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King Sankes - Musking Question

L

logic

New member
Hello,

I have been considering getting a king for quite some time now (these beautiful pics you have been posting have made me consider it once again), but I am a bit turned off about the whole musking thing.

Everything I found through the search options indicated that most of them, if not all of them, will musk!

Brief history - I used to have a beautiful rough green snake, but due to my schedule, I was unable to handle it regularly. As a result when I would handle it, it would almost always musk. The smell was horible! I have heard that Kings musk, and "some," smell even worse.

So the question is: Do the majority of Kings musk? And if not, how often do you handle him/her? What does it take to get them to refrain from musking (I am assuming frequent handling is the only way)?

Also, what about their temperment? I was handling one at a local pet store, over this last weekend, and the store employees indicated that they strike often (keep in mind, they really didn't have much experience with snakes and snake behavior). Matter of fact, they were surprised that it did not attempt to strike me. All the lil' guy did was rattle his/her tail when I first picked it up, then it was fine.

I have a few corns, which I enjoy; however, they have never musked, even if I am am unable to handle them until feeding time (once a week).

There are times I can handle them more frequently, but its more of an off and on thing, depending on my schedule...!

Thanks! :cheers:
 
logic said:
Hello,

I have been considering getting a king for quite some time now (these beautiful pics you have been posting have made me consider it once again), but I am a bit turned off about the whole musking thing.

Everything I found through the search options indicated that most of them, if not all of them, will musk!

Brief history - I used to have a beautiful rough green snake, but due to my schedule, I was unable to handle it regularly. As a result when I would handle it, it would almost always musk. The smell was horible! I have heard that Kings musk, and "some," smell even worse.

So the question is: Do the majority of Kings musk? And if not, how often do you handle him/her? What does it take to get them to refrain from musking (I am assuming frequent handling is the only way)?

Also, what about their temperment? I was handling one at a local pet store, over this last weekend, and the store employees indicated that they strike often (keep in mind, they really didn't have much experience with snakes and snake behavior). Matter of fact, they were surprised that it did not attempt to strike me. All the lil' guy did was rattle his/her tail when I first picked it up, then it was fine.

I have a few corns, which I enjoy; however, they have never musked, even if I am am unable to handle them until feeding time (once a week).

There are times I can handle them more frequently, but its more of an off and on thing, depending on my schedule...!

Thanks! :cheers:
Click to expand...

Ok, I will say this, if mine musked on us that is lucky. Mine is a mean cuss but like I have stated before, never bitten me while I wasnt wearing gloves. Now when I have worn the glove, I gotten bitten and I let him bite me. I was wearing gloves so it was ok. He doesn't like the taste and lets go really fast. I wear thin biker gloves with him.
He has nailed my girlfriend atleast 15 times. Yes, he loves her blood. I am more cautious with him. I keep an eye on the head at all times. But this might be this guy, some other folks have nice kings, i dont.
 
I guess it depends largely on the snake's personailty. I have had experience with 3 different kings, 2 I own and 1 I helped my sister buy.

My five year old banded Cali king doesn't musk and will only strike/bite if we smell like corn snake, mouse, or rat. We purchased him as an adult and the family he came from handled him on a regular basis. Can't say how he behaved when he was younger though.

My sisters King, it's a Mexican King and I can't spell the locality or I'd type it, is just an absolute sweetheart. It's never struck, bite, or musked anyone that I know of. I've even carried it around my wrist for hours and had no troubles. I regret promising her that snake, only because I love it! lol She loves it too, so I guess it worked out ok.

Now my last King, a striped Cali, she's a different story all together. We picked her up this year as a hatchling and for the first couple of months all she did was tail shake and musk all over the place. She is slowly starting to get used to us though, through minimal handling. (We have a large collection so we don't get as much interaction with each critter. Just when we can and our favorites seem to get more attention.) She will still musk if my husband, Tim, picks her up, but so much when I do. She only gets snippy and shakes her tail during feedings of we get within 5 ft of her though.

So I guess my answer to your question would depend on the snake, the age of the snake, and the snake's own personailty quirks. Some snakes will mellow out and become absolute darlings with handling and others will remain pissy their entire lives.

Best of luck though, and I hope you can find one that is pretty and not too skittish.

Jenn
 
Grr.. typo.. and I can't edit.

She will still musk if my husband, Tim, picks her up, but so much when I do.
Click to expand...

That was supposed to say: She will still musk if my husband, Tim, picks her up, but not so much when I do.

Blonde day here.. lol

Jenn
 
ALL snakes are capable of musking. It is a response to fear. Kings do have a reputation for musking, but not all of them do. I have a lot of kings and find them to be generally quite docile. Most that musk will grow out of it after a while, but there is always the exception. I agree that each snake is individual to an extent, but also firmly believe that the keeper plays an important role in stopping the defensive behavior as well. You need to be gentle yet deliberate when handling kings. Never let them "think" they have one up on you. :wavey:
 
lol...
Don't you hate it when that happens...

Thanks for the response...!!

Going by my experience with corns, if they are handled often, they tend to calm down. And as you mentioned, there is the personality factor. I guess I will just have to keep looking.

About 2 months ago, I was at an expo and found this beautiful baby (speckled) king, that was priced just right. It made me weary, because I was not certain why the gentleman was selling it of less than the other venders. Needless to say, I didn't purchase it. I remember handling it and it was very mellow, and didn't even rattle it's tail. Maybe that was the one for me... but there will always be other expos.

My other concerns was, unlike most of you organized people out there, that can feed multiple snakes (upwards of 10 -15+), numerous times a month, I sometimes find it a chore to feed my four corns. Now, adding a King the mix, where I would have to be constantly weary of washing my hands after handling the corns, and/or constantly "watching" its head, may get a bit frustrating for me.
When I usually handle my corns, it is more of a relaxing experience or down time for me, and I don't have to be extremely vigilant watching to make certain one of them do not strike.

Since we are on the subject, has anyone had a really “mean” or defensive corn that would not stop biting…!?
 
LUBU said:
All snakes are capable of musking?
Click to expand...
Absolutely! (<----------'buzz word"). Corporate joke for those that don't know :grin01:

Yes, they all have scent glands, at least all colubrids do, not sure about boids. :wavey:
 
From what i've experienced, FL Kings are the least likely to musk...but the most likely to bite if not handled regularly. They have an incredible feeding response bordering on that of a burmese python! I have 4 FL's and with handling they're all sweethearts though...1 of my 05 alb's will musk occasionally, but normally it's in shed. I also have 3 MBK's that i'm still trying to figure out. They'll musk in the tub when I open it, but let me pick them up with no problems lol. Go for it, just be prepared for some fun times in the begining ;)
 
Thanks again for the info...

Well this last weekend, I went to another pet shop and handled 2 different kings.
I was musked by both unfortunately.
I guess I will have to do a bit more thinking, to determine if I will be able to handle that noxious (sp) smell.... lol

I did notice that the smaller one do not create as strong an oder as the older one did.
But on a positive note... they were both beautiful..!!!!
 
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