Aggression

Question
I got what I believe to be a yearling Kingsnake about a week ago and have been very consistent with handling him/her at least once a day except for the day I feed of course he musks a bit we currently have him in ideal living conditions according to all the books and what not but we do use sand and that tends to worry me. But just yesterday burrowed under the sand as he has a tenancy to do and my boyfriend decided to tap on the glass and he rattled his tail that is when i knew he was peeved after that i was looking in on him and he must have felt me breath because he came up fighting and now any time i cone near his cage he strikes at me is this just a case of the "teribble twos" that young kingsnakes get or could it be something else? Thank you for you time.

Answer
Kingsnakes in my experience haven't been the most handleable of things. They are also sensitive to things that happen to them. Usually the only way to break it, is to pick him up regardless of how he reacts or tries to bite. I had a banana kingsnake who really didn't like to be held, and latched onto me a few times before he realized it was fruitless. You can't be afraid when you go to pick him up; you have to be confident in your handling of him. Also, ignore him when you walk by the cage.

As far as the substrate goes, what kind of king are we talking about? If it is a desert kingsnake, then the sand would indeed be his preference. If it is a cal king, or something that prefers the forests or semi-wooded terrain, then forest bedding, mulch or bark would be a better choice.