albino cal king aggressiveness

[calking123]

hello everyone i am new th-o this site everyone seems very nice and i just had a few question about my albino cal king. i bought him 2 days ago hes about 1ft 4inches i would say and he was nice at the reptile house but when i brought him home an set up his tank as soon as i put him in he was very aggressive id say hes calmed down alittle but still aggressive anything i can do to solve that?

another this is he has been burried in his house under the wood chips. how do i know if he is hyburnating? do i still feed him?

any suggestions would help thank you!

[Sunbreeze327]

I don't know king snakes and their temperaments too well, but I would say he just needs time to settle into his new home. Most ball python places recommend allowing several days to a week before feeding and handling to let the snake get comfy in his new home and adjust to all the new sounds and smells. Hopefully someone else can chime in to help out.

[RobNJ]

What are your temperatures? unless your keeping it in the low 60's, high 50's, it's not likely brumating, so you should probably feed it. Kings will naturally just burrow under their substrates. As far as the aggressiveness, let him settle in for a few days, and then just start handling him. At that size, you will literally not even feel any bites, and once it's in your hands it should settle down a bit.

[calking123]

well he is in a 20gallon tank as of right now i have a heat pad but i feel its still cold so i think im going to buy a 25w or 30w heat lamp since im in the basement. im going to try and feed him friday . so say he does strike at me. and does bite me will it hurt he doesnt have teeth yet? thank you for your help it was very much needed!

[Emily Hubbard]

He has teeth, but it won't hurt. Bites from juvenile colubrids kind of feel like sandpaper.

What are the exact temps in your tank? You cannot guess with temps with any reptile. If you have a heat pad, you MUST have a thermostat, no ifs ands and buts. If you just plug the heat pad in and leave it, your snake could die. You also need a temp gun.

[calking123]

OK see the guy at the pet store didnt inform me of this when i asked. im going to get that this weekend then thank you for telling me. where would i put the thermostat?

[Daybreaker]

^You plug your heat source into the thermostat: the stat regulates the temperature of your heat source so it doesn't overheat and harm/kill your snake and keeps the hot spot at the appropriate temperature.

But back to your original question: leave him be for a week, make sure your husbandry is perfect, then start handling him in small spurts until he calms down. Don't hesitate to pick him up, just go in there and get him. The more you hesitate the more the snake (usually) gets nervous and flighty/bitey. He'll calm down in time.

[calking123]

ok thank yo so much that helps alot! do you know if cali king snakes need humidty by any chance? i just wana make sure everything is perfect by this weekend so he feels comfortable.

[drama x]

All snakes nees humidity but not that much. I mist my kings and rat snakes tubs once everyother day. I suggest the same for your cali. If condensation starts to build up on the inside of his enclosure that means our misting it to much.

[calking123]

oh thank you!