Thanks for the advice.
I'll put him back in before the strike happens. I've been trying to go as long as possible with the idea that he will eventually realize I have no desire to eat him!
I'll give this method a go, because the bites are starting to make me sad! One of my bucket list snakes and all I want to do is be friends. I have a suspicion that the breeder didn't handle often. Luckily he is still small enough for me to try and correct the habits (I hope).