What should I expect?

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

Not sure where this goes but I have a little problem and would like to know what to expect. My 13 year old daughter was handling my 4' red tail and got bit. Now the bite was superficial a's most are, a couple pinpricks and nothing more. She knew she wasn't supposed to be holding her a's she had just eaten and was in shed. Nonetheless she got her out without me knowing and got tagged. Subsequently some changes have been made and the reptile room now has a keyed lock. No big deal, well her mother (my ex) wants to use anything she can against me. So she called a doctor and is having her seen today (pointless I know) however the doctor said he has to report it just like a dog bite. So what should I expect? Who is he reporting to and I'm considering taking the only two large breeds I have to another house for a while. I have the red tail and a Burm also small (4'). Neither are currently under ban because it has been lifted in Ohio at least temporarily. But what suggestions do you all have?

[Monster Dodge]

IMHO..... I would expect the worst and hope for the best! If she told the doctor and he reported it, expect to see your local Po-Po showing up at your door and also probably Animal Control. More than likely they will want to see what your setup is like for housing your "Exotic Snakes" as well what types, how many you have, how dangerous the situation is in your home for your kids, etc....

If it were me, for arguments sake I would move everything to a friends house or something for a few months

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

Ok in an update to this mess. I have rehomed the Burm and redtail. I also have contacted ODNR (Ohio dept of natural resources) who confirmed that there are no state bans in place. The state ban was lifted at least temporarily on March 11. I have spoken to the county sheriffs dept who confirmed there are no county reptile or exotic pet restrictions and I spoke to local PD who confirmed that there are no local reptile or exotic pet restrictions in the town I live in. I then contacted the animal shelter society who said that they were not aware of any rule violations and that I should contact the health dept. As that is who the dr would be reporting to just to make sure I dont need to do anything for them. So I will contact them tomorrow morning and volunteer to allow them in my home to inspect my setup. I know they don't really need my permission but I'm thinking it might look good to volunteer. So hopefully between rehoming the two, making all reptiles key locked in a room and being forthcoming with helping out anyone who wants to look around this will go ok.

[youbeyouibei]

Sounds like you've done everything you can, Scott. You're in compliance with the laws in your area and the only other thing I could suggest would maybe be a vet check on the animal that did the biting just to check for anything unusual and also to show that you were aware of the situation and took all the preventative/corrective actions you possibly could have.

I work in law enforcement and HATE cases like this, with one parent pitting anything possible against the other, whether it be a dog or a cat being in the home or the kid eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after 8:00 PM (yeah, it's happened...!) or whatever. I know in situations I've dealt with in the past similar to this, the health department and most any law enforcement agency responding will want to know two things from the start:

1) are the animals securely and responsibly housed? and
2) are they current on any applicable vaccinations?

The cases I've dealt with were all dog/cat/four-legged pets and have not yet involved a reptile. So long as you're in compliance with the applicable laws in your area, you should be good from that standpoint of things. The only thing I could see would be your ex trying to spin this into a neglect case, saying that you were derelict in your supervision of your daughter due to her having been bitten, blah, blah, blah and then getting child protective services involved. I am NOT saying that at all but am just stating what she might try to spin the story as...

Also the knee-jerk reaction of the powers-that-be will more than likely be negative, given the public perception of reptiles in general. If it comes to being brought up in court, if you're attorney is not already aware of the situation, I would advise him/her of it. Your attorney could then be looking into similar cases in Ohio regarding this type of occurrence and what was done in those situations. That way if any agency involved goes overboard, you have a legal basis and precedence on which to base your actions if you elect to complain/file suit against them. Not trying to paint a crappy picture but rather just give you my experiences in similar cases.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck and I hope things turn out for the best for you and your daughter and animals all.

[stratus_020202]

Good luck Scott! I think you are doing a wonderful job, and I hope your ex's selfishness comes back to bite her in the rumpus!

[mommanessy247]

ugh man i feel for ya but like everyone else said, you've pretty much taken care of your end of it.
when dealing with ANY authorities, 100% cooperation is key. letting them in first of all, lets them know right off that you've got nothing to hide...right youbeyou?
i was raised by a cop so...
anywayz, good luck scott...

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

Further update...well I think i got some good news I contacted the health dept this am and talked to the man in charge of investigating this type of situation. He said that the only way there would be any type of investigation is if there was some type of permanent damage to my daughter. He said that the only way the information that the doctor reported would be used would be for statistical purposes. I asked if anyone would want to see my setup or inspect my home or the animal, I also asked if I should take the animal to a vet to have it's health certified and he said "Not unless you would like to for your own records" he also stated that there would be no investigation and that he wouldn't be recording my name or address. He said "Literally, all I'm going to do is put a hash mark in a column on a form. Thank you for calling and offering to help but no action is needed on your part." So hopefully we have dodged a bullet there and this goes away. Chock this up to lesson learn *PHEW*

[dragonboy4578]

It sure sounds good, and hopefully this is how it works out for you. I really dislike how people have to use their kids to try and hurt their ex's. It isn't the kids fault, and it is just to bad that she can't let go of her anger towards you...

[youbeyouibei]

Further update...well I think i got some good news I contacted the health dept this am and talked to the man in charge of investigating this type of situation. He said that the only way there would be any type of investigation is if there was some type of permanent damage to my daughter. He said that the only way the information that the doctor reported would be used would be for statistical purposes. I asked if anyone would want to see my setup or inspect my home or the animal, I also asked if I should take the animal to a vet to have it's health certified and he said "Not unless you would like to for your own records" he also stated that there would be no investigation and that he wouldn't be recording my name or address. He said "Literally, all I'm going to do is put a hash mark in a column on a form. Thank you for calling and offering to help but no action is needed on your part." So hopefully we have dodged a bullet there and this goes away. Chock this up to lesson learn *PHEW*

That's AWESOME! That's definitely one situation where I very much would rather be proven wrong than the opposite as far as what I thought might happen. Glad to hear it and hope it keeps working out that way for you with no further crap about it. Take care!