First Bite and I am FREAKED

[Michelle85]

My ball python is male, approximately 3.5 years old and I have had him for 2 years (his first year and a half was with a family with small children and was used to daily handling without issue), he has NEVER bit me or ANYONE until tonight. I got him for my daughter who was always asking to have a snake and after doing some research and talking to a few pet stores it was recommended I get a ball python. My daughter handles him all the time, she's 8 years old and loves this snake, now I can't sleep because I have visions of her reaching in and getting bit. This will break her heart and destroy her confidence with the animal.

My snake only eats live, and yes I have tried many times to feed him dead and he won't take it, he was raised on live and although people say "you can change that" .. with this guy its not possible, he likes the kill and he's good at it. He won't eat anything larger than a juvenile rat (half size) and because the only store I can buy food rarely gets that size, I end up feeding him mice, three at a time every couple of weeks. I tried doing this every week but he doesnt go for it and I end up having live mice running around for a week (in their own container), sometimes two. Anyway, I fed him two mice yesterday as that is all the live feeders they had and of course he was waiting for another but i didn't have it. I left the room and he went back into his hide to rest. Today in the late afternoon he was out, just lying there and normally I wait two days to handle him but he looked so cute I thought I could just pet him, I opened the door and as my hand started going towards him he struck and literally grabbed my thumb and locked on, I had to pretty much take him off while screaming as this was totally unexpected. I have read that it doesn't hurt, bullocks, it hurt all right and it was bleeding like crazy. After I tended my wounds I went back and the snake was in hunt mode… head up off the ground twitching, tongue going… so I guess he was ready to eat more and mistook my finger for food. It wasnt a warning bite, it was a feeder bite, he locked onto my thumb as though he was taking on a rodent.

He isn't a large ball, he's normal, a snake guy said he's perfect, not fat, not thin … was it too soon to stick my hands in there since he ate only yesterday? He wasnt in feed mode when I reached in he was just lying there calm by his water dish, which is why I was so surprised when he launched and grabbed my thumb! I am freaked because I don't want my kid to get bit because that will not be good if she becomes scared of him. This snake has went for months without eating and been handled and never been a problem (refused food, wasnt because i didn't feed him). She handles him at least once every other day, sometimes every day, depends on what she has going on. He seems to know her and like her better than me as he settles on her quicker. I haven't been able to sleep, about an hour ago I went to his enclosure and took him out (to conquer my fear) and he was docile at first but then wanted to get away but no sign of aggression, he's never been aggressive and tried to bite ever.

And yes I feed him in his enclosure, I have read the literature about that and regardless of where you feed them you risk getting bit, if you transfer in another container to feed you run the risk of getting bit when you go to take him back to his home enclosure, the suggestions are either or and he has been eating in his enclosure since I got him without issue. As I said I feed him and leave him two days and its always worked. I am hoping this could have happened for two reasons, A. he is still hungry and I startled him or B. its too soon to touch him after feeding … or C both A and B and if I feed him more today and do the two day rule everything will be back to normal?

Also, he is close to shedding and a tiny hint of pink is on his belly but his eyes are not cloudy. His crib is large, 60 gal double front doors, shredded coconut bedding, perfect temp, hide with heat, tree trunks to climb on, fresh spring water all the time, quiet room with the sound of a fish tank fountain, trust me this snake has it made here, he is not suffering or lacking in any way.


This is my or our first snake, I knew nothing about snakes when I got him and the last two years have been a learning curve but it had been going so well and now this

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

[John1982]

Getting bit is an inevitability if you work with snakes long enough. It will hurt your daughter no more than it hurt you; certainly no more than a scuffed up knee and they don't keep kids from running around and playing. I suggest you have a talk with your daughter and explain what happened and how it felt. That said, my best guess with the information given is you startled a sleeping snake and got tagged. No big deal, no reason to expect your snake to turn into a demon now either. He is the same snake he was yesterday and will likely be the same snake tomorrow.

[Michelle85]

thanks John

No I don't expect him to be a demon now … I was looking for comments to quell my concerns. He has been here two years and nothing like this has ever happened, my daughter loves this animal, carries him around, hugs him.. reads to him … she is a big animal lover but will watch that snake kill and eat without issue as she knows he has to eat. It would just really upset her if he bit her, she is sensitive to pain, gets upset about needles, dentist … her cuts stinging in the bathtub .. so I guess I am worried about how it will affect her if her beloved pet gives her the razor marks he gave me. I don't want her to be afraid of him but your right, time for the talk, its always been the feeling he would never bite but he proved different yesterday, however, I do feel it was my fault and I have to do things differently than I did and tell her same. I was also looking for some confirmation that maybe that was the issue, maybe others experienced similar and dealt with it so it didn't happen again. I know all animals can bite but if if I can reduce the chances I want to do that. Again thanks for your commentary.

[rlditmars]

I agree with John1982. When owning snakes it isn't a matter of if, but when, you are going to be bitten. I might add that as you talk with your daughter you let her know that there is no emotion involved as well. As your daughter is pretty young you should let her know that it is not a matter of the snake suddenly not liking you/her. Snakes are not high thinking animals. They run on instinct. So a bite is not "mean" or "premeditated". It is either a defensive response or a feeding response, and nothing more. All you can do to aviod bites are learn your animals body language, be vigilant when you know they are hungry, and make certain you don't have any scent on you when you reach for them. After that it is up to the snake.

[JLC]

ANY pet animal can bite. Dogs, cats, hamsters, bunnies, birds. Bite or scratch. It's just part of life. Rather than be afraid that a small incident could turn out so devastating to your daughter, let it be a lesson that stuff happens and it's no big deal. The rewards and joys of having a great pet snake FAR outweigh the small startle and hurt of the occasional (rare!) bite.

And yeah...a bite CAN hurt, if it's a feeding strike, which it sounds like yours was. A defensive bite is far more startling than painful, but a feeding bite is an entirely different situation. Still very minor in the greater scheme of things, but I can understand how upsetting it might be. To minimize the risk of it happening again, make it a general rule to NEVER handle the snake on feeding day, even if it seems relaxed. It may have actually been in stalking mode, waiting and just hoping another juicy mouse might wander by. Also, the residual scent of mouse may have been lingering on your fingers. Make sure you and your daughter and anyone else handling the snake are completely free of any hint of rodent scent.

Good luck.

[Miranda2]

This is a good opportunity to teach your daughter that animals arent toys. They are breathing, feeling, reactive beings that have their own agenda for what life should be for them.
Yes we play god and dictate every aspect of their lives and expect them to revere us in return. But thats not the way it is. They sometimes love us, sometimes just tolerate us and sometimes are a little unpredictable. My son was been bitten by a cornsnake when he was 3 and thought he was dying. A few bites later(not just from reptiles) and now at 13 still loves animals and respects them more for those little mishaps.
Worse bite was from a greedy pet rat that thought his finger was a graham cracker.Second worse from a pet bird that didnt feel like being petted. So really any animal she has can bite but for some reason snakes are more scary but far less painful then some other pets.


Sorry for the preachy reply.

[mvptext1]

Sounds like another possibility is you aren't feeding him enough. It might be worth your time to put more effort into switching over to F/T rats. I realize you've tried and it isn't an easy task, but the extra effort might be worth it. If he is well fed, I doubt you would get many "feeding strikes" from him.

[bcr229]

Except for cleaning the enclosure, I give my snakes two full days to digest after feeding before I try to handle them. My boas especially will remain "hopeful" for 2-3 days after a meal that I'm bringing them another rat.

[Michelle85]

yea I have been wondering about that. I did put a full size rat with him a few times and he shies away and it was too stressful having the rat sitting there so I would take it out and try a few more times to no avail. He likes the mid size rats and mice, I have fed him a few young Dagus and he likes those too but I am so limited where I live, one pet store for five hours that always runs out of live feed. If I could handle it I would breed my own food but I can't do it, maybe when my daughter gets older she will, I just can't raise animals and toss them to the snake. I will have a chat with the store about calling me when the med size rats come in because I think you might be right, he's hungry. This is my first snake and although I got him for my daughter, I am the care giver until she's old enough so its been a learning experience, glad to have found this forum because it seems active and a lot of help for us newbies

[Michelle85]

Yep, as a general rule I wait the two days as well so I am realizing this was totally my mistake, he was still waiting and I put my meat hooks in there for him