>>Are Cali kings illegal to sell in pet stores here in Cali? I know they used to be so you could imagine my shock when I saw a Cali King and a Ringneck in a petstore around the block from my house. I tried to talk to the "snake expert" there but she thought it ate crickets so that convo didn't go very far.

Captive bred Cal Kings are legal to sell IF the breeder has a CA reptile breeders permit and has all the required paperwork. Wild caught CA Native Reptiles are NEVER legal to sell in CA (albinos are an exception). The only CA Native Reptiles that are allowed to be bred and sold under the permit are Cal Kings, Gopher Snakes, and Rosy Boas. NO other native species/sub-species are allowed to be sold under the permit. Ringnecks are not allowed but there is a gray area if it is obviously an Eastern sub-species (obviously not native to CA), it would depend on the CFG Wardens herp knowledge and your communication skills. IMO, gray areas are best avoided.

I also heard someone swear up and down that their baby CAL king would eat crickets as well as pinkies at a recent herp show. All things are possible I guess? I'd have to see it before I believed it though.