Keep Snakes Away From Face ?

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Originally Posted by engywook

My guess is that they're just trying to play it safe, since BPs can carry Salmonella and your eyes/mouth/nose are basically the entry points to your body.

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Very rarely will you find Salmonella in snakes unless they are never cleaned up after they poo.The thing that started the Salmonella scare years back was young kids were placing there small turtles in there mouths:mad: .All it takes is some common sence and proper husbandry(keep clean cages) and you will never have to worry about Salmonella ;) .

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Originally Posted by lisa77

True I didnt even think of that..to be honest its not a very good book.. It mentions feeding problems I will quote the paragraph..


"Occasionally, a snake refuses to feed for no apparent reason, or it will refuse because it has or has had a disease. You must treat the snake for its sickness before attempting to feed again"

How ridiculous is that > it mentions nothing about heat supply / Temps, set up, settling into a new home etc etc..

If I was a new BP owner & I had read this, when Deebo refused his first couple of meals with me..I would of panicked & rushed him right off to the vets.. it mentions nothing about the normal teething probs that can be sorted, in order for them to eat .. & then the next paragraph starts talking about Force feeds !

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How old is this book? I bought a few books in my beggining and found more lies in them then any info.Save your money learn the proper ways from fellow members on here or any other sites you may be a member of.

Keep in mind that the face is a highly vascular area of the body. Increased bloodflow = increased warmth = big target that could potentially scream "BITE ME" to a snake, whether the animal is hungry/startled/defensive.

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Originally Posted by KLG

Keep in mind that the face is a highly vascular area of the body. Increased bloodflow = increased warmth = big target that could potentially scream "BITE ME" to a snake, whether the animal is hungry/startled/defensive.

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excellent point KLG, I failed to highlight that aspect, in hindsight its an obvious target as you clearly pointed out. Its simply not a good practice IMO especially if you have kids that are interested as well.

LadyPython I see where you are coming from but I absoloutely do not believe a snake is capable of showing affection at all in anyway shape or form. Familiar perhaps , accustomed to perhaps,...... affection ..no chance at all IMO, but I am just saying this is what I believe.

In over 20 years of keeping snakes I am of the train of thought that they are primitive and primarily instinct driven creatures that are on the whole predictable in their behaviour in general but of course they do come with some personality traits, they are incapable of showing emotion in the a way that would be construed as affection.

However I totally agree with your sentiment and your point on owners treating their snakes as if they had feelings making things more safer overall and less likely to see ill treated animals. I am for all any thinking that reduces or eliminates needless neglect or improper care of reptiles or any animal for that matter.

I have 3 cats as well as numerous snakes but I would never class them as in the same bracket of pet for example, they are essentially wild in terms of they react and carry out their instinctual commands rather than an animal that is widely able to be petted by all who visit. Snakes tolerate us , some more so and more docile than others whilst others struggle to show the same courtesy...lol

They are for me, an important part of a voyage of discovery...... and thats the best way I can describe it, you are always learning with snakes and while they are part of my family as such I dont classify them as I would a cat or a dog , I am fascinated by them , intrigued by them but I always maintain in my mind they are not a sociable animal nor can they be in the true sense of the meaning.

I admire anyone that gives these amazing animals the time and care to grow breed and prosper and fullfill what they would or would not be otherwise able to do naturally in the wild.

I do apologise, I am going on a bit here .......lol ..........anyway just my thoughts I am certainly not criticising anyone here.

No snakes near the face that was it ...lol talk about going off on a tangent.

snakey

Animals never cease to amaze me. Not so long ago it was thought that cats and dogs don't have feelings of emotion, yet I have seen time and time again the opposite of that - and I think most of us have. My son's cat knew there was something wrong, didn't want to go out and when he did, he didn't stay out long. He spent most of the week curled up on my son's bed looking miserable. Since my son came home, Chico hasn't left his side and is following him about everywhere. When our old dog died some years ago, her best friend, one of our cats, Leo pined for three weeks for his lost friend. It was really sad to see.


Snakes, of course, won't do that but I marvel at their grace and beauty, their speed when striking and the way they manage to relax us just by sitting on us. We try to give our snakes the best of everything - you could say they are thoroughly spoiled and yes, we do love them as much as the cats and the dog. In turn, they "show their appreciation" by feeding well, shedding well, looking the picture of health (positively glowing) and allowing us to handle them.

What more could we ask for:D

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Originally Posted by Lady Python

Animals never cease to amaze me. Not so long ago it was thought that cats and dogs don't have feelings of emotion, yet I have seen time and time again the opposite of that -
r:D

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Same here animals continue to amaze and always have.

I would say however that its long long been realised that they do have feelings of emotion.

There is a famous story by me located in Edinburgh regarding a wee Terrier called Bobby from 1858 whos owner died and for 14 years the faithful dog watched over his grave only leaving for food before he himself died in 1872.

The story of Grey Friars Bobby is legendary, it is well worth reading and shows how close and emotionally tied this wee dog was to his owner. here is a link if you would like a wee read

Amazing story and there are many more very similar , I find these stories fascinating and shows just what a real bond animal and man can have.

I know the story of Greyfriars Bobby well. Although I live in England now (been here 10 years), I'm Scots - come from Aberdeen. Sometimes visit my family up there for Hogmanay depending on work committments.


I've done a fair bit of animal rescue over the years and so often I've heard "It's only a cat", "It's only a dog". No it isn't. It's a living, breathing animal that feels pretty much the same things as we do.

On the subject of snakes. Even my own father, when I was a little girl were talking about snakes. I'd probably been about 8 or 9 at the time and Dad had taken us to Edinburgh Zoo. My interest in snakes started with a toy rubber snake when I was about 6, but that's another story so the Reptile House was the place I wanted to be (and nearly got into trouble because I didn't want to leave it - going to see the monkeys did not have any interest for me at all). Anyway, Dad and I were talking later about the snakes and he said to me "Snakes are cold-blooded creatures that can't feel pain":O :mad: Even at that young age I knew instinctively that was the biggest load of rubbish my father ever spoke!!! People can be soooo ignorant. My reasoning at the time was that if it was a living creature, of course, it could feel pain. Anyway, my interest in snakes never left but it was over 40 years before I got my first snake - a Pueblan Milksnake called Ringo. I now have 14 snakes and each one of them displays different characteristics. I have two Royals, one is a rescue and the other I have had since he was little more than a hatchling. The rescue Royal is typical Royal - very shy but very gentle. The Royal I've had since a hatchling is the exact opposite - bold and inquisitive yet very gentle and in a snakey kind of way, you could say very loving.

Perhaps the most charismatic snake I've got is my Kingsnake. She lets us know if she wants to come out of her viv by flicking her tongue rapidly at the glass so you hear this "Frrrt Frrrt Frrrt" sound. If she's sitting in her hide and I'm close to her viv, she'll come out and come up to the glass. If I open the viv door she'll slither onto my hand and coil round my arm. There's so much we don't know about snakes yet that every day I seem to learn something new about them. They are, beyond doubt, fascinating and lovely animals.

Actually, I've got that book too, and it's not too bad. It *DOES* discuss temperature and the importance in regard to feeding, it's in the 'Medical Aspects' section, several pages after the 'Force Feeding' section you quoted from. It's all about context.

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Originally Posted by rottnpagan

Actually, I've got that book too, and it's not too bad. It *DOES* discuss temperature and the importance in regard to feeding, it's in the 'Medical Aspects' section, several pages after the 'Force Feeding' section you quoted from. It's all about context.

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I did actually read it right the way through after I posted this & yes you are right. I dont agree with some of the things in the book though.

Thanks for everyones replies..:)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...i/100_0271.jpg

Well, I guess I'm not playing it too safe then, hmm?