Hey Blackadderbazz, welcome to the forum!

Let me start out by saying that the other two members are just as friendly, if not more, than I am, we just take turns in playing "Bad Bart" when a situation in a post strikes a nerve. Ha! Ha! It's actually funny how we unconsciously take turns. I pretty much share their feelings but I don't feel a need for me to add anything other else to it at this time.

From all the circumstances you mentioned it's hard for me to say for sure why your bro got bit other than "because he put his hand in the snake's cage." Ha! But we knew that, huh? (I'm bein' silly, cuttin' up, not tryin' to be a smarty.)

The key to tackling a problem is understanding what that problem is. If the previous owner was scared of the snake, even to the point of not putting it back in it's cage & letting it free-roam (a real no-no), odds are that snake didn't see much of the keeper, didn't see her very often, very little traffic. Now all of the sudden it's in a small cage and thrusted into the spotlight of attention, probably in a fairly high traffic area, or at least a fair amount of traffic from you & other people checking it out. That's like stepping out of bed after a good night's sleep and stepping right into the middle of a 6-lane highway at rush hour. The snake's scared to death and out to defend itself, and rightly so.

First priority is to make the snake comfortable in it's new home. Cover all sides of it's cage if needed, at least all but one side. A hide box would surely help in this case, to make it feel more secure. Keep it in a low traffic area.

Don't handle it or bother it for at least a week. Give it time to settle in. The next priority, as far as I'm concerned, should be feeding it. A few days (2 - 3) after it eats a good meal I would begin to handle it. It should have a full stomach and be fairly content. That will go a long ways towards easing a lot of typical aggression and/or defensiveness, especially eliminating a likely feeding response.

A snake's cage is their domain, it's their territory. They will naturally defend it if they feel threatened. Avoid threatening moves. Like someone already said, use a hook to train the snake to know the difference between handling time & feeding time. Never touch a snake with a hook just before feeding, only before handling or cage maintenance.

No snake hook? No problem. Use a wire coat hanger, an umbrella, or something just to gently stroke the snake a few times on top of the head and a few inches or so down it's neck. Just something to get it's attention without making it feel you're out to harm it. You will eventually need a large hook, though, so begin looking for one.

Once my burms get about 5 - 6ft, or so, I stop reaching into their cage and let them crawl out to me on their own. Once in awhile they'll need prodding to get them to start to move around but mine will always crawl out directly to me when their cage is opened. I've got them trained to come to me so I don't have to go after them. It's nice, safe.

Most snakes calm down once out of their cage. Some burms will always hiss, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will strike/bite. Doesn't mean they won't, either. You'll have to get to know your snake.

If it does hiss or strike when handling don't put it right back into it's cage or set it down unless you feel you're in jeopardy. That can teach them that they'll get their way, and they learn that quick. Keep handling for a few more minutes and try to get it calm & relaxed before you put it back into it's cage.

I feel that the first few handling sessions should be done once a day, every other day, for aprox. 10 minutes or so at a time. You can increase the frequency and handling time as things progress. Handling it too much can stress it out. Some can handle everyday handling while others can't. Learn your snake. Learn to read it's body language and it's actions, reactions.

Hope this helps!

HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

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