What is he?

[Bogertophis]

...He does have a major attitude and has tried to [bite] me through his tank. He's still about the same size he was in the picture.

These rat snakes are pretty competitive survivors in the wild anyway, but the fact that yours was loose for a few months also makes him more feisty & defensive now too.

Try not to be put off by that, stay patient & he should tame down for you...these are fairly smart snakes. (I'm just saying "he"- I obviously cannot tell gender from here.)

... but then there was a 2 week period in the middle of summer when I couldn't get into my house to feed or water him. I wasn't sure if he would still be alive after that. I did figure out how he got out. I misjudged just how good snakes ars at escaping near impossible situations.

I'm afraid to ask ...but I'm glad he survived OK & I hope that never happens again.

As far as handling, when I've bred & raised these from hatchlings, I didn't handle until they were a little older (bigger) & steady feeders (as yours is now), then some daily interaction shouldn't be a problem. His time on the loose made him a little more defensive & self-reliant, be patient.