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My California King. becomes very tense when I try to get him out. He acts like he will strike, but he never does. Is there a way to fix this behavior?

>>My California King. becomes very tense when I try to get him out. He acts like he will strike, but he never does. Is there a way to fix this behavior?

it should get better both as the snake ages and as it gets used to being handled. Useful information to help us answer your question: How old is it? How long have you had it? Is it wild caught or captive bred? Did someone else own (and thus handle it) for a while before you got it? How long?

peace
terry

ps: a couple things that help a snake getting used to being picked up:
don't grab. touch firmly, NOT right near the head nor on the tail, both are likely to agitate the snake. touch firmly somewhere along midbody, so that it knows you're there and touching it, then pick it up. don't attempt to handle it when it's "in shed"--when the eyes fog over and the skin pattern becomes obscured. the snake can't see well then and is naturally more fearful and reactive to the touch of things it can't see.

I have had my snake for the two years, and he is captive bred. He has been frequently handled when I am at home, but I am at a residential school, so I don't get to handle him as much. Once I get him out of the tank, he is fine and doesn't act aggressive.

Try wearing a T-shirt (no artificial scents like perfume or deodorant) all day and place it within his enclosure, preferably within his hide box. Continue this for some time. He should learn to associate the security of his hide box with your scent... and ultimately stop fearing you.