Excellent post, Lex, I couldn't agree more. While BP's are naturally pretty laid back anything with teeth can and will nip, snakes, dogs, whatever. Snakes just present a new set of challenges because they don't bond to us like a new dog might and they can be harder to "read" for us humans.

Personally, Mike and I don't even worry about handling new snakes much. Settling them in, making sure they are healthy, getting them on a good regular feeding schedule and just observing them are our first priorities. Handling comes with time and generally goes quite well since by that point we have a bit of a handle on how each specific snake deals with things.

Fender, I would try and think of this more as a defensive behaviour than a really aggressive one. This snake hasn't a clue that you care about it, or want the best for it. You are simply at this point likely viewed as a unknown large heat emitting thing that may be a predator. The snake is just reacting, attempting in it's way to survive and protect itself from an unknown entity in an unfamilar environment. Time and patience are your best friends right now.