How many times have you been bitten?

My BP nipped me for the first time this week after I had been holding her for a bit. I have had her for 6 months and handle her weekly. I am sure she had her reasons, but to me it came out of nowhere. I am just curious if others have had surprise bites from their BPs? And if so, how many?

Thirdly, how do you get over the fear of being bitten again?

I have been bitten just once and it was 100% my fault. I cant really give advice on how to get over the fear of being bitten. They are harmless so I automatically don't fear them. Can you explain how you were bitten?

I've never been tagged by my BP, but I've been bitten by several of my colubrids. Just knowing they don't have the potential to do any real damage is enough to not be afraid of them for me.

As for getting over it, all I can say is maybe avoid handling whenever the snake isn't absolutely calm for awhile to condition yourself back to being unafraid of a bite? If you're jumpy and nervous around a snake, I think they can pick up on it and it makes them more likely to nip at you, so make sure you're calm before you go into the tank too.

I kind of stopped counting after 10, hatchling season is like being attacked by piranhas :rofl:

The more animals you deal with yours and others the more you get tagged!

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I kind of stopped counting after 10, hatchling season is like being attacked by piranhas :rofl:

The more animals you deal with yours and others the more you get tagged!

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HAHA! Thanks Deborah. Yes, so true! In the last week I got nipped bit by 3 animals; a dog jumped and bit my butt while out for a walk; my guinea pig mistook my hand for food and bit me then Seshat (my BP). :weirdface Funny enough, the Seshat's was the lease painful. In fact, I was surprised that it didn't hurt.

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

I have been bitten just once and it was 100% my fault. I cant really give advice on how to get over the fear of being bitten. They are harmless so I automatically don't fear them. Can you explain how you were bitten?

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Funny you should ask. I think it was my fault too. I upgraded her into a lovely 128 tank from the itty-bitty tank she came with. Her hide-outs have always been shoeboxes. She loves them, especially flinging the lid across her bachelorette. In her new condo I gave her a traditional dome hut. The problem is that, it broke our ritual of how I handle her. With shoeboxes part of her body was against the opening and I would gently stroke her to let her know I was there. I figured, I don't like being jolted awake so neither would she. This touching gave her a chance to wake up, register that I was there and know that no harm was coming to her. With the new hide-out, I couldn't give her my usual signal and had to lift it and then grab her.

She rolled up into a ball. I stroked the side of her tummy, which I have done a thousand times, It helps get her up and going. Her head did come out then NIP! It was like getting my hand slapped for rudely awakening her.

Between catching snakes when I was a kid and all the different species I have had over the years, I would guess more than a hundred. I remember my buddy and I going out and catching 72 Eastern Garter Snakes in a single weekend. I couldn't tell you how many times we were bit just in those 3 days but it was quite a few.

I've been twice bit in the face. One was by a very large Garter. It was the biggest I had ever caught to date and had to be every bit of 3 1/2 feet or more. I had it cradled in my arms and thought he had calmed down when he just came up without warning and caught me on the bottom lip. I dropped him and had this big snake writhing all over, hanging off my face. I lowered my face to the ground before he finally let go. My lip was pretty nasty looking. The other was about a 7 ft Retic. Northern Water snakes have nasty dispositions and I can say with some confidence, that I have been bit by just about every one I have ever caught.

Venomous snakes aside, the worse thing about a bite is the strike. That in itself is usually way more startling than the bite is painful.

I've been tag a few as for the balls i don't worrie about cause i know it's a nothing bite

I've never been bitten by any of my snakes…not even by my BRB, and I was prepared for the spawn of Satan when I first got her. :D

I'm not really afraid of getting tagged though…I figure it'll happen at some point, seeing as I have three snakes and most likely will get more eventually, and from what I've heard, the damage is minimal. I'm fairly certain that my parents' cat could do more damage than any of my snakes…and that cat is evil.

once. it was by a hatchling at an expo. it didn't hurt, but sure surprised the hell out of me.