New baby question. Blood

[FlynnTheBP]

Hi there my fellow snake owners I recently purchased a new baby ball python this is number 2 in my collection I habe a pewter male that's about 1 year old now and is a joy for our family. Like I said we recently got a new little guy a honeybee that looks amazing and is about 3 or 4 months old, while we bought him from a very reputable reptile store local to me I kind of had a bad experience when we picked him up, the store employee popped him to ensure he was in fact a male and during that time some blood came out the employee seemed younger said he has worked there for 3 years and he said it was normal that this little guy inparticular may have been popped "too many times" that kind of didnt sit well with me. It has been about 6 days home with Buzz his name my daughter picked out. I know not all animals and people act the same but Buzz seems very very skidesh he has eaten once sense being home. He didnt eat like our older snake did at that age, he didn't even acknowledge the mouse when I first put by him. I am not sure if the bad popping from an inexperienced employee can cause what seems like bad trama to him. Any input on this situation would help thanks huys.

That's actually very worrying. Proper popping should absolutely not injure the animal. The skittishness is likely normal, and BPs sometimes take a while to settle in and eat. Just keep an eye on him for any sort of abnormal behavior. I would also repost this thread in the General BP forum or have a mod move it for you. Good luck with Buzz!