Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My neighbor called me to get a snake out of their garage, and I believe it to be a kingsnake. However after I picked it up, it appeared to die. I put it in a cage a set it on my warm hood of my car a check it about 10 minutes later and it was very much alive. Do they play dead or was it just cold? It was early evening, maybe about 8:30 or so when I caught it.

Many snakes "play dead" when threatened or picked up
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Currently have:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe Vulpina Gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe Obsoleta Linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python

Saving for:
Agkistrodon Contortix Mokasen - Northern Copperhead
Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria - Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Where was this? What did the snake look like(color, were the scales rough or smooth?)

What you are describing is classic Hognose behavior.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Actually... if it was a California King, it would most likely have been very much alive and probably semi-agressive.

My friends used to keep them and they were pretty nasty in captivity... so I can only guess that they are also nasty in the wild.

Rearfang is right, it doesn't really sound like a California King. Check below for some photo id's

www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/reptiles.html
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Sean McIntyre

Currently have:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe Guttata Guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe Vulpina Gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe Obsoleta Linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python

Saving for:
Agkistrodon Contortix Mokasen - Northern Copperhead
Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria - Brazilian Rainbow Boa