The California Kingsnake originates in the desert and can live in many other places such as: woodland, farm land, forests and riversides. They are very common pets. They usually grow between four to six feet which at this point they are considered fully grown. They usually live from 15 to 20 years in captivity but have been known to live longer. The California Kingsnake is most commonly black and white banded, however yellow bands are recorded in some subspecies, with a checkered stomach and black eyes. Kingsnakes are primarily nocturnal, meaning they venture out in the dark of night. This is when their main predators are sleeping, and their prey is awake. This is not to say though, that they never see the sun, or any form of lighting for that matter. They will often bask in the sun during the day in the wild.
Hatchlings should be offered pinky mice, and as they grow the mice should become larger. An adult kingsnake should be fed on large size mice or small weaner rats. Hatchlings should be fed on a regular basis, every 4-5 days is ideal. Their metabolic rate is very high and as they are growing, they need a lot more food to keep them going. Adult kingsnakes need feeding once every 2 weeks on 2 large mice. The only exception when they should be fed more is bringing them out of hibernation, getting them into condition for breeding and then, fattening up females for egg production. An egg-laying female should be fed more often than normal, once a week on 2 large mice.
