Ball Python bit without striking first

I had my Killer Bee do this to me too, after 2 days of owning her.
I've concluded it was an exploratory bite, caused by my errors and strong feeding response.
I was hot and sweaty after being at the gym I wanted to handle my new snakes didn't wash or sanitize my hands :colbert:
Picked up my killer bee was holding her in one hand and just moving stuff around in her tub, she started rubbing her nose at my wrist, I just assumed she was looking to hide up my sleeve, a friends cornsnake had done so in the past, she opened her mouth bit down and threw 2 coils round my hand, I screamed a little and shook my arm she released pretty soon after, I was more shocked than anything it was surprisingly not that painful but bled out a fair bit I put her back and washed the bite.
I messaged the previous owner a lady who had thinned down her collection due to having a new child she was shocked as her 4 year old daughter used to handle the snake, but she did say she was a good feeder very greedy dustbin of a royal.
I concluded that she has a really, really strong feeding response.
I made sure I handled her the next day and as often as I can, however after coming out of a shed so not being handled and hungry, she was in s position tracking any heat signature and even striking at the side or top of the tub if heat and movement seemed in range.
After researching a little I take a few precautions with her, I always use sanitizer before dealing with her.
I open her tub every day look around for waste, change water etc.
I handle her as often as I can.
If she is due a feed she will come out of her hide in a ready pose, if this happens I use an old vest and drop it on or tap her head with it, this makes her hide her head and realise its not feeding time, I can then pick her up and handle her, I usually weigh her too.
Because she has such a strong feeding response I have to take these precautions, to be honest I am still a bit wary of her but she hasn't bit me again since.
My other royal is a lot easier to just pick up and handle, but the killer bee requires caution when she is hungry.

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Originally Posted by Forgotten

I find this very interesting, I have no advice but simply my opinion on snake bites and my experience.

I've taken a few bites from my 100+ lb german shepherd / rotty mix (unintentionally) as him and my other dog sometimes get too rough playing and I have to separate them and those bites hurt and do a lot more damage than a ball python ever could but it doesn't scare me off of letting my dogs sleep in my bed or play with me.
We are naturally scared of what we don't know and with public perception of " the big bad snakes" we associate them with danger and don't take the time to get to know the animals and understand them like we do with dogs, creating a fear of them.

Ball pythons don't hurt when they bite but the thought of being bit by a snake is intimidating and I feel like it comes from the overall perception of snakes being dangerous and bad. Of course no one on this site believes that but, personally, I think it goes back to your natural instinct and what you were taught of snakes being dangerous.

When I was living with my parents they wouldn't allow me to have snakes and they were terrified of them so I didn't handle a snake until I was 17 and living on my own.
For 17 years I was taught that snakes were bad, leave them alone, and now sometimes when I see one of my snakes (who I know is friendly) coiled up or looking defensive I start to get nervous about being bit and I think subconsciously its your brain telling you what its been told for years: Snakes = Danger

I just picked up a large adult female bp (largest snake Ive ever handled) and seeing how big she is does make me nervous to get bit but as Dakski said, its the anticipation of being bit which can lead you to be more timid and more likely to get bit, the bit itself isn't so bad.

I'm very excited to start handling her once she's settled in, despite my intimidation, because is anything fun if it doesn't get your heart racing?

All in all, don't be worried to get bit, it might happen, it might not, you're not gonna die or even be hurt. Try to get to know and understand your snakes body language and signs of when its scared or defensive because its not biting out of aggression, your snake is really sizing you up and planning an elaborate jail break to devour you and your family in your sleep.



Or at least that's what they want us to think :snake::snake::snake::snake::snake:

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Now you've ruined it for me. It's time to go back to the unicorn forum for me. Bye