That's what I would do......try putting him back in the tank and see what happens. I don't know what other people have to say about the memory capacity of snakes, but IMO, I think they have great memories.....about two years ago I let my nephew(stupid me) hold Starscream, and he dropped her. She struck at him and got upset whenever he passed by her cage, and two years later, she still gets upset when in the presence of children, but is perfectly calm around adults.