The California king snake can be domesticated. At present, the California king snakes sold are basically artificially bred young snakes. This kind of young snakes have been cultivated with multiple belts and have become familiar with family feeding. It is easier to open the mouth. Generally, when raising California king snakes, they use suckling mice to eat. There are very few problems. But wild-caught snakes may initially be fed lizards or frogs, and getting them to eat mice is a bit more difficult and time-consuming. All California king and milk snakes are best fed pre-killed food.

Captive-bred young California king snakes can be fed to one or two days old suckling rat. If feeding frozen suckling mice, be sure to thaw them completely (either on a computer's CRT monitor, under a lamp, or immersed in warm water). Feed 1-2 suckling mice every 2-7 days, depending on your desired growth rate.

In general, California king snakes grow faster when they eat small meals several times a week than when they eat one large meal a week. Small foods are easier to digest than larger ones, so the California king snake is able to absorb more nutrients. When the California king snake reaches a sub-adult, it can be fed to larger mice once or several times a week.