| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| huffy_86 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 13:24:21
Me and Ray have only had Pablo for about 6 weeks or so now but already I'm planning for what snake to have next! Addicted already 
I've been looking at king snakes as I love the colour (or lack of!) of the mexican black kingsnake, and markings of other morphs. Ray is a little against a kingsnake as she's read stories of them being a bit temperamental and more prone to biting than corns.
I know a few people on here own kings as well as corns and wanted to know what the difference is (if any) between the two in terms of owning them from their own experience and what they prefer.
Opinions and feedback very welcome, cheers! |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 16:04:46
My kids love mine (or ours as they like to think). They are good for you too as cuddles make you happy,as my daughter proves.
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| Nebbz |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 10:44:08
King snakes are fantastic, my 1st snake was a king, i was told their aggressive, hard to handle and extremely food enorientated and have to be kept single...only the last two are true imo.
Pixie is one of the best snakes ive ever owned, ive had boa's, rats, and now corns. Although i love the corns there fantastic and match her equaly she will always be my fave of all! my sister had her for a while, and lost her, found her in the nabours garden, If they were aggressive she would have bit me. or musked but neither, she just did her usual and slither under my hair...
Fantastic creatures. Dont like being pinned, like to slither around a bit then purch on your arm. or hand :P
and eat like horses |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 08:35:53
I am sure i can did out plenty of pictorial proof, and some may even remember louise on the chat cam with a certain Cali attached to her hand for ten minutes!!! |
| huffy_86 |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 23:11:39
Here here! |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 16:40:48
quote:
Originally posted by mikerichards
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
quote:
Originally posted by Raycheroo
Uhhh no way mr!
I don't mind more corns or even a ball python but not a king!
Kings are just hyper active corns though? I don't know where all this bs of them being evil, musking biters comes from :p You have to expect being biten by your snake at least once no matter what the snake is. I would rather be bitten by a king and let in hang on for a while than a royal as a royal is going to have a lot more force behind the bite!
I think it comes from people who have been bitten and musked on, like me, and on occasion, both at the same time!
Having had quite a few, i know where it comes from! Where there is smoke there is generally fire. Whilst not all kings are the same, a lot tend to be biters, agreed, a lot dont either, it is not quite 6 one half dozen the other, but its not far off.
I still say lies and slander :p |
| Raycheroo |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 14:50:23
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
quote:
Originally posted by Raycheroo
Uhhh no way mr!
I don't mind more corns or even a ball python but not a king!
Kings are just hyper active corns though? I don't know where all this bs of them being evil, musking biters comes from :p You have to expect being biten by your snake at least once no matter what the snake is. I would rather be bitten by a king and let in hang on for a while than a royal as a royal is going to have a lot more force behind the bite!
I expect to be bitten by pabs, and im under no assumption that corns cant bite aswell, i just really dont like the look of kings lol, and yes their reputation is a little off putting hehehe |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 14:48:47
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
quote:
Originally posted by Raycheroo
Uhhh no way mr!
I don't mind more corns or even a ball python but not a king!
Kings are just hyper active corns though? I don't know where all this bs of them being evil, musking biters comes from :p You have to expect being biten by your snake at least once no matter what the snake is. I would rather be bitten by a king and let in hang on for a while than a royal as a royal is going to have a lot more force behind the bite!
I think it comes from people who have been bitten and musked on, like me, and on occasion, both at the same time!
Having had quite a few, i know where it comes from! Where there is smoke there is generally fire. Whilst not all kings are the same, a lot tend to be biters, agreed, a lot dont either, it is not quite 6 one half dozen the other, but its not far off. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 14:37:57
quote:
Originally posted by Raycheroo
Uhhh no way mr!
I don't mind more corns or even a ball python but not a king!
Kings are just hyper active corns though? I don't know where all this bs of them being evil, musking biters comes from :p You have to expect being biten by your snake at least once no matter what the snake is. I would rather be bitten by a king and let in hang on for a while than a royal as a royal is going to have a lot more force behind the bite! |
| Raycheroo |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 14:26:43
Uhhh no way mr!
I don't mind more corns or even a ball python but not a king! |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 13:11:03
Kings FTMFW!!
Yes kings do seem to have a bit of a reputation for being nibbly, but you only seem to hear to worst of most animals to be honest.
Even if it is, they do tend to grow out of it and it's usually only hatchies that are a bit more nibbly, and the bite doesn't really hurt much. Plus taking a tag from a king is much more manly (or womanly) than a pansy corn.
Have a looky on our sister site www.thekingsnake.co.uk and you'll see a fair amount of info regarding them.
I shall also echo what eeji said about milksnakes, you get some stunning coloured milksnakes. |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 12:47:20
I got my first kingsnake,a Mexican Black about a month ago. He's estimated at being around 4 years old.
After a week of owning him,I went to get him out of the viv and I don't mind admitting I nearly poo'd myself! He's a hell of a lot bigger than my other snakes. I stroked him and he hissed and struck at me while tail rattling,however I persisted and picked him up,he wrapped himself around my arm and I had my first experience of musk I was positive he'd bite me but he eventually calmed down and was great to handle. The next day he was the same,so I decided to leave him another week to settle.
I've got him out twice this week with only the smallest of hisses,absolutely chuffed to bits.....although I won't be letting my guard down.
He's a lot more active than my corns. Always out and about rearranging his viv,whether he's just fed or not,and is very nosey. I adore him and am now looking at other kings.
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| Sta~ple |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 12:32:45
quote:
Originally posted by mikerichards
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
You could also get a corn/king hybrid :p or a milk as eeji has said as there are some gorgeous ones! Maybe you should pop over to thekingsnake forum :P I think it depend on the snake with the munching, I have seen plenty of hatching kings munching though and there bite feels the same as a corn, and when one of my adult corn bites as rare as it is, it really does latch!
Thats a fair point, i have metallics, durango mountain king x corn, they are soft as you like, lovely temper on them, still feed like kings though!
Were they the pretty looking ones that I thought look liked like okeetees with king shaped bodies?
Sudden bites feel the same to me although, I can't compared a king hanging to me. I can say though, kings seem more prone to biting themselves. One of my corns, the one that has bitten and hung onto me, has bitten herself a few times during feeding time and none of my other corns have bitten themselves that I know of but the king, does it every other feeding time specially when he falls from something or has just eaten or moves quickly but luckily he is always careful around me and doesnt bite evern if I stupidly haven't washed my hands after touching the corns. |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 09:51:24
quote:
Originally posted by huffy_86
That's what I've said, corns can bite too!
get a kingsnake, you will soon realise that a corn bite is a tickle compared to a hungry kingsnake. |
| huffy_86 |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 09:07:02
That's what I've said, corns can bite too! |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 06/10/2011 : 09:04:32
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
You could also get a corn/king hybrid :p or a milk as eeji has said as there are some gorgeous ones! Maybe you should pop over to thekingsnake forum :P I think it depend on the snake with the munching, I have seen plenty of hatching kings munching though and there bite feels the same as a corn, and when one of my adult corn bites as rare as it is, it really does latch!
Thats a fair point, i have metallics, durango mountain king x corn, they are soft as you like, lovely temper on them, still feed like kings though! |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 21:38:24
You could also get a corn/king hybrid :p or a milk as eeji has said as there are some gorgeous ones! Maybe you should pop over to thekingsnake forum :P I think it depend on the snake with the munching, I have seen plenty of hatching kings munching though and there bite feels the same as a corn, and when one of my adult corn bites as rare as it is, it really does latch! |
| eeji |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 21:20:06
how about a milksnake? They are in the same genus as kings and once mine (hondurans) got out of the bitey hatchling stage (which all species go through) they are both soft as anything and I've never been musked by them either (excepting a few times as bitey hatchies). |
| huffy_86 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 17:27:29
Thanks for all your comments. It's definitely the biting I think Ray is worried about! I realise any snake will bite but kings seem to have a reputation for munching on us lot from time to time. |
| Dancross0 |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 16:42:05
One of my friends has a Cali Kingsnake. She says its friendly only to her, and tends to bite anything that isn't her! But then again, she has had it for several years, and is the only person who goes near it on a regular basis.
And Mike, I've never had a kingsnake, but I have had a Tokay gecko. I know how difficult it is to remove a tenacious reptile.
(quick tip, put them under a running tap!) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 15:48:01
you would be seriously unlucky to find a kingsnake that is a fussy feeder. Its their willingness to feed first ask questions later that leads to most bites. Care wise, they are very similar, just dont mix the two together, 2 snakes WILL become one.
A common misconception is that corns musk, they dont, its plain old crap, kings on the other hand, have musk glands, which is completely different, and a whole new level of fun!!
My personal view is that kings arent really a good beginner snake, purely because they can be unpredictable, and each snake has a quite distinct personality and different behavioral habits. The other reason is that because the majority of bites are feeding bites, they tend to hang on, and removing them can be tricky, and it hurts!!!
That said, if you are selective, and dont just buy on impulse, you can find a snake that has a sensible temper, which i would highly recommend.
They habit of biting is the main reason i dont keep any, not for fear of being bitten, but the aggro of trying to get it to let go, try having a 5ft cali king attached to your knuckle!! I think so far i have had 6 different kings, out of all of them, i only had one that wasnt as bitey as the rest. The MBK i had was terrible for it, there was no malice, but everything that moved was considered food until proven otherwise, and she proved it by trying to eat it, i tried feeding her more to see if that would help, she had 9 large mice, and still she was looking for food, despite being able to roll side to side!!!!
Just be aware of everything before you rush out and buy one, on the flip side, the one i had was the opposite, he loved coming out, he recognised me which is almost unheard of in colubrids, and he never once bit me, even when feeding!!
Choosing the right one is rewarding, choosing the wrong one is painful and irritating. |
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