Back in early July I got a het red axanthic female. From the day I got her she has been nasty. She strikes every time I open the tote. When I feed her she strikes in a defensive mode and will only eat if I leave the prekilled rodent in with her - she never strikes and coils the food. She is in a 27 quart sterilte tote (she weighs about 300 gm). I first had her on aspen shavings but have since changed her to newspaper as I know making changes sometimes can help. She has a hide and I leave her completely alone except for feeding time. I have changed her location in the rack, but never her tote; she has been in the same tote since she got here.

I tried contacting the seller to see if this was her behavior prior to me getting her, but no response, which makes me wonder if she has been this way all along and he failed to mention it.

If she is just nasty and there is no changing her, then I'm fine with that. However, if there is something I can do to make her more comfortable and secure, that would be ideal. A happy snake grows better than a constantly stressed snake. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again, I'm not trying to make her my best friend, just trying to get her comfortable. Thanks.