Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi there we have never posted here but have on the turtle and ball forums we just got a cali king snake last week we have had them before but this one seems really aggressive he went from a 30 gallon at the petstore to a 55 gallon we have set up at home he is eating fine 2 fuzzies on monday . when we try to pick him up he rattles his tail, and pees on us when we do actully hold it, is it just needing time to adjust ? i was told the cage is too large and that when i downsize it the snake will be more comfortable is this right ? any ideas? help!!

Na... it's a cal king. Sometimes they just come equipped with an attitude. Just be patient and over time it should calm down. Is it still young?
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no he isnt young he was born in 8/01 so he is almost 3 and is about 3 ft long he seems to only get scared when we try to pick him up the petstore lady was his previous owner and she held him in front of us he seemd so tame then but i guess it was cause he knew her~ kinda gave a false impression that he was ok w bein held but we will just get him used to us i guess, she had him in some red sand and had 2 hides and a tree in it i really want to do the sand as it is sitting in my living room(his tank i mean) and would look awsome i was askin somone on here if it is safe for him and i know what a pain to change it is as my old kingsnake had sand but is it safe? that my main concern if its ok for him and just a pain for me its no prob i am a stay at home mom w 4 kids and one on the way so i have all day while the kids are gone to change cages any ideas on this?????

It's not the best choice. There are too many negative aspects to using it even if you don't feed on it. I would stick to aspen shavings or newspaper if you don't care about looks as much.

She’s 3 years old, eh? Well I got a nasty adult cal king about two years ago. She was so nasty that she would strike at anything that walked by her box... ANYTHING!! And she hit hard. Anyway, she came around. I don't fear for my fingers when I go to clean her box any more.

It's usually just while you are going to pick them up that they make a fuss. If you can get past that point, they are usually well behaved.

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yeah i heard sand promotes badd sheds, im in agreement sand is not ever touching my viviarium, but yeah by the by ? i have the same breed King Cal Desert Phase? (youngin) i was wondering if you could shoot me some pointers? im a first time owner of Kingsnakes n i do have a herper that helps me out from time to time, but extra info from another herper is always welcomed. thnx P.s great lookin King thnx for the pic im going to post my snake pics soon!

hubby,4 with one comeing and snakes, house work etc. you rock!
yea, my wife is a "cool mom" to....
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lol well thanks i hope my kids think so thought right now im not cool im a "girl" and girls are gross lol