Thinking about getting a MBK? Help!!

Honestly, I feel like getting bit by small snakes is a great thing for snake keepers. You will realize how harmless they really are. My partner recently got their first snake at a show, a leucistic Texas rat snake. They are know for being comically defensive. As someone who has kept snakes for many years and worked at pet shops in the past, my advice was to get what interests you, not what other people think is the best first snake. After a couple months and a handful of bites (only one of which barely broke the skin), the snake is eating, growing, and as docile as a corn snake. It took the first couple bites to help my partner realize that half the time you don't even realize you've been bitten. Not sure if this is helpful to your situation, but you might find that handling and getting bit by a defensive snake helps you be more confident in your handling in general. I promise it won't be as bad as you think.

a little musk isn't going to hurt. my experience with kings/milks is that they outgrow musking. However, I've had only a single mbk, a hatchling I picked up last year, and she still gives me the musk treatment every time. I expect she'll outgrow it soon. if the snake your looking at is a hatchling, it can be kept in pretty small quarters as it probably only weighs about 30 grams at most. a six qt tub will do nicely for now. I encourage you to get the snake if healthy. I got away from colubrids a few years back but I always missed them. I started rebuilding the collection last year and now have the 0.1 mbk (yes, there will be a male soon!) and 2.2 hondurans (1 yearling and 3 hatchlings). They are rewarding snakes to keep and I am happy to have them in my collection again.

oh, about that 6 qt tub; secure it tightly. tiny kings like that can sneak through almost any crack.

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Originally Posted by Jeffco

Honestly, I feel like getting bit by small snakes is a great thing for snake keepers. You will realize how harmless they really are. My partner recently got their first snake at a show, a leucistic Texas rat snake. They are know for being comically defensive. As someone who has kept snakes for many years and worked at pet shops in the past, my advice was to get what interests you, not what other people think is the best first snake. After a couple months and a handful of bites (only one of which barely broke the skin), the snake is eating, growing, and as docile as a corn snake. It took the first couple bites to help my partner realize that half the time you don't even realize you've been bitten. Not sure if this is helpful to your situation, but you might find that handling and getting bit by a defensive snake helps you be more confident in your handling in general. I promise it won't be as bad as you think.

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That's what everyone says! I think I'm going to be crazy nervous about it until it happens lol. I don't think it'll hurt, it'll just shock me.

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Originally Posted by DennisM

a little musk isn't going to hurt. my experience with kings/milks is that they outgrow musking. However, I've had only a single mbk, a hatchling I picked up last year, and she still gives me the musk treatment every time. I expect she'll outgrow it soon. if the snake your looking at is a hatchling, it can be kept in pretty small quarters as it probably only weighs about 30 grams at most. a six qt tub will do nicely for now. I encourage you to get the snake if healthy. I got away from colubrids a few years back but I always missed them. I started rebuilding the collection last year and now have the 0.1 mbk (yes, there will be a male soon!) and 2.2 hondurans (1 yearling and 3 hatchlings). They are rewarding snakes to keep and I am happy to have them in my collection again.

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The musking is my biggest worry. I told a girl at work that keeps snakes that I'm getting a kingsnake and she told me not to get one because they're gross and they smell bad. Now, I think she was being a little judgemental. MBK's are utterly gorgeous and I want to try working with them. I just hope I can deal with being musked on! lol

Honestly, getting bit by a baby ball python will probably hurt a lot worse than getting bit by an adult MBK. I doubt their teeth are any larger than those of my 6 1/2 foot long yellow rat snake. He got me good once and I pulled away on accident. Had to dig his teeth out of my finger. Ball python teeth are MUCH larger than rat/king/milk snake teeth. Getting bit by an adult MBK will be like getting a paper cut. Being bit by a baby is like being attacked by angry velcro.

http://imageshack.com/a/img208/7936/owwieratbait.jpg

I love mine I have to sex it but I can say I handle it maybe once a week half the time it will musk but I've never been bite. They are just naturally nervous at the outset of handling after that their good..I love there appetite looking to maybe breed them down the road love the jet black.


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Like mentioned before, with handling and getting it comfortable with you and taking it out of the cage will help with the musking. It's more of a flight response, my Cali King does it but as he has gotten older and has mellowed, he doesn't do it nearly as much, if at all. It does stink, haha, there's a few times where I'd take him out and be like, really?? because he musked all over the floor and it was pretty smelly. I would handle him often and in time they just get used to you and then they don't do it or don't do it as much. Now when I take my guy out, his vent sort of sticks out as if he's going to musk, but if there's a few drops of anything that comes out, it'd surprise me. MBK is on my wishlist for sure, that boy is a beauty! I think you'd love him. Any snake is nippy, the Kings tend to be a little more, but mine has never bit me. Struck out at me, yes, but he was being young and foolish, haha. Every snake is different, if the guy says he's pretty tame, that's a good thing! But the musk is no big deal, really. At least I wouldn't hinge my decision on buying the snake on that. A simple clean up and you're golden. :) Good luck in your decision!


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