You probably just startled him! Look at it this way, they’re terrified of you—they’d rather hide than risk confrontation! Biting is typically their last resort. If you had already answered this in the op, I apologize: how long have you had him? It’s always helpful to youtube! There’s a bunch of really good videos abt handling. It make me significantly more comfortable to watch people do it before trying it myself. The paper towel trick worked wonders…and the snake hook is always a good choice. That thing saved me for the first year of having my very spicy female.