My first instinct is that he wasnt really well cared for as far as feeding goes. It seems to me that he is way too small for his age, my last male was by no means big and he was well over 10 feet by three years of age, although not growing much other than around at that point. The only way he could be that small with proper care perhaps is if he is not P. Sebae, but P. Natalensis (forgive my spelling if incorrect) which tend to be smaller in my understanding. Even then I thought they got to at least nine feet, but I may be wrong.
If it were me I would get rid of some of the height in the cage, african rocks are not typically arboreal, and eye level with an aggressive snake is never a good idea if it can be avoided, without sacrificing something important to the animal. I would say at that age he is fairly set in his ways, but with patience and consistancy he may get better. If he learns to associate you with positive experiances he may let his guard down a bit after a while. I agree with Harald in the minimizing of the handleing. Less is more with a lot of snakes. Snakes like african rocks will never enjoy handling, they just learn not to fear it or to tolerate it. The less they have to deal with the happier they will be. A lot of rocks bluff, but obliviously this one is willing to back it up. Does he hiss every time you go near him, or just sometimes. If it is only sometimes perhaps you could leave him alone times when he hisses and respect his space, unless absolutely neccesary to get in there right away, and the times when he doesnt to take him out. He may learn that if he isnt in the mood he can let you know, and you guys can come to an understanding. Thats where I was with one of my males and it worked great, never a problem. The one time I had to take him out though he did go for me, and I took it in stride...I messed up the system, not him. All in all give him ample time to settle in, get back on food and just get used to you guys. Try to do things in the room close enough for him to see you, but not as to stress him out. All my rocks have loved to watch everything I do and the better they know you, the more comfortable they seem to be. You can also try putting a shirt or something of yours that smells like you in his cage near his favorite spots, so that he associates your smell with being content, that helps on occasion. All in all every animal is an individual and will react differently in every situation, but these are all things that have worked for me in the past with much success(as far as my rocks have gone), and may work for you. Good luck, and if you get pictures or have updates I would love to see them/hear them respectively. Dan M.
