# royal? yes or no?



## wilko69 (Jun 22, 2008)

hi 
i currently have a mexican black kingsnake which has a bit of a temprement some days i can get her out no probs wheras some days she refuse by this i mean striking whenever im within range i dont mind getting bitten it just causes unnecessary stress on her i love her to bits because she has true character but i was just wonderin if a royal would be suitable for a pet i no every animal is different but i just want a pet that i can get out all the time i no this is a stupid question but im new to the reptile industry.
all help would be appreciated


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## Chelle230 (Apr 9, 2008)

I've got 2 royals, both early 07, so still small really. they are good pets, my female is a bit hissy sometimes, but once she's out she's fine.


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

royals YES!!!!!!!​I have 7 royals- all of them are amazing, my big boy hisses at me but has never done anything more-I go straight in when he's hissing and he just stops-its a feeble hiss anyway-dont know why he bothers!lol! 

they're amazing animals! def get one! or two! or 7 :whistling2:​


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

Chelle230 said:


> I've got 2 royals, both early 07, so still small really. they are good pets, my female is a bit hissy sometimes, but once she's out she's fine.


you ever travel down this way as liked the look of your mack if its coming back up for sale :whistling2:


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## Dustcart (May 31, 2008)

Royal definately.
I got a baby a few weeks ago to get me back into snakes after a break of a few years. I have a corker of a young female and am really enjoying her.:flrt:


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## magneticblue (Jun 4, 2008)

Go for it!

I have an Arizona Mountain King and he's lovely, never tried to strike once. I'm picking up two royals on Friday from BecciBoo and Jake 89. Can't wait!


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## Blackecho (Jun 30, 2008)

Ooh, can I come and peak at the weekend?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

whooooa hang on folks!! read everything before replying...





wilko69 said:


> but i just want a pet that i can get out all the time


 
Although royals are great they're not recommended if you want to handle them a lot.


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## Blackecho (Jun 30, 2008)

Agreed, it can stress them out and put them off their eating if handled too much. A Corn would be better if you want to handle them all the time.


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## Dextersdad (Mar 28, 2008)

I've always found royals to be amazing to be honest.

Great snakes.:2thumb:


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## tricky (Sep 29, 2007)

royals are great. some are fussy feeders, some arent. 
shy snakes and mostly very docile and sweet

go for it :-D


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

if i had any hair left i'd tear it out.


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## Blackecho (Jun 30, 2008)

Meko said:


> if i had any hair left i'd tear it out.


Aye.

We're not saying they're not great snakes, just maybe not exactly what the original poster was after.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Blackecho said:


> Aye.
> 
> We're not saying they're not great snakes, just maybe not exactly what the original poster was after.


 
exactly mate..... or mate'ess.
They are great, i've got one myself but when somebody posts saying they've got a snake thats hissy and asks if a royal is better if they want to get it out and play with it all day then they've been given the completely wrong answer.
Just means they'll get a gorgeous snake, do the completely wrong thing and then start a thread asking why its not feeding.


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

Royals and kings are cool, but a corn is definately a better option if you want to handle it as and when imo.


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

Meko said:


> exactly mate..... or mate'ess.
> They are great, i've got one myself but when somebody posts saying they've got a snake thats hissy and asks if a royal is better if they want to get it out and play with it all day then they've been given the completely wrong answer.
> Just means they'll get a gorgeous snake, do the completely wrong thing and then start a thread asking why its not feeding.


 
agreed, i must have read it wrong as didnt see the part about handling it all day. I just got excited bout royals! (again!)

your advice is right and hopefully the OP will take it on board


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Cheers Roewammi

i did appreciate that people may have missed that, hence my first reply but it got my knackers in a knot when people still said to go for it after i'd pointed out the handling bit.


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

Meko said:


> Cheers Roewammi
> 
> i did appreciate that people may have missed that, hence my first reply but it got my knackers in a knot when people still said to go for it after i'd pointed out the handling bit.


no problem!
:2thumb:


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## nemoinky (Jun 7, 2008)

Cali Kings have great temperaments! I've had 5 Royals, 3 major biters, 1 that didn't bite but hit you with her body & 1 which was docile as ever. It's hit & miss with whatever snake you get. May be better to go somewhere & ask to handle them & find one with the right temperament. I've got 3 sand boas too, they're really docile! :2thumb:


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## akuma 天 (Apr 15, 2008)

Meko said:


> whooooa hang on folks!! read everything before replying...
> 
> Although royals are great they're not recommended if you want to handle them a lot.


My royals get handled all the time!
They are used to it now, I feed and house them in perfect conditions, so they pay the rent by getting handled on an evening. In fact my largest female likes it more out of the viv than in.


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## magneticblue (Jun 4, 2008)

Blackecho said:


> Ooh, can I come and peak at the weekend?



Of course mate!


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## baddy13 (May 18, 2005)

Royal!


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## retri (Mar 5, 2008)

I would say if you want something you can handle all the time get a corn.

Royals are great animals, but they do come with issues, if you handle them too often then it may cause them to not feed, you may be able to get an 07 or 06 that is very tame and feeds every time, which should be fine, but what you do not want to do is buy a hatchling expecting to e able to handle it all the time, as you will probably end up with a non feeding hatchling.


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## Alex27 (Jul 26, 2008)

*yes*

my first and only snake is an 08 royal i handle him every day (exept for feeding and digesting days) and ive never been bitten or hissed or even shown any aggresion but when i first got him he used to ball up in my hand but now hes tamed down nicely:lol2:


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## Tina (Apr 9, 2007)

So... how often can you handle royals? I know about the not after feeding, but other than that how often can they be handled?


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## luke123 (Apr 13, 2008)

Tina said:


> So... how often can you handle royals? I know about the not after feeding, but other than that how often can they be handled?


 ditto?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Depends entirely on the royal.

I have one that if you mess with him it sets his feeding back weeks - so he is "handle as little as possible to clean cage only".

I have one who is quite happy to come out and will feed regardless - I suspect she'd practically take food while being held, to be honest. She could be handled daily other than digesting-days... but we still don't, just in case.


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## the new be (Jul 25, 2008)

I just brought a royal 08 i heard they are fussy feeders but alot of comments say you shouldnt hold them to much why is that?? and how offen should you hold them then??? arggg still need to learn a little more.....


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## GemmaB (Jul 22, 2008)

*Im not an expert on snakes but as for any animals some are good and some are bad i have heard about royals being fussy eaters but mine definatley have no problem in that department!!! We get them out every night apart from before and after feeds and they love being out! I have only had royals so my reply is very bias but i have a little boy that i bought about 4 weeks ago and he is absolutley smashing and cannot get enough of him!! Plus we loved him so much we bought another one yesterday :whistling2:*


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

the new be said:


> I just brought a royal 08 i heard they are fussy feeders but alot of comments say you shouldnt hold them to much why is that?? and how offen should you hold them then??? arggg still need to learn a little more.....


Until a royal python is feeding regularly and steadily, handling them for fun is an unnecessary amount of stress.

Snakes don't really "LIKE" being held and handled (they tolerate it or appreciate the out-and-exercise, not necessarily the being held) - you're a giant predator monkey that might eat them - and if you're scared to death because you've always got grabby monkeypaws at you, you're not likely to want to eat.

I would say that until it's feeding "how often should I hold it" is "Only to clean the cage".

Then, once it's feeding regularly, "how often should I hold it" is dependant entirely on the snake. If holding it stresses it out and makes it miss a feed... then it's "only to clean the cage." If holding it doesn't stress it out and it continues to be a reliable feeder, then once a day except on the day you feed and the two days after should be fine. I must admit I do not handle mine that often, even the ones that WOULD be ok with it, because I'd rather not find out that two 'outings' a week is OK but three will make it go off feed for a month.


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

the new be said:


> I just brought a royal 08 i heard they are fussy feeders but alot of comments say you shouldnt hold them to much why is that?? and how offen should you hold them then??? arggg still need to learn a little more.....


depends, the shop should have given you feeding records with the royal, this shows how long its been feeding regularly and what method. id recommend minimum interaction eg just changing water for a week while it settles in then offer food, if it refuses, leave for another week with no contact except water changes, etc etc.

pm me if you have any problems and we can try and work out some stuff! 

hopefully it'll feed ok with you though!

the basics for now are;
heat mat and thermostat
have it in a 9ltre really useful box
lots of hides (lots=at least 3/4)
fake plants-----to really bulk it out
toilet rolls------to really bulk it out
ceramic water bowl (they're good at knocking over light ones!)

royals naturally live in the wild under ground and the common problem with non feeders is that they dont feel safe and secure


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## Jo81 (Aug 4, 2008)

We got an 08 Royal about 4wks ago and he's so fantastic I'm already desperate for another one! He's a fab feeder so far (touch wood), ya really have to watch yer self when feeding him, he's on the mouse before it's hit the floor of the viv and thats feeding every 6 days. He's really placid and doesn't complain at being handled, I have to use all my will power not to have him out all the time. I'm limited to every couple of days :lol2:


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## cacoonkitty (Aug 10, 2008)

*royal pythons as good pets*

Hey, i have had a female royal python for a while aswel as 32 other reptiles!! i got her as a baby snake and i find they are pretty chilled out snakes providing you show them care from when you first get them, they are quite happy to be handled but sometimes if you dont get there habitat right and temprature of the viv right they can be difficult /fussy to feed, i would suggest getting one as a baby , but make sure he/she has been feeing by himher -self at the shop and they arnt force feeding it , when i got mine she wouldnt take mice by herself and i had to help her and eventually i got her to feed quite hapily on her own. they are nice snakes and i love mine to bits:flrt:


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## Jo81 (Aug 4, 2008)

I'm now after after a another snake and I'd love another royal but it's been suggested that I go for an african house snake as I want something I can hndle all the time. Please don't hate me me but I'm not a fan of Corns. Apparently the African House Snake is "stupidly friendly" and easy to car for. They also have the most amazing cat like eyes. If anyone has opinions one way or another or experience with these snakes I'd love to know.


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