How do you deal with a agressive/snappy/stressed snake? Training them?

[Skyrivers]

a.) Slow, deliberate, confident movement is paramount when dealing with a flighty/defensive snake. Sometimes I just open the doors of his enclosure, rest my hand on the inside ledge, and sit still for awhile. Then I might just rest an open hand on him so he feels confident I mean him no harm.

b.) Learn to read their body language and MOODS. Sometimes, no matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, the animal is not in the mood to be bothered. It's important to recognize those tells, for the sake of your fingers

Just an observation here I would like to point out.

Reasons why snakes move quickly.

1) Food. Weather it is catching or killing, this is one reason snakes move quickly.
2) Defense/ fear

If you consider this and plan your movements to not cause the snake to think you are doing one of the 2 it lessens the chance of being bitten. They associate the quick movement directly to being seen as a threat or food source for a larger predator. Snakes communicate with body language their intentions and moods are expressed really well. We just have to learn the language and respect it and get them to understand (as pets) that we are not there to cause them harm or food source.

Snakes tend to conserve energy (especially ball pythons). Some snakes are more inquisitive about things around them. I have a theory that all animals play of some sort.

I remember one time a friend of mine had box turtles. The female's favorite food was strawberries. She would often share her strawberry with her mate that lived with her. One day a new box turtle was introduced to the enclosure and was a male. The female abandoned her mate for the new guy. The first boy got depressed and stopped eating and stopped being active. They removed the new guy from the enclosure and she went back to him. He started eating again when she started showing him some attention again. Was this an emotional response or was it just a fasting period? We are talking about turtles by the way.

It is just something to think about.