>>1. Can this snake hurt me?



Not by biting you. Every time you handle the snake you need to wash your hands afterwards, as you CAN get salmonella from handling snakes and eating with unwashed hands.



>>2. Is four feet long big? The lady at the petstore looked at me funny when I said 4'.



Four feet would seem to be a decent size for a kingsnake. It's not large nor small for a kingsnake.



>>3. I forgot to feed it for 2 weeks. It struck at me. The previous owner said he's never been struck. When I first got him he was dosile as can be. I fed it 2 hoppers. Should I be worried?



You should feed it one adult mouse (or two) every week. If it's "blue" (eyes are suddenly white looking) it might not be hungry. If it has been eating frozen-thawed mice, you should continue this practice. If it has been eating live, make sure to NEVER EVER leave a live mouse in the cage with the snake unsupervised. AS you become more familiar with snakes in general, and your specific snake, you can learn from the good people on this forum how to switch to pre-killed or frozen thawed. With a california kingsnake, this is usually not a difficult transition. If you forgot to feed the snake for two weeks, this might indicate you forgot the existance of the snake for two weeks. I would set up a schedule where you feed the snake regularly, and handle him regularly. the more he is handled the less likely to strike.







>>4. He's in a 20 gallon tank which came with the snake. Is this too small?



A twenty gallon is fine.



>>5. I've been thinking about tank designs. Do they like to climb? Would deep sand be better?



A twenty gallon-long is fine for a cal king, they will do some climbing, but do not need a taller cage. Sand is not a good substrate. Aspen or bark or newspaper is a good substrate. Make sure the snake has two hides, one on the cool end of the cage, one on the warm end. This will increase the feeling of security your snake feels.





>>

>>Thats it for now but I have a genuine interest in this hobby so I'm sure there'll be more.

>>

>>Thanks!

>>

>>Gene

>>
-----
~Sasheena

Ground Snakes

Kit, Kaboodle, Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple

JCP

Dreamer

Rosy

Castle

Kings

Licorice, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Tigris, Euphrates

Pandora, Phantom

Lady

Corns

Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes

Tiger

Amulet

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