Re: Coming of Age Aggressiveness for All Common Kingsnakes

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Posted by Mark Brown on March 16, 1999 at 05:27:29:

In Reply to: Coming of Age Aggressiveness for All Common Kingsnakes posted by Justin G on March 11, 1999 at 21:20:12:

Over the years I've kept Cals, Speckleds, Easterns, Floridas, Blacks and Deserts. I've got most of these types now. In my opinion, you've got the two worst for grabbing anything that moves and not letting go. They are also the most cannibalistic I've seen - I once got a pair of Speckleds from a friend in Mississippi and, upon receiving them, dumped them in a cage together and went to another room to read the notes he'd sent with the snakes. The first thing he said was, "Never, but NEVER keep these nsakes together - they will eat each other!" Well, I dropped the note and hauled butt back into the snake room, only to find (you guessed it) one fat snake with two tails - one in the normal location and a second one protruding from its mouth. The Cals I have now I have to handle with gloves (they've tried to eat the gloves!) - they do the same thing you described - grab hold and hang on for up to 30 minutes. And they're big enough that, after that much time, it's gotten pretty messy. I haven't found anything that'll get them to let go. It's strictly feeding response - the only time I get into their cages is to feed them, and they know it. After they've fed, they can be handled, carefully. My Deserts, Easterns and Floridas are a different story. They've got the same feeding response, but once I pick them up, they're fine, especially my big Floridas (5 ft +) which handle nicely. If you want a "nicer" getula, try a CB Florida or Eastern - you still have to be careful, but they can be handled without requiring later blood transfusions.

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: Over the years I've kept Cals, Speckleds, Easterns, Floridas, Blacks and Deserts. I've got most of these types now. In my opinion, you've got the two worst for grabbing anything that moves and not letting go. They are also the most cannibalistic I've seen - I once got a pair of Speckleds from a friend in Mississippi and, upon receiving them, dumped them in a cage together and went to another room to read the notes he'd sent with the snakes. The first thing he said was, "Never, but NEVER keep these nsakes together - they will eat each other!" Well, I dropped the note and hauled butt back into the snake room, only to find (you guessed it) one fat snake with two tails - one in the normal location and a second one protruding from its mouth. The Cals I have now I have to handle with gloves (they've tried to eat the gloves!) - they do the same thing you described - grab hold and hang on for up to 30 minutes. And they're big enough that, after that much time, it's gotten pretty messy. I haven't found anything that'll get them to let go. It's strictly feeding response - the only time I get into their cages is to feed them, and they know it. After they've fed, they can be handled, carefully. My Deserts, Easterns and Floridas are a different story. They've got the same feeding response, but once I pick them up, they're fine, especially my big Floridas (5 ft +) which handle nicely. If you want a "nicer" getula, try a CB Florida or Eastern - you still have to be careful, but they can be handled without requiring later blood transfusions.

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