Evening all,

So after months and months of research I finally have my first Retic.

He is an Purple Albino Genetic Stripe - I could not be happier with him! However, I am having a small problem that I'm struggling to find answers to online. I manage to break his "defensive mode" in his tub without much hassle and when he runs I have no problem picking him up - after a few seconds he gets curious and his tongue flicks become slower and more extended so on the face of things he calms down.....BUT THEN.... Out of nowhere he'll strike for seemingly no reason. I react calmly to the bites, he's 5months old so it hurts a little but I know to not stress him out by reacting.

My problem is that I'm kinda developing my own trust issues at this point, he'll be exploring and be completely fine and then BAM. Everything I find online focuses on basically getting them to break their tub response, from what I've seen nobody focuses on what to do if they are striking after seemingly calming down while handling.

Any advise? I've been making sure to make slow movements and keep the environment calm, I really don't know what is setting him off while he is already in my hands.

TIA!