I find the hissing kinda endearing. Once I pick him up, he's fine. My husband and I love to handle him, but we do try to give him his alone time as well.

I started out with an older BP because I read all the rumors about how difficult they can be, then I was all overwhelmed by how much bigger everything was in comparison to my juvie corn snake... bigger prey, bigger poops, gallons of urine... but I adjusted. I also fell in love with his pattern and his eyes. I wanted a cool-looking snake, but not an expensive morph or a breeder; he fit all my requirements. (There also were no normals at the reptile expo he came from, except for "het for" ones that were pricier than a regular normal.)