Hi there. I recently got a Mexican black kingsnake at a show he is male and a few months old. I have 6 other snakes so I have some experience but this new snake absolutely hates when I handle him. I gave him a week to get settled in, then fed and he ate, husbandry is correct. But he pees and poops every time (I assume to repel me) when I handle him. All of my other species are very tolerant to my handling and I have tried to handle him for short amounts of times but consistently for the past few days. Today he puffed his throat from stress during handling.

so in summary for experienced mexi black owners....
have you had one that did not at all tolerate handling and work up to being able to handle them easily?
what can I do better?


thank you!