Defensive 7 month old BP

[Bogertophis]

Hi & How soon after you got him did you start handling him? If you're like most people, you might have started handling him before he had a chance
to really settle in. Keep in mind that snakes don't understand how & why their whole world suddenly changed (when we bring them home), and to a snake, this is
terrifying & threatening. For best results, it's best not to handle a new snake until they've had a chance to feel more secure & safe...generally best to wait until
they've fed for 3 times at normal (weekly) intervals, & of course, snakes have individual personalities too...some are shyer than others. Either way, remember that
the only thing that picks up a snake in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them...and that's exactly what your snake assumes about you. It takes time, so be
patient- they do learn that we are safe to be around. You are lucky in that he is feeding for you...handling too soon often makes a new snake refuse food.

It's important that all snakes have at least 2 hides, one on the cool side & one on the warm, so they don't have to choose security over the proper temperature.
Without realizing it, you are probably making your BP hungrier than he'd otherwise be...and hungry snakes often seem "grumpy" too. The reason is that all he has
is the warm hide...he cannot cool off & still feel secure, and snakes are entirely dependent upon external temperatures to dictate their digestive speed. The sooner
you fix this, the better "mood" he may have, but you still need to be patient with handling.

Many people will tell you to handle only for very short periods of time, but I disagree: snakes feel the most threatened by us when we approach & when we pick
them up, so if you only handle for 5-10 minutes, they never quite feel relaxed. Other kinds of snakes (like corn snakes) do not need as warm of temperatures as
BPs do, so they may get restless with handling NOT because they're afraid, but because they're too warm. (Remember we are about 98.6*, whereas corn snakes
prefer temps. from 70-80*.) But with a BP, he should be comfortable with your temperatures...it would be better to sit comfortably with him cuddled on your lap
for 30 minutes, and if he has been afraid enough to nip while you've been holding him, I'd suggest putting a small towel/or cloth over him, so he can learn to feel
safe near you. Snakes recognize us mostly by scent & touch...not vision, so what they see (when we are towering over them!) is pretty scary. Once your snake
gets to really know your scent & touch, then gradually let them look out from under the towel. Goes without saying, don't wave your hands around either, as with
sudden movements, they don't have time to identify you & will again be defensive. In my experience, snakes feel much more secure when held close to us than
they do at arms length...again, because they want to blend in & hide, not feel exposed where predators can get them from every angle. Does this make sense?