I may be shying away from kingsnakes - Maybe some of ya'll can keep me going?

[Ourobouros]

Don't feed your snake in its tank. Feed it in a separate feeding tank or area. This will set the expectation that you're feeding it only when it goes to that place instead of each time you open the tank. When feeding also use tongs to put in the food. Snakes often miss or mistake your hand for the food.

Also hesitation when picking up your snake may make it nervous. I worked at a petsmart with a very aggressive California kingsnake and no one there (coworkers) wanted to take it out. They always asked me to get it out. ^_^