I got my California kingsnake, Max, a while ago. It took him a long time to settle in. he wouldn't eat for two and a half weeks. He finally started eating but would never eat in the same room as me. This has been what it was like until tonight. He finally took the frozen/thawed pinky off of the tongs. He ate very weirdly though. First, he sniffed it like a dog does( literally sniffing, there was no tong flicking). Then, instead of taking the head (which was facing his mouth), he decided to bite the middle of the pinky's body. Then he lifted the pinky off the ground and stood up with it. He held this position for a few seconds. He was looking directly at me to. He then did almost a 'dance' swinging side to side with it. I was concerned that it might have been a neurological issue, but it did not look like what I have seen in videos of snakes with neurological issues. Next, he bent completely backwards and held that position for about 5 seconds. He was still holding the pinky by the middle of the body. The next thing he did was lift himself up a little bit almost to a 45 degree angle, and while in that position he flipped the mouse around so the feet were in his mouth. He then slithered into a normal position and started eating the mouse. When I tried to move to grab a water bottle to fill his dish with. He stopped eating, turned his head to face me, and wagged his tail. If i did any small movements like turning my head he would momentarily pause eating. He would not let me move until the mouse was 3 quarters the way into his mouth. I then put the lid on the container and left the room.

He usually acts just like a normal snake. I have never seen him eat before and none of the other snakes I have or have had ate like this.

I really wish I could have gotten video but I was not expecting this to happen. I am gonna try and get video next time he eats.