Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a cali king snake 4 days ago for my children. Before we bought him, my kids and I visisted the pet store on several occasions so they may hold and become familiar with the snake. During the first 2 days he allowed us to hold him and play with him, but on the second evening he would not let me put my hand in the cage without trying to strike at me. I figured he may be hungry, so we fed him, he ate very well, but the aggression has not seemed to cease. Helpful advice would be very much welcome. Thanx

First you should leave the snake alone in it cage for about a week before handling or bothering him. Moving to a new cage is "stress" on the snake. Let it get used to it new environment and smells (territorial environment) before reaching in.

There may be other contributing factors as well but this one sticks out first. Maybe the snake was cooler in the pet shop? There are so many variables and without seeing the set up , temps and if you kids are around the encloser? could all be factors.

A few questions:

what size is the snake?
What size meals are you feeding and how often?
Are you using an overhead lamp or undertank heater?

Sorry I can;t be more help, but your delmna may be several things or maybe your snake is just behaiving the way it should (especially if its a neonate)

I usually let the snake get settled in, then I take him out every or every other day. If he bites, he bites. They realize soon that you are no threat and will cease biting in a matter of days.

I would just be persistent. Try leaving him alone for a few days before you attempt to handle him. If he tries to strike at you, don't back off. Backing off doesn't fix the problem because that's what the snake wants you to do. Try placing your hand slowly and gently on his body and leave it there for a few seconds (so that he gets used to being touched) before removing him. You have to remember, most of a snake's predators will be attacking from above, so any sudden contact or changes may cause him to defend himself.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the help. With persistency, we have seemed to resolve our issues. I tried several times with a bare hand to pick him up, but he would consistenly strike at me, so I switched to a pair of fingerless gloves. After I would get him up, I could remove the glove and he would wrap himself around my hand. I continued to use the glove as a distraction while picking him up, and he seemed to recognize the glove. He even climbed through the "finger" opening and out through the wrist opening onto my hand. Rather amusing I thought, I have even left the glove in his cage as a secondary hide spot. If he's not burrowing under his substrate, you can find him in the glove. I hope to have some pictures on here soon. His demeanor has greatly improved, and is on his way to becoming a welcome member of our home. Thanks again for the advice.