I need help with my little Cali King, Khyan. He’s about a year old and has had a rough start to his young life. First his original owners dumped at a store where he spent 7-8 months. His high strung/spazzy/aggressive temperament made him difficult to care, so he was either neglected or mistreated (grabbed by the tail and he’d bang his head against his enclosure). I found out about him through a friend who saw how he was being treated and was appalled. Being a sucker for any animal that is suffering, I adopted Khyan.

I’m extremely new to reptiles and while Khyan has settled down, he still difficult to handle. I use gloves and he’ll either attack and wrap, which I realize is him thinking my hand is food, or he jumps out of his skin the moment I touch him. His spazzy energy then makes my anxiety 10 times worse.

I am torn. I sometimes feel like I took on more than I can handle and should hand him over to a shelter where there are experts to care for him. Yet I really love my little boo. He’s insanely cute and has a bit of clown personality. I don’t want to give up on him like his original owner. Although a shelter should be a better place, it doesn’t always mean it will be, and since he is “special needs” heaven knows how long it would take for him to be adopted. He's already gone through enough.

I don’t know what to do. He’s been with me since May 26. Do these things just take time? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.