Snake suddenly hissing a lot

[charlott33]

Hi,
I am currently looking for some advice.

I am still fairly new to owning a snake. I have Western Hognose and I have had him since October 2017.

Unsure of his age as the previous owner couldn't remember how old he was when she bought him and how long she had him (she was working in the pet store I bought him from). At the time she said that he was possibly 7-8 years old.

Anyway, since getting him he has been very good. The only time he would hiss was when he was due to shed and had cloudy eyes.

However, the past couple of weeks he has been hissing a lot. He has been taking food as normal (every Saturday) which has been routine for years.

I don't know what the best approach would be to get him to stop hissing a lot. I am worried he might try to go for me.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Tsubaki]

Do you handle him often? Has his hissing made you more apprehensive with picking him up? Nervous behaviour (pulling hands away a bit or shaky hands) can come across as very threatening for a snake. He might see you as a threat that way. He's trying to get you to leave him alone, many snakes do not appreciate being handled at all. If he wasn't like this before perhaps you behaviour towards him has changed unnoticed? It's not breeding season for hognoses so I don't think its hormonal since you said he's already an adult. Try wearing thick gloves for your own protection/peace of mind and just grab him without a seconds hesitation, see if it gets better from there. Or just respect he does not want to be handled and leave him alone.