Key Points and Precautions for Breeding King Cobras
The king cobra is the king of snakes. Wild resources are scarce, and the prospects for developing artificial breeding are broad. The following introducesthe key points and precautions for breeding king cobras.
1. Key points for breeding king cobras
1. Appearance characteristics and living habits. The king cobra looks similar to the cobra from the outside. The difference is that the king cobra has a seal-script-style “king” character on top of its head, and its body length is 1/4 longer than that of the cobra. It likes to rest in cool places and has a fierce temperament. Its living habits are similar to those of the cobra.
2. Site setup and daily management. The site should be chosen in a wind-sheltered, sunny area, using either indoor cage rearing or open-air pond rearing. For indoor cage rearing, snake cages are generally made of stainless steel wire or alloy material, with specifications of 30cm×20cm×60cm. A fixed water trough is set inside the cage. Two lids are made on top of the snake cage: the inner layer is a movable lid, and the outer layer is a fixed lid. This setup is relatively safe. Generally, 1 iron cage houses 1 snake, or the stocking density can be determined according to the size of the snakes. Open-air pond rearing: the area of each pond is 30-50 sq m. Build 1 small snake pond, 1 medium snake pond, and 1 large snake pond. The surrounding wall of the pond is 4m high. The wall is smoothed with cement, and the top is made into a “T” shape. A snake nest is made inside the pond, and a small water pool 2m long, 1m wide, and 0.3m deep is built. When entering the open-air breeding site, keepers should wear protective clothing and face masks. In daily management, special attention should be paid to observing the snakes' eating and excretion, and the bait and medication should be increased or decreased accordingly.
3. Sources of bait and feeding. When raising snakes, generally some bullfrogs, frogs, rice field eels, and other live bait should be raised, and compound feed can also be fed. Slaughterhouse scraps can also be fed. First cut the scraps into small pieces and cook them, then feed them at fixed times, in fixed amounts, and at fixed locations. During the peak market sales season, some live chicks, ducklings, mice, and so on can be placed 1 day in advance, and fed 1-2 times per day.
4. Disease prevention and control and capture methods. King cobras are generally susceptible to enteritis and parasitic diseases. When a snake has enteritis and diarrhea, 2-3 tablets of oxytetracycline and chloramphenicol tablets can be added to the bait. When a snake has parasites, it mostly appears relatively thin, and an appropriate amount of levamisole can be added to the bait for deworming (for dosage, see the instructions). If the parasites are on the body surface, a 10%-15% potassium permanganate solution can be sprayed. The feces in the cage or pond should be flushed clean every day. When capturing, an appropriate amount of sleeping pills can be fed in advance, or iron tongs 0.7-1m long or a low-voltage electric shock baton can be used. King cobras can be marketed once their body weight reaches more than 0.5kg.
5. Methods for extracting and processing snake venom. Extracting snake venom requires 2 people working together. 1 person holds the head of the king cobra, and 1 person uses bamboo chopsticks or a 0.3m-long glass rod to insert into the snake's mouth. A clean small bowl is placed below the snake's head. When the snake bites the bamboo chopsticks or glass rod, the venom shoots out from the venom ducts and flows along the bamboo chopsticks or glass rod into the bowl. Use this method to extract venom from each snake one by one, then place the venom in a centrifuge and centrifuge for 3-5 minutes, then dry it, and it becomes snake venom crystals.
2. Precautions for breeding king cobras
1. Breeding king cobras requires making them eat more and grow quickly. Once a king cobra is found to refuse food, a careful examination is needed. The problems generally causing king cobras to refuse food include oral ulcers, parasites, indigestion, and other diseases. If disease is found, symptomatic treatment is needed. For some bred king cobras that refuse food, force-feeding methods are also needed.
2. Preventing king cobra bites is crucial. King cobras have a large amount of venom and fierce toxicity. Once bitten by a king cobra, it is very dangerous. It has been reported that a bite from a king cobra can cause death within one minute. Therefore, extreme caution is needed. Some king cobras sometimes display sudden aggressive behavior during hunger, molting, or mating periods. Breeding king cobras requires full protective gear before operations can be carried out. When feeding, special gloves must be worn, and glasses must also be worn, because king cobras have the habit of spitting venom and will aim at our eyes and spit venom, causing blindness in both eyes and seriously affecting life.