POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

I just got my boy, and he seems gentle, but I'm sure I'm going to eff up sometime in the future, either with feeding or general handling. TBH, I'm sort of looking for an opportunity to get bit just so that I can feel it and get over the fear of it in the back of my head.

My ball python has never bitten anyone, and the only time he ever struck at me was when he got a little substrate stuck in his mouth and I had to get it out. And the strike was pretty much the laziest half-hearted strike I've ever seen out of a snake, haha.

Today, after three years of keeping bps, one of them got me. He would bite me every time he sees me if he could. It felt like nothing. I've had worse insect bites.

My girls is now about 5 months old - got her when she was about a month. She has hissed quietly at me a few times and gotten into a defensive posture, but once I get my hand behind her she relaxes. Now, when feeding time is around she goes nuts and strikes at everything including the glass and mesh top even if I'm nowhere around her with food, she just smells it, knows it's coming and just loses her mind. Kind of entertaining actually.

I have pissed her off when she won't take food and I gently smack her in the face with it until she strikes. Sometimes it's just an annoyance "get away" strike at which point I get rid of the food and try another one which usually works.

no, not yet. ask me again in a week or two. :oops:

I've only been bit once. Not intentionally, though. My hand got in the way when she was taking one last bite of her rat.

Some say they don't let go, but she immediately let go once I relaxed my hand. It only hurt because it caught me by surprise.

Nope never [emoji8][emoji216]


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lol just got tagged last night. :D 200 gram female i just got yesterday. I was moving her hide in her isolation tub to temp gun the hot spot just to be sure :colbert: and smack right on the index finger! Just a quick nip I said ouch in surprise not in pain. I had three pin pricks on my finger that got red but didn't bleed. I have had worse mosquito bites. This of course was my fault sneaking up on a stressed animal in a new location. I was surprised to see her roaming about this morning in her new digs. She let me temp gun this morning so i believe all is forgiven :).

Yep... three times. One time I got between Onyx and her rat, totally my fault. I was feeding in the dark and didn't see her head. Another time I got bitten by Amara, my mahogany. That time she was hiding under the towels during feeding and she came out on the side I didn't expect and got me. Yes, I use feeding tongs. Yes, I need to buy longer ones. xD

There was only one time I don't think it was me. My five hundred gram super pastel pinstripe's tub was disgusting and I had to take her out to clean it. I reached in to grab her and she freaked out. She got me, but I didn't even notice until I saw blood. Not painful at all. It was quite odd. I think she might've just thought I was a rat or something. It was around the time of day I normally feed, so that's probably it. So you know, not a big deal.

Haven't been bitten yet (obviously), but I still am aware of not putting my hand in front of their face when I'm picking them out of the tub. Blackout in particular is very easy frightened and jerks her head this way and that when ANYTHING moves nearby, but has never struck yet. Cake is calm as heck for a baby, but still gets a little tense when I'm trying to pick him out of the tub.

Yes twice. Once by a 300 gram male and once by a 3500 gram female. The male is a little stinker he tries to bite all the time and the female only bit me because I was trying to ball her up so I can fit her in the bowl to put her on the scale


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My vote has changed. I've been bit twice since I voted. Once by a startled snake who was shedding and once by a really grumpy bp. I think it depends a lot on the snake's temperament.

It was magical. o__o

I was dumb and stuck my hand into Cake's tub to attempt to move his hides out of the way before a feeding, while he was already in feeding mode- and he struck at my hand. I assumed he didn't get me, because it just felt like his tiny teeth just lightly scraped my skin. So I didn't even look at my hand.

A minute later I happen to look, and DANG there are two trickles of blood!

Concluded that BP bites are magical: they literally feel like NOTHING/a little light scrape, but more blood than you would expect comes out running. How weird!

Just experienced my first bite from a new rescue. Poor thing was stressed from improper care but add transport to my house on top of it and...WHAM! It actually took me a few seconds to realize I'd been bit. Barely hurt AT ALL, but yes, unusual amount of blood. :O

I was actually glad I got to "get it over with" and know what it felt like. I will take a ball python bite any day over a cat bite!

Lol. I read somewhere once that the bite bleeds so much is because there are enzymes in their saliva that kind of prevent blood from clotting right away. Thus after a wash the blood flow usually slows down right away. I've personally not been bit but I'm waiting for the day, lol. Thinking about that if it were on a bigger scale it's kind of scary in their adorable little way. However I can't seem to find the information again so I'm not sure how true it is. Might have been a general fact about most species of snakes but it was interesting nonetheless.

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Originally Posted by SekiMoshu

Lol. I read somewhere once that the bite bleeds so much is because there are enzymes in their saliva that kind of prevent blood from clotting right away. Thus after a wash the blood flow usually slows down right away. I've personally not been bit but I'm waiting for the day, lol. Thinking about that if it were on a bigger scale it's kind of scary in their adorable little way. However I can't seem to find the information again so I'm not sure how true it is. Might have been a general fact about most species of snakes but it was interesting nonetheless.

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I heard a similar thing about cars a while back ... A mate of mine was bitten by a cat and her arm swelled up overnight and nearly tripled in size ..she was off work for weeks ..
I'm sure someone told her that there's something in the car bite that temp paralyses rats / birds and has a bad effect when they bite us .. Sounds a bit far fetched though ..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I heard a similar thing about cars a while back ... A mate of mine was bitten by a cat and her arm swelled up overnight and nearly tripled in size ..she was off work for weeks ..
I'm sure someone told her that there's something in the car bite that temp paralyses rats / birds and has a bad effect when they bite us .. Sounds a bit far fetched though ..

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Bladdy auto correct !!!
Above CARS should've read CATS !!

Growing up I have had box turtles, leopard geckos, Tokay geckos, golden geckos, ball pythons, Bull snakes(gopher? We just call them Bull snakes around here they are local boys), blue tailed lizards(local), swifts(local), Savannah Monitors, Columbian Red Tails, garter snakes(local), horned lizards(local) and maybe some other few odds and ends I am forgetting from one point or another. Anyways I have really only been bit 3 times by any Reptile. My box turtle got me when I was a kid cause I stuck my finger in his shell to touch his nose what I got was the inside of his beak. My Tokay once almost took off the tip of my right index finger and I still have the scars on that one. Than one time in 3rd grade my teacher Mrs. Letcher had a class Bull snake that I had the special privilege of holding or taking in and out of the cage for the other children since I was the only one in the class who had any Reptile savy and it grazed me one time. Other than that reptiles have never really been big on munching me. I have 7 new balls on Order and I am actually kind of hoping some of them have attitude I think it would be kind of fun and entertaining. I watch that snakebytes TV on YouTube from BHB Reptiles and that Brian guy always has Baby Balls striking at his hands but he always talks with his hands and sits there and waves them in front of their faces which is kind of dumb but its whatever I more get weirded out about him doing this not because he is getting them fired up but because he is always shaking his left hand that is holding the snakes just as vigorously and in unison with his other hand and it seems like he is just shaking the crud out of the little guys.

Finally happened....sort of. Ever since I've gotten back into the hobby I've been weirded out by the idea of getting tagged. I don't do well with things that startle me. I figured I'd just get it over with and let Sally nail me once, on my terms. She's always been one to lash out so I had her out the other day and of course she struck out repeatedly so I gave her a target this time. Not too bad. Felt more like a scrape and only left one small puncture. I can deal with that. Now that the shock is over and I know/remember what to expect I'm not so worried about it. Immersion Therapy in a way. Yeah I could have avoided it, but this way I am more comfortable holding a feisty BP. The ATB I just bought does not worry me at all though and never has. Strange. Maybe it's because I know they're supposed to bite.

Dave

That will probably help you out quite a bit. When you are moving slow and cautiously shaking or timid tends to be something they hone in on most likely as potential prey. Scared rodents kind of shake and move slowly and cautiously and that is usually what gets you bit. When you aren't representing yourself in that fashion they tend to not go into that mode.

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My ball, Lucy, has tagged me at least 4 or 5 times. She's tried and missed a lot more than that. Her aim is terrible because she's only a baby. She's aimed for nearly everyone's faces, except for my boyfriend's. She's even seen my cats and dogs at a fair distance and tried to tag their faces, too. She's a feisty little one, but needless to say she's a fairly good feeder with that additude!

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Originally Posted by gtrdeath87

That will probably help you out quite a bit. When you are moving slow and cautiously shaking or timid tends to be something they hone in on most likely as potential prey. Scared rodents kind of shake and move slowly and cautiously and that is usually what gets you bit. When you aren't representing yourself in that fashion they tend to not go into that mode.

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It wasn't that at all, but I agree. It didn't make me nervous or anything, just weirded me out. It's why I got it out of the way. Been tagged plenty in the past. Just had to remind myself it's not that bad.

Dave

Definitely been bit. But only as feed bites (mistaking my fingers/hand for a rodent).

Most of my new balls were all pretty fired up from being shipped so today when I got home to see them all for the first time (My Fiancee opened the box and put them in their bins when I was at work) I had to inspect them all for myself and I got bit by the Spider, Enchi, Pinstripe and the Lemon Blast lol.

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Really! I'm having problems posting because I have the flu! I was just going to say my ball python's mouth can't open wide enough to properly bite me. He just bonks me.

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The only time I got bit was when I accidently dropped a plastic lid on my ball python. She does have a habit of biting veterinary assistants though.

I think with alot of younger bps is where the biting happens I have two females a fire and a coral glow still around 300 grams that both bite me whenever they get the chance and have most my other 19 never bite, its all on individual snake

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I have been bitten once. :cool: It was definitely my own fault. I went to remove the bowl that is used as her hide. Well like a dummy I grab the bowl from the hole that she enters the hide and as soon as my finger went in it came right back out!! :colbert: I had two pinpricks on my index finger. Didn't hurt a bit but really wasn't expecting it lol. Like I said all my fault. I had only had her for about 3 weeks so she wasn't used to me. My first ball python (Chaos) I have had for three years has not bitten me once or even remotely moved towards me aggressively.

Well, still have only been tagged (barely a tag) once, and it was only when I stuck my hand into his cage while I had a mouse right next to it. Silly.

I generally just avoid any fast movement right in front of their face at all, even if I say I trust them completely. Any action happening in front of their face seems to scare them and can potentially put them in defensive mode. So just handling their body, moving their head with my fingers under their head/neck and not in front, coming in from the back... keeps them relaxed and comfortable.

Nahhh I'm just way too good with snakes

I have had my share of ball pythons growing up, and have handled MANY other ball pythons. I have never once been bitten. I have decided to get into the breeding game, and I have 6 small balls now, and 2 of my 6 are, well, gits! They have not landed a bite yet, but they are not giving up! LOL! I imagine it is only a matter of time before they tag me.

I've had a couple of 'feeding' bites off my male Albino Royal who's a very good feeder but as I've mentioned elsewhere I'm pretty sure all albinos have slightly 'dodgy' eyesight so I'll forgive him .

Complacency is a bad thing at feeding time though .. something I'm sadly guilty of .

The only times that I have been bitten is when they were trying to get somewhere in accessible and my hand was preventing that.
It doesn't hurt or bleed much, kind of like a TB test.

Never been bit by bp but other snakes yes

I can officially say that I have received my first bite. Didn't hurt any worse than a flu shot. I honestly think a papercut was worse than my Alduin's bite. But then again he is still a baby ball.:oops:

All the bites I've had over the years have just felt like I've just scraped past a rose bush thorn ... Nothing too big though as managed to latch on thankfully ... I always think that the latest bite helps me "focus " as it's so easy for some to get complacent ....

yeppers, i have.

my friendliest BP - a pied male named Boq - missed his rat the other night and tagged me instead. :oops:

he even left a tooth! (sorry, couldn't get the camera to focus.)


http://i.imgur.com/OaI8mHJ.jpg


1 day later.
http://i.imgur.com/h6Rfsrl.jpg

another look.
http://i.imgur.com/cB0cNyj.jpg

they're so dangerous.

/sarcasm

:rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

yeppers, i have.

my friendliest BP - a pied male named Boq - missed his rat the other night and tagged me instead. :oops:

he even left a tooth! (sorry, couldn't get the camera to focus.)


http://i.imgur.com/OaI8mHJ.jpg


1 day later.
http://i.imgur.com/h6Rfsrl.jpg

another look.
http://i.imgur.com/cB0cNyj.jpg

they're so dangerous.

/sarcasm

:rofl:

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That's a good point .... Do feeding lunges really count as ' bites '. :)

In the year I've had Noki, she's never bitten me or anyone else. I let my 4 year old cousin handle her, too. (With extremely careful supervision and I've taught him not to grab or squeeze her.)

I'm a pet owner with a super pastel female BP who is very much loved!

I have been bit only once when he was younger and I was just a newbie.

Two of my daughters have also been bit but again, this is when he was less than a year.

Now we are more aware of what to look for when he is getting ready to strike and what to look for before handling him.

He's about 4 feet now so we are really conscious of getting bit.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1697/...ec961634_z.jpg20160201_214802 by closhusan, on Flickr

For how long have you had that beauty ?


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Question on your tank What size is ?

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Both


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I got bitten a small number of times by the ball python I had years ago. It was a small number of times over the 9+ years I had him, and I think only while feeding, because I didn't ever think to use tongs. He never bit anyone while he was out and about, and he used to hang out with me for hours and hours.

just an update i had put no on here, but i have since been bitten so add one to the more than once line and take one off of the no line. got bitten by our black pastel hit albino at the snake show before i decided to purchase him and 2 weeks ago i got bitten twice by our smallest ball (98 grams mystic) we were weighing her and she knew that was a sign of food time and she gave me a little tap and coiled on my finger and then i got to see her actually unhinge and latch on lol not even a scratch though.

I've only had one Ball Python and I've had him for about 4 months. He's never bitten me though because he's way too chill for such a thug like action. He's like the embodiment of chillness. I'll just put my nose under his head. He hissed at me a few times when I first got him, kinda sketched me out, not gonna lie.

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Originally Posted by tipposan

I have been bit only once when he was younger and I was just a newbie.

Two of my daughters have also been bit but again, this is when he was less than a year.

Now we are more aware of what to look for when he is getting ready to strike and what to look for before handling him.

He's about 4 feet now so we are really conscious of getting bit.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1697/...ec961634_z.jpg20160201_214802 by closhusan, on Flickr

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They're even more docile when they're adults. I wouldn't worry about getting bit.

[QUOTE=spaceturtle;806972]Simple quesiton. Have you ever been bit by a captive ball python?

I have been bit by a BP, but it was wild caught like 25 years ago!!! My BP today all are captive bred and even though they haven't bit me I know there is room for error during feeding

Yes my First Ball Bite last night it was a feeding accident and my fault. I tried to help her get her mouse in a better position and Had my left hand to close I had the tongs in my right hand, here is the damage from my very tiny Female Bumblebee.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...230d0d849c.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...41dc3580db.jpg

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