big is he?
How is it heated?
Is the heating regulated (thermostat)??
How is the temperature being monitored?
Asking these questions will also help us to help you in making a nice happy new home for Dave. |
| Silas |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 01:23:43
I'm not expert, but I do have a (younger) Cali King myself. Is Dave fed inside his viv? If he is then it's possible that he just associates anyone being in there for anything with food and that could be why he becomes aggressive as kings are very food oriented snakes. There may be other reasons but that would be my guess.
Once a week seems to me to be the right duration between feeds, maybe you could try feeding him larger prey. A snake can safely eat something that is 1.5 times the the width of it's body at the thickest point.
Hope this helps. |
