Violent?

[Angiebeast]

I work in a pet shop myself, and every now and then we too get in a baby who's more ballistic than he is a ball Though you're right, BPs are generally docile, aggression can and does happen even when they're well-treated. As others said it's more common in babies and doesn't mean anything's wrong. Just work with him slowly, and be gentle but firm. After our more aggressive hatchlings have been with us for a while I try to go in if I can and hold my hand palm-up in the cage somewhat close to them, letting them strike all they want, but after a while they see that though this might make me flinch it will not drive me out of the terrarium. Nor are they forced to come to me if they don't want to. Usually after anywhere from a couple to half a dozen quick sessions of this (no more than five to ten minutes at a time), most have stopped striking. At this point I make the first attempt to pick them up. If they strike again, I stop and hold my hand there for another minute before pulling out. Rinse and repeat as needed until they allow themselves to be picked up safely. Personally, I really wouldn't recommend forcing the snake out via towel or some other instrument (except for feeding if you feed in a separate container or other obviously necessary tasks), as that'll just reinforce his dislike of human contact. It might subdue him enough to get him out, but if his aggression is extending beyond his terrarium he'll likely still be frightened of you, and it sounds like your ultimate goal here is to have a snake that you can handle, not just transport from point A to point B.

I've only actually been struck once when I forgot to wash my hands between handling my own little girl's food and putting her in her feeding tank, and there was literally zero pain. It felt more like someone with a stubbly chin briefly pressed against my knuckle than anything The most serious bites I've heard of coming from BPs have never been described as being worse than a moderate cat scratch, with the possible exception of those where the snake was either very large or actually latched on and started to coil--which yours is VERY unlikely to do if it's striking defensively. So certainly wear gloves if that's what makes you comfortable, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred it's far more scary than it is painful, and the sooner you can get him used to your personal scent the better. You might have to play the do-not-bite-me dance when you go in to change his water for a while, but after he's had his share of handling sessions with you, however long that may take, he should learn to settle down Time and patience are the biggest factors here.