Help me with this little pet store male....:(

[4theSNAKElady]

I work at a pet store, and we got two baby BPs in February. One male, one female, from the same clutch. The female had a great appetite, and sweet temperament, and thus sold right away....the male, however did not eat for 6 weeks, despite me trying all kinds of "tricks" to get him to eat. I know he had been eating when we got him, because he was nice and pudgy. I am in charge of the reptile dept at work, and y'all know Im NOT new to BPs! So, after narrowing down what could be the cause, I moved him to the smallest enclosure we had available(which is what hes in now) Its 14x16, with a good tight hide in it, and some other pieces to make it cluttery. Within the first two weeks of moving into the new enclosure, he began to eat! Yay!!! And hes been eating consistently every offering since then. Now, the big problem now is his AGGRESSION. Hes been really snappy ever since we got him in February, and it seems he went from snappy to downright nasty! I know this little guy pretty well now, and it seems like hes aggressive out of fear. Hes afraid of everything. If hes out and about cruising his cage, and you look in or even point at him, hes like zzziiiipp....right in his hide(I didn't know BPs could be that fast! lol). The few times Ive held him to see if he could even calm down after a few minutes, hes done nothing but try and bite me. Yesterday, I went into his enclosure since he was out and about, and he even started wagging his tail and viciously striking at me! Ive NEVER had a BP do that. He tenses up very quickly, and when I do handle him, he either balls up tight and breathes heavily, or tries to bite. Ive already discounted him, but if theres any hope of being sold, theres gotta be an improvement in the attitude dept! Is there any hope for this lil guy? Are there any tricks that I haven't tried yet? Anything Ive missed that could cause his nastiness? Any reccommendations? Housing is fine, temps are fine, verified with temp gun. Humidity may be a little low sometimes, but Idk if that would cause his attitude problem......

[Mike41793]

Are the sides of the tank blacked out or open? Are there one or two hides?

[4theSNAKElady]

Well, you could say that two sides of the cage are "blacked out". And just one hide. I could probably try and put another in there.

[satomi325]

Feed him more.

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[4theSNAKElady]

Feed him more.

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God suggestion....Ill try it.

[Skilla6000]

I'm not sure if this would work, but try moving him away from all the people as try putting him in the back. Leave him for say a week or 2 then slowly start handling him from there. That might help I'm not 100% sure though.

[Mike41793]

Well, you could say that two sides of the cage are "blacked out". And just one hide. I could probably try and put another in there.

He may not feel secure then. Try blacking out 3 sides and adding another hide.

And yes, maybe hes hungry lol

[FireStorm]

Some hatchlings seem to just need time to outgrow the snappy attitude. Think about how many predators would like to eat a baby BP...they are still wild animals, after all. And yes, he could be hungry.

[4theSNAKElady]

I can only black out one more side. And unfortunately, we dont have a back room ...just a tiny "closet" we keep crickets and supplies in. Plus, theres no place to put an enclosure n heat it.
I will, offer him more food tho
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[Willie76]

You know as well as I do, snakes bite for one of two reasons: 1) Food 2) Fear. As long as his husbandry is right on, I am sure he is just a little over protective of himself. I have owned and fostered many over the years, and there are always a few that just seem to be a little more protective when they're young. My 2012 Spider female was exactly like this. She would even strike and bounce off the side of her enclosure to try and nip at me. After I made sure her temps were good, she had decent hide spots, and she had a few meals in her, I just dove right into handling. Yeah, she kissed me a few times, but after about 2 weeks of daily handlings (starting with 5 minutes the first week, then to 10 minutes the second) she calmed right down. She is the most puppy dog tame girl I have ever had now. When I slide her door open, she will actually crawl into my hand and wrap around my arm.

Even my Jungle Carpet (JCP babies are known to be a little more protective) who I have had just a few weeks went from tagging me 3-4 times on my first attempt to get her out (and a few love taps when she was out) to no tags whatsoever the last 2 days. Patience, time, and a willingness to get tagged a few times but continue with a handling schedule usually tames even the most defensive down...BPs especially. You know as well as I do snakes don't train like cats and dogs, but a trust does develop. I have had some sassy kings, garter, JCPs, and BPs and I have never known a single one to remain "mean". There are the exceptions I know some will post, but I love the challenge of the nippy ones. I love seeing their fear subside and realize I am not a threat.

If you're scared of the bite, just throw some gloves on and a long sleeved shirt. The important thing to remember is that if he does tag you...A. It really doesn't hurt. B.Continue with the holding session. If you put him back every time he bites, he will associate this as a way to make you go away. When he realizes his bite has no effect and no harm comes to him, he will eventually realize that a bite has to effect and will tame out quite well...