Do you let your BP come near your face?

Only having two snakes, I spend a lot of time with both of them, so I know them and their quirks very well. Neither have bitten me or struck at me, but I have seen them S up and I can see when they are getting tense. Nagini, I try to keep her away from my face, but she will find a way to sneak around and get there(I redirect her head so she goes past my face and more to the back of my head and she just comes right back around and sniffs at my face from the other side. Stuff like that.)

Maru is one of those BPs that likes to be a pet rock/snake when he's held. He pretty much just chills out and doesn't try to 'go' anywhere. He'll get pretty relaxed and just decide to soak up my body heat. If I'm ever holding him and he happens to be semi close to my face I don't mind, all he'll do is tongue flick once or twice and go right back down to where he was before.

When it comes to walking around with the snake, or if other people are in the room, the snake is nervous or jumpy, or straight up putting the snake right in my face myself, no I don't do that. Everything is just relaxed and at the snake's pace. If they pass by my face, that's cool. If they are getting right up in my face, I'll probably pull them back. Same goes if I'm handling and I start to see that fast moving tongue flick that means "You're FOOD!"

If I ever get bitten it will be my fault, but I'm okay with that. :D I know animals are animals. My boyfriend's sister's kitten scratched her eye ball. Heck, my leopard gecko has drawn blood before. Animals bite sometimes. Usually though (both in the case of the gecko and the kitten) it seems to be our fault when we're messing with them hahaha.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Sure I could get bitten, I could also hit the lottery.

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:P This is the best.

I've never been bitten by any of my BP's, now that's not saying they wouldn't if they felt threatened. But I don't give it a second thought. I have a ton of pictures of Ryn laying on my face (literally, on my nose.) They all love exploring, so have at. The smaller ones like to crawl in my hair and hang out for HOURS.

I ride horses as well as have my snake collection, and one of the number one rules in the horse world is that the horse never does anything wrong. You are the one responsible if you fall off, if you get thrown, if you do something that the horse doesn't like. I feel the same about snakes. If I do something my snake doesn't like, well I pay the price. Its not their fault that I moved my hand really quickly and they thought I was gonna smush them like a bug so they bit me to defend themselves.

I keep nothing but carpet pythons, and they like to climb so they are always trying to go up up up towards my face so I kinda direct them elsewhere because a 7ft carpet bite to the face would not be pleasant.

my carpet as austin just said likes to "go up up up" so i actually let him check my face out a bit. my ball would only see my face if i lift him up directly in front of me and there's really no reason to do that lol

however certain types of snakes (kings being one of them) i would never trust near my face

I let mine crawl on me where ever they want to Face Head Neck never had a problem at all the only time I have ever been bitten it was my fault. Feeding day and my hand smelled like a rat because I didnt wash it all off I think. Balls are very gentle and like to explore once they feel safe. :D

I feel the need to add something.

I have been bitten by my balls before, and by other people's as well. There are times when one of mine gets a no-no to the face thing, and if it's a snake I don't know, I don't allow it too get too close. I had one boy who regularly made it his mission to re-arrange my face. I just let him get his strike or two out of his system while safely away from my face. Once he realized I was wise to his ways, he gave the game up.

But if I've handled the snake for a while, and it wants to reach up to me for a curious flick of the tongue, I let it. I am pretty good at reading body language of these guys, and I know when ones going to strike so it doesn't freak me out.

The bottom line is do what YOU are comfortable with. I could handle a thousand ball pythons and let them near my face because it doesn't bother me, but if you aren't sure about doing it then don't! If you get all nervous and tense, the snakes can sense that and will react, and you may end up with an unnecessary bite.

Gale

NO LOL not that close to my collection

i do, but i dont let my mom see, and if you get tagged or actually bitten, that is YOUR fault not the snake but anyway, im 13, and i always put my snake on my chest and he crawls up my neck and on my face, it kind of scares me but yeah

Like pretty much everyone else has said, it depends on lot on the snake's temperament. I'd let my friend's 6ft Central American Boa nuzzle my face waaaay before I'd let my female BP. That Boa is the biggest puppy dog of a snake I've ever met though, and I think my BP girl doesn't realize she's a BP so much as ANGRY QUEEN OF EVERYTHING. She's usually chill enough when being handled now, but I'm still very careful with her since she started out super snappy.

I have 2 snakes (not including babies) that I will not allow near my face, The amazon tree boa and 1 of our ball pythons. The rest I don't worry about. The snake in my avatar bit me in the face within a couple weeks of owning her, but after she calmed down, wasn't even a thought in the back of my mind. she was still to this day the tamest snake I owned. It all comes down to the individual snake.

I see it as no different than dogs, my dog and families dogs I have no problems sticking my face right in theirs, rough housing with them and such. I couldn't really care what breed it is, the dog I'm watching right now is half pit and ill stick my face right in her's and this horrible thing happens.... she licks me. Doesn't mean I'm going to even think about doing it to a dog I don't know or a certain breed. Depends on the individual dog.