My male BP named Noose is roughly 8 months old. I've had him for about a month and a half. We keep him in a 20 gal long aquarium and use a small UTH, 100 watt basking lamp and a 60 watt ceramic heater. The temp on the hot side stays 90-95 and the cool side is in the high 70's. I have to mist frequently and leave wet sponges in the tank to keep the humidity between 50-70%. He has 2 different hide spots to use (which he never gets in). He usually just hides in some of the fake plants in his tank instead of using his half log or hollowed out tree made for reptiles

Since we have had him he has been very lethargic which I have been told is normal. He comes out when I put his night light on, but not very much. He has been eating regularly and has shed successfully since we have had him. In light of all of that we have started to handle him some lately. He has never showed any sign of aggression.

Now that I have explained his habitat, let me tell you the problem...

Last time we fed him he acted different than I've ever seen him. I always feed him at night because that's when he's awake. He eats frozen thawed. I feed him in his tank. I know I need a separate feeding tank but I haven't gotten around to it. I thawed the mouse and brought it in the room and it was like he knew I had the mouse right when I walked into the room. He was all coiled in strike position following my every movement. I waived my hand in front of the tank and he struck at it. I dropped the mouse in pretty quickly because he was trying to jump out of the cage as I opened it. After I dropped it in he moved all around the tank, almost as if he was making sure it was safe. After about 30 minutes of odd behavior he snagged the mouse and ate it. I understand that aggressive behavior during feeding isn't very unusual and this isn't what has me concerned.

The following day (today) he slept most of the day. Later in the evening I noticed he had his head poked out of his hiding bushes (which is unusual being that he always hides all day). I walked over to look at him and noticed he was in the same aggressive coil position as the night before, head following my every movement. He never struck at me through the glass like he did the night before, but it doesn't take an expert to know if I would have stuck my hand in there he would have bit me. Every time I even started to approach the tank he would coil tighter poising for a strike, he was pissed off! He is still like that right now at 3:00 AM

This worried me because he displayed this aggressive behavior when there was no food around and he had just ate so I know he isn't hungry. Nothing in his environment has changed. I just don't know what could cause such a dramatic change in his behavior. I just want to know if there is any common explanation for this behavior or if anyone with more experience can shed any light. I will be glad to answer any further questions about his environment, the aggression or my care for him.

Thanks,
Richard Wayne