Quote Originally Posted by reptileexperts View Post
I have only had a couple of tics that were absolutely satanic right out of the bag when they first arrived. One is aptly named Satan simply because he has been for the better part of most his life (the last 3 years). Only these past few months has it really clicked that the hook is the source of his anger. Perhaps he sees it as a lack of trust and respect on my part, but I have learned with him that hook training and using a hook has kept his aggression going. Now I use my hand, and he rarely strikes, and has only landed a bite once since he was a baby.

My other biter is a goldenchild HOGS, he would have tore you up repeatedly when we first got him from NERD. Absolutely beastly aggression. But finally this last week, after being in his new vision for a couple weeks, he's no longer aggressive once out of the cage, and quite handleable.

Moral of the story is this: Yes, some snakes can be horrific to work with (across all species, not limited to retics), but you need to find out what makes them angry and fix that. If and only if they retain their aggression after settling down. Remember, he likely wants to be left alone when young. If he bites and you put him back, you are rewarding this bad behavior and he gets what he wants. Hate to have to say it, but remember, when he lands a bite stay strong and keep pulling him out DO NOT put him back after a bite or it will encourage that behavior and lead to bigger issues down the road.

Good luck
My experiences definitely agree with you there. My retic hated the hook, and I actually was worried he was going to hurt himself from striking at it so hard. Now I just slowly put my hand in, lightly brush him with my hand. Now instead of tagging me a few times he just starts to slither away from me. I can just pick him up and pull him out without much of an ordeal. He still strikes if you get too close to his face too fast, but its much more toned down than a few months ago. It feels like a war of attrition between us, the more he bites, the longer I keep him out. I only put him back when he has calmed down for a significant while. Somehow I feel like we have started to gain some understanding between us, if only a little. I also switched him to shredded aspen instead of paper towel. I think this might have helped a bit to make him feel more secure in the tank.