It is very common for babies to bite, strike, run away, or do whatever they can to avoid being eaten by giant monsters (people, or any other large animal). Most (but not all) will usually settle down fairly quickly with gentle handling. BUT - once they have bitten a few times, new handlers often handle them in such a way as to provoke more insecurity and defensive biting.
Here is an FAQ I wrote up on the subject - hope it helps!
Males vs. Females & Taming and Handling Baby Corns
There is no personality difference between males and females except that males sometimes (not always) get slightly bigger than females, and single males cost less than single females (because most customers order a males and several females for breeding, so I run out of females first).
Almost all baby snakes are nervous and high strung. They know in their genes that big animals are predators that want to eat them. The babies that didn't run or defend themselves didn't live to pass on their genes. If they can't run, they defend themselves, although their bites usually don't break the skin, or barely result in a couple of drops of blood - nothing as bad as a kitten playing too roughly.
But most babies settle down quickly with gentle handling. However, some of the okeetees will keep a bit of attitude. They may continue to strike or bite. I would guess about 15% of okeetees might continue to behave that way, and maybe 1 or 2% of all other baby corns might keep an attitude like that. It is hard to say when they are babies, since most start out that way. But if it is really important that they be extremely docile, I always recommend something other than an okeetee
I would suggest starting to handle them when they have had 2 - 3 days to digest their meals and you can't see any bulges at all. If you handle them for about 10 - 30 minutes, more than once on those days just before the next feeding, even better. Usually, they will be pretty wild for the first several minutes while they think you are getting ready to eat them. Hold them over the cage or a garbage can for the first few minutes. Both the exercise and the excitement combine to make them "go" when you first start handling them. When they get older, they will only be eating once per week and won't be so excitable, so you won't get the same reaction. After several minutes, they will probably be emptied out.
If you are worried that the baby might escape when you are unfamiliar with handling it, then just handle it over the top of the cage (or some kind of box that he can't get out of) the first few times. Then if he wriggles away or you accidentally drop him, he will be right in the cage. After the first few times, you will begin to understand how he moves and you won't need to handle him over the safety of the cage any longer.
If you pick babies up at all, it is important to keep holding them long enough for them to stop struggling and to relax. It is important that each session end on a positive note. That is, the snake has relaxed for several minutes and is not struggling or trying to bite. After the snake has emptied itself over the cage or over a garbage can, then sit down for a few minutes with him. Hold fairly tightly when he struggles, but relax your grip when he relaxes, tightening again if he starts to get a little crazy. They are not the smartest animals, but if you are consistent, they will learn:
1. They won't get eaten.
2. They won't get to go back home until they "behave" themselves.
3. The more calm they are, the looser your grip will be.
Don't worry if it strikes or bites the first few weeks. It will likely get used to you soon. But don't put it back in the cage if it "misbehaves" - wait until it is being quiet. No point in teaching it to bite or strike by giving it what it wants (to go in the security of its cage) when it is acting in a way YOU don't want!
If you have ever kept and trained dogs, the principles are the same. Snakes just don't learn quite as quickly as dogs, but they do learn.
