Gah!! In Love...

[Loren]

One of my buddies was showing me a little cal king a while back and it latched onto me, trying to eat my finger. Little bugger would not let go! Took the 2 of us to get him off, since we didnt want to hurt him by just yanking. Didnt really hurt since it was a young'n, but it was funny.

I have seen cal kings in the 5 foot+ range, but seems like 3 1/2' - 4' feet is more normal, although I mostly see wild snakes, so maybe captives do hit larger sizes more regularly. My largest are around 42'' last time I checked.

[lestat]

My Honduran Milksnake bit me as my friend was on the phone trying to sell it on my behalf.Then again it had only reasantly eaten so still had a full belly. All snakes will bite if they sent food on your fingers or are handled when they dont want to be. I wanted a Californian Kingsnake once so if you want it so bad get it other wise you will always wonder and it will play on your mind. They are nice but are canbilistic so cant keep together with other's. Some snakes hide all the time and some dont. Usally garters are active. Give it time with the Raddix and it might get used to you being around. some of mine ignor me and some hide when i get near there viv's.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

the only snakes I would say you can keep together without any stress on the snakes is garters and their relatives. All others (corns, kings, rats, boids) should be kept alone.

[drache]

I've got three kings, one of them a 5'+ florida king who's the mellowest snake I own - so is my cali king
my black mexican king is a bit nervous and has bit me a few times, but she only does it when she's startled or hungry
I have a few garters that are as mellow as the mellow kings, but I understand how hard it can be to relate to a snake that's difficult to handle and shy
it might help to give your garter a ton of good hiding spots in parts of the tank where he can observe you, and then do your best to ignore him
kings can grow big - my big one just moved into a 6'x2'x25" tank - quite a bit of real estate
if you want something more mellow that stays smallish, I highly recommend a hognose

[Hornets23]

Nice story Shannon. Glad you're a good sport.

[Charlet_2007]

he is now 6 years old and he's over 5 feet long.... so beware... your cute little cali king is gonig to get BIG

Boy i hear you there lol try going to get a baby retic python your 13 at the time... Didnt have a computer to look up info and saw pics from time to time seeing them on tv. And saying man i want one of those so bad.. actuly saveing the money up to get one and buying it then relizing after 10 years of haveing this what the heck was i thinking?????? we sold haven almost 3 years ago she was at in avrage almost 18 foot long.. She was eatting baby pigs... i see her from time to time at the St. Louis zoo because the owner we sold her to gave up on a "BIG" snakes.. but at least shes in good hands...

[LyrisFlame]

We did bring the snake home. It was kind of funny because I had decided against it and just wanted to bid farewell to Spook and take a picture. But then we got to talking with the herp guy there and my boyfriend decided we were taking the snake home. We bought everything to get it set up. All the snakes there were clearly hungry, and on top of that the herp guy pretty much pissed off the snake so that it would come toward him, so naturally the snake bit him and wouldn't let go for 5+ minutes. The herp guy was a little embarrassed I think, but he did ask for it. I was amused.

We got Spook home and fed her(?) immediately. No problem there. Terribly entertaining. I'm thrilled. Captive bred seems to make all the difference. Haven't been bitten yet because I'm still letting her settle in, but it'll be soon because I'll need to move her to feed her.

Now I just need to figure out how to make my garter happy. I thought I got him early enough that he would get used to people and be okay, but I'm starting to think he might just be a nervous snake that will never really be okay around people. Putting him back where I found him isn't really an option since the survival rate of released snakes isn't that great (I hear) and its a backyard with dogs and cars and cats etc. I could give him to someone who might know better, but I'm not sure about shipping him somewhere since he's already stressed all the time.

What should I do? What is best for the snake?

[Zephyr]

We did bring the snake home. It was kind of funny because I had decided against it and just wanted to bid farewell to Spook and take a picture. But then we got to talking with the herp guy there and my boyfriend decided we were taking the snake home. We bought everything to get it set up. All the snakes there were clearly hungry, and on top of that the herp guy pretty much pissed off the snake so that it would come toward him, so naturally the snake bit him and wouldn't let go for 5+ minutes. The herp guy was a little embarrassed I think, but he did ask for it. I was amused.

We got Spook home and fed her(?) immediately. No problem there. Terribly entertaining. I'm thrilled. Captive bred seems to make all the difference. Haven't been bitten yet because I'm still letting her settle in, but it'll be soon because I'll need to move her to feed her.

Now I just need to figure out how to make my garter happy. I thought I got him early enough that he would get used to people and be okay, but I'm starting to think he might just be a nervous snake that will never really be okay around people. Putting him back where I found him isn't really an option since the survival rate of released snakes isn't that great (I hear) and its a backyard with dogs and cars and cats etc. I could give him to someone who might know better, but I'm not sure about shipping him somewhere since he's already stressed all the time.

What should I do? What is best for the snake?

Have you tried approaching him differently? This post might get ripped apart by some of the other members, but how you approach the snake makes all the difference.
At first I'd go after wild garters and be scared as heck of getting bit by them. Now, after much experience I casually pick them up and assertively hold them. After the fear and anxiety disappeared the snake's behavior to me, even directly being caught, has changed drastically from multiple lunges and flailing to escape to casually slithering in my arms. Try to relax around him and don't worry that you're doing everything wrong; if he doesn't eat one thing offer him something else. If he likes to bask alot, make his basking area bigger. Just take some time to get to know him and I'm 100% he'll tame down.
**EDIT- Also, what happens if you king doesn't "tame down?" Would you just give up? Observation is your best friend; the more you learn about your individual snakes the better you'll be able to take care of them. If they don't like being picked up, try convincing them to crawl onto you. If they're always nervous and jittery when you hold/watch them, try altering your own mindset to be calm and confident.