Biting - A Learned behavior

[Jim Smith]

I usually feed my snakes (Hondos) in separate feeding tubs which has worked very well so far. More recently I was given a beautiful young adult female Extreme Hypo who is very skittish and does not like to be handled, at all. Just moving her to the feeding tub seemed to stress her out so much that she would often refuse to eat. I tried feeding her in her cage and it seemed like a great solution. She ate well and struck at the F/T mice with vigor. I still handle her occasionally, just not as often as my other snakes. Now however, she has taken up the habit of striking whenever I open the cage. At first I thought it was a feeding response, but this morning she bit me twice while the mouse was on the floor of the cage. There is no question that she bit what she intended to. It seems that she has learned the behavior of biting anything or anyone that enters her domain. The bites are nothing, but the behavior is not something that I want to foster. Any thoughts or recommendations on how I can change my feeding practices to eliminate her biting and still get her to eat? Thanks for any assistance you can provide.