Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received this snake as a gift from a friend that lost interest. I had an interest so it worked out perfect.

1. Can this snake hurt me?
2. Is four feet long big? The lady at the petstore looked at me funny when I said 4'.
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?
4. He's in a 20 gallon tank which came with the snake. Is this too small?
5. I've been thinking about tank designs. Do they like to climb? Would deep sand be better?

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

Thanks!

Gene

>>1. Can this snake hurt me?
No.
>>2. Is four feet long big? The lady at the petstore looked at me funny when I said 4'.
I don't know.
>>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?
I will try not to freak out on you but... how did you forget to feed a snake?!!!!! It's not like it needs to eat every day or twice a day like almost any other kind of pet. Did you forget that you had a snake. Anyway,(deep breaths) two weeks is not that long. But you need to come up with some sort of reminder system man. Moving and all the change of schedule is probably stressing this snake out. It probably struck at you as feed response. Feed it! At four feet long it could eat a dozen fuzzies. Feed it one or two large adult mice. Wait until it poops it all out, and feed it again. Get a caresheet to make sure you have the enclosure right as far as temps and other requirments.
>>4. He's in a 20 gallon tank which came with the snake. Is this too small?
Maybe. My rule is at leaast two-thirds the length of the snake long and at least half the length of the snake wide.
>>5. I've been thinking about tank designs. Do they like to climb? Would deep sand be better?
All a matter of opinion. Good luck.
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International Snakes Meetup

>>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
>>
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~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

Sasheena is correct on everything.
ALso being 4' I would feed the snake two adult (jumbo size) mice and then the striking may cease.... you may just have one hungry critter there. Feeding two small hoppers to a 4' cal king is way to little. Get some big mice for the next meal and don't handle for 3-4 days after feeding.
Also make sure you have a good heat source (like an undertank heater) so the snake can thermoregulate itself from the hot and cool sides of its encloser.

Most petstores carry little books on kingsnakes, this would be a good investment and answer your questions more in depth.

Two hoppers sounds a little light for a four foot king, anyone else agree? My three footer eats two small adults.

It's possible that the snake could get bigger, although it might not.

Make sure your hands do not smell like mice if you're going to have them near the snake. I don't know if you did this or not, but it's good to keep in mind. Snakes have bad eyesight and even tame ones will happily try to eat your fingers.

In the picture. . .there is a wire hanging into the cage that looks like it is connected to a "hot rock". . .not a good heat source. They (the hot rocks) will overheat pretty easily, especially with a light above it and good insulation (the substrate) below. Might want to look around for an undertank heater. . .local pet store will probably have them in stock or look online. . .a thermostat wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Good luck,
Ian

I suggest reading a good caresheet, and getting a book on kingsnakes. Those should answer most of your questions.

Here is an excellent source of information on kings:

http://www.anapsid.org/king.html
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-Andy

You guys are awesome! Thanx

You've alredy got most of your answers, but I just wanted to chime in and say 4' is pretty average for black and whites. I have 5' myself. Best of luck to you.

have fun
Ed

>>1. Can this snake hurt me?
yes, in dthe sense that tearing your knuckles trying to break a rusty bolt loose when working on your car can hurt you: in other words, it can't really HARM you, it's not venemous. but if it decides to bite, it might also decide to chew, and you just have to calmly figure out a way to pry it off--submersing it in a pail of cool water might do it. If you don't pull your finger or hand out of the mouth, which would tear your skin, you'll just end up with some little pin-prick kind of wounds. They'll bleed a lot (like those working-on-the-car knuckles) but wash it, put antiseptic and a bandaid on it, and a day later it'll be forgotten.
>>2. Is four feet long big? The lady at the petstore looked at me funny when I said 4'.
serious answer: four feet's about average.
more fun answer: were you wearing a clown suit when she looked at you funny? (sorry)
>>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, worried, no. tdhe snake, since it might have been forgotten for two weeks, yes, it should be worried. it might have struck at you because it was hungry and expecting food. or it might have struck because it hadn't been handled for several weeks, and maybe not before that by its previous owner who had lost interest. Not being used to being handled, it might have simply reacted naturally.
Here's a tip: if handling it makes you nervous until it calms down, buy a pair of garden gloves and wear those to handle it until you see it's not going to bite you. The other advice on washing hands, etc., is good too.
>>4. He's in a 20 gallon tank which came with the snake. Is this too small?
should be ok.
>>5. I've been thinking about tank designs. Do they like to climb? Would deep sand be better?
i've been using a product pet stores sell, called "CareFresh." it's made out of recycled newsprint, is very absorbent and easy to clean. I'd highly recommend it.
>>
>>Thats it for now but I have a genuine interest in this hobby so I'm sure there'll be more.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Gene
>>