How ofter do BP's Bite or Strike at you?

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Originally Posted by heathers*bps

I have been bit by my male spider the day I was picking him out. He was in the display case at the show with another male and I had one in each hand, trying to decide which one I liked. He bit me so I decided he picked me, so I took him home. He's never bit me again. My male albino tagged me a couple weeks ago but that's because I dropped his rat in the tub and went to reach for it. :rolleyes:

I've been bit by numerous baby burms and boast though, the little turds.

When I'm picking my snakes up and I'm concerned if they are going to strike, I reach for them from behind of where they are looking, if that makes sense. plus they can sense your nervousness so just reach right in and pick them up. Don't hesitate.

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Makes sense to me.

I've gotten a couple of biters this year. One was a very young snake from a large breeder, and I'm quite sure that he and his employees did not have the time to sit and handle each snake individually and get it accustomed to human touch. It was kinda cute--little bitty snake puffing up and hissing and striking--she was all of 200 gms. I used a cage hook to physically pick her up the first couple of days, then as she improved I used it the way I like to use a cage hook. I touched the top of her head with the hook, which made her pull herself up into a cow patty shaped coil. Then I picked her up from the part of the cow patty that didn't have eyes. Worked fine. She's still a hisser at times but no more striking.

The other came to me dehydrated and underfed. I didn't use a hook to lift him because he was an adult, but I did use it to touch his head then pick up and it worked fine. At the moment about 90% of the time I don't have to touch the head and I can go for the pickup from behind. I doubt that he was handled much prior to my getting him and I suspect being watered and well ratted accounts for about 50% of the improvement I've seen.

Cody struck at me twice when I first got him back in June but hasn't done it again since. He will hiss a little when I take him out of his tub but that's it. Once he's out he just chills with me. Nibs has never struck nor hissed and is great to handle.

I have been bitten once in about a decade...although I have ALMOST been bitten a ton of times. The hatchlings bite and strike much more often. As they age they become more docile.

Once, and it was my fault, I was placing a rat for one of my drop feeders and he had different ideas and struck just as I was laying it on the ground, he got rat and my finger at the same time.

I've never been bit by a ball python. I get struck at every now and then by a few babies (mostly mojaves for some reason) but none have connected yet. I get a few hissers but it's all bark, no bite from them.

Now baby BRB's... LOL.

I've been bit maybe a dozen times by babies (one time in the eye), and once a hungry adult smelled rat on me and nailed/constricted my arm.

Yesterday one of my ~1500g normals was STARVING to death after 8 days and nearly took my face off when I opened her tub. Those close calls happen every week with my best feeders... it's pretty funny how they're ready to bite anything as soon as the smallest opening in the tub presents itself.

I got tagged once while I was being careless with a feed (too lazy to get tongs = bad idea). Other than that I haven't been tagged or struck at.

I've never been tagged or struck at by my ball pythons (only my boa... sigh :P) BUT I will say that they would not hesitate to bite/strike at me on feeding day. It's not uncommon for them to strike at the glass when I'm moving about the room after I've pre-scented the area with the rats.

never have any of mine struck at me.

I have 5 and have been struck at twice in 4 years. Never been bit though. *knock on wood*

BP's are just really laid back.