My snake is extremely skittish- almosst the most skittish BP I've ever held, including hatchlings. (He's almost 2) He wasn't socialized with humans at all in his old home; I got him from someone who no longer wanted to have him. He no longer strikes or hisses and is quite docile when handled, but at times he will breathe very hard. He had a respiratory infection awhile ago and was prescribed oral antibiotics, so I'm wondering if he still associates being handled with something very unpleasant. He was already kind of a nervous wreck when I got him and I hate to think I contributed at all. I gently handle him once in awhile now but otherwise he's left alone. (The sweater photo in my avatar was taken for a friend and it was very brief)
Does anyone else have a snake who seems to hyperventilate sometimes when being handled? I really hope I haven't traumatized him for good. I haven't found a definite answer for snake memory even on this forum, but goldfish have about a 3 month (not second!) memory, so it seems like he'd have at least that.
For what it's worth, the ambient temp is 83, the warm side is 89, and humidity is ~60.
In short- is this at all normal? If not, is he okay?