Aggressive kingsnake help

[Gypsyfreespirit]

I have a 5 yr old Brooke's Florida kingsnake, have had him since he was a hatchling.
First three years he was very docile and easy to handle, last two years...he's super aggressive and bitey. Attacks the cage when I come near and now I have to wear gloves and use a hook to remove him.
I use to feed him in a separate container but he got super aggressive when taken out so I switched to cage feeding about 3 1/2 yrs ago. I always drop the f/t small rat on the opposite side and feed him every 10 days.
Any ideas or help appreciated, I'm at the point I don't even want to take him out and am considering finding him a new home cause I just don't enjoy him anymore.

[chairman]

Changes in behavior can be caused by a lot of things. Did you get a new cat two years ago? A dog? Some other environmental factor that may have put him on edge like changing the cage location to where he feels less secure?

I don't know what your cage looks like but you might need to make some adjustments that might settle him down. Like improving the hiding spots in the warm area and cool area. Or covering the back and maybe two sides with dark paper to create more security overall.

Another option is that he's just going through a phase and will age out of it. Sometimes they'll get a little aggressive when they hit their breeding prime.

Try making a couple subtle changes, give him a week or two to settle with them, and try handling again. Hopefully you'll see improvement.

If not then you could consider tap training, though I haven't heard of it with kings. I have carpet pythons that I had to tap train to avoid getting bitten.