Well you came to the right place Steve, i'm also a Steve, so your in good company.

First of all, ball python's when young can be nippy at times, the biggest plus about this is that they normally are very good eaters. You want to have a ball python that eats consistenly, and it seems as if your does.

When it comes to handling, when in shed, yes they can act more aggressive. When they have that glaze over their eyes, they can't see anything compared to normal vision, so as a defensive mechanism, they will strike, hiss, or do anything they can to get the predator to leave them alone.

For your sake, i wouldn't worry about this being a life long temperament, but it could also mean you have a very good breeder!! Ball Python's are going to hide all day long, as they should. It seems as if your snake is hungry and searching for food. I have fed mine anywhere from every 4 days to once a week for young BP's. Try and see if feeding him more often will leave him so full that he wont really need to look for food.

Also unless your dying to hold him, i would leave him be for a couple weeks to get used to his new home. Ball Pythons need a lot of time to adjust to a new environment, they don't like change!