Aggressive reaction to handling

[Tsia14]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to this, I've only had my Murray darling for a month or so and already I'm noticing a huge difference in her temperament. When I handled her with her previous owners she was very calm and happy. However now she is snappish and moves violently when I try to handle her. At first I attributed this to the new environment but she continues to strike and attack me, even through the glass of her tank. Should I be worried about this or is this a normal thing to happen? Betty is my first snake and she seems perfectly happy to roam around but any attempts at contact with her cause her to be aggressive and strike.
I'd love any advice people have! I'm starting to worry that I'm in over my head.
Thanks!

 

[longqi]

She is not being aggressive
She is scared and defensive
Or
She is hungry
If she bites you and holds on she is hungry
In that case just leave her alone for a few weeks and give her a lot more food

If she just 'tags' you with her mouth open and doesnt hold on she is scared of you

With every single snake on Earth handling comes down to trust
By that I mean the snake must trust you
Not that you must trust the snake

Think like she does?
Some monster grabs her and tries to maul her?
Her comfort zone is smashed
How would react if you were in the same position??

Gently gently softly softly is how you teach them you are zero danger

 

[Ai_herper]

Maybe she is being cage defensive, is the enclosure much different to the previous owner? Or like longqi said maybe she is scared or hungry.
im not an expert but when I take my snakes out I always use a hook, so the snake doesn't get confused with a food response.
hope this helps
good luck

 

[RedFox]

How old is she? How long have you had her and could you post up pics of her enclosure?

Like longqi said she is either scared or hungry, especially if she was calm with her previous owner.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Could be your enclosure or your handling technique. If you sit there fumbling around they'll bite you, you just gotta reach in and show em whos boss (be confident but not rough), a hook is a good idea, or you may need to be very slow and gentle like lonqi said, personally the confident approach is what works for me, but they may still be cage defensive.

Hunger is also possible, or it could still not be used to you/trust you, it can take some time with some snakes.

 

[PappaSmurf]

I use a hook to get my Bredli out of her enclosure but once out i ditch the hook. She has bitten me but when she has she was either half way out or half way back in the cage. Once she's out a a couple of feet or more away from the cage she settles right down.
Just out of interest, how old is this snake?

 

[Rlpreston]

I agree with Longqi and Trimeresurus on this one.
Slow and steady, calm and confident is the way to go.

If I put my arm in and grab my big BHP he's fine bit if I muck around in front of the enclosure or hesitate too much when I grab him he'll get nervous and defensive. Same goes for once I'm holding him, smooth gentle motions otherwise he jumps.

Might just take a little time to get used to each other


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Shane73]

I'm agree with Trimeresurus, confidence is the key for me, and also not worrying if you get bitten or not helps. If I loose confidence and worry about getting bitten, thats when I will get bitten. Best thing for me is to just reach right in and not care weather I get bitten or not, and you can be confident, gentle and soft all at the same time, your snake will learn in time that you are no threat.