I totally get this- there are many kinds of king snakes & I've kept several kinds & bred some in the past, but in general, they aren't the smartest snakes- some can be very obtuse & food-focused that results in them biting whatever they can reach, even when it's us. Best to remember that they fill a niche in nature, and not take their shortcomings personally.
My only face bite ever was from an albino California king snake who nailed me right on the bridge of my nose which bled profusely. This occurred in a pet store- I was there in fact to assess this snake as a potential mate for my ready-to-breed female. What I didn't know or expect was that they had kept this snake in this way-too-small "shoebox" container they handed me & that they had been feeding him live mice by throwing them in quickly as the box was opened. He was waiting for a sucker like me
& I'm not so sure the store owner wasn't also.
Anyway, it really wasn't his fault that when I opened the box, he flew out & bit the first thing he saw...my nose. At least he didn't try to keep it-!
I bought him anyway, but not after bleeding profusely for a while in their store, using up Kleenex & joking about it. No real damage, & in much larger tank he settled down (somewhat) for me & easily took f/t (under-statement)- he also was a good match for the female I had- they made some nice offspring.
Face bites (or any bites) can happen when you least expect them- & keeping snakes is certainly not a risk-free endeavor, but with common sense it doesn't have to be high-risk either. Nothing in life is truly risk-free.
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I totally get this- there are many kinds of king snakes & I've kept several kinds & bred some in the past, but in general, they aren't the smartest snakes- some can be very obtuse & food-focused that results in them biting whatever they can reach, even when it's us. Best to remember that they fill a niche in nature, and not take their shortcomings personally.
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