POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

[QUOTE=I am far FAR more afraid of the rodents than the snakes.[/QUOTE]

Lol...I am so with you on this. I am not really afraid of a BP bite, but I am afriad of a rat or mouse bite. I always feed F/T, but I have to feed the hatchlings live for the first few meals to get them established. Most of them took the mice right away this first meal, except for one of the girls. She kept following the mouse around but the mouse would jump on her, and tried to bite one time. I had to get in there & take the feisty mouse out. That mouse put up a fight (& he was a small weanling).

I'll be trying a fuzzy or small opper for this girl next time.

Yeah I hate those things! I haven't been bitten but I hate touching them. I catch mice by the tail. I won't touch a rat. DH does it. Yet he won't touch the aggressive snakes- I do that. LOL

finally got my first nip today. Very small but that girl was hungry!!! Apparently I'm going to have to mix up feeding days so she won't jump at me.

I have the meanest, most satanic BP in existence. A little male that's very neatly banded. affectionately known as my little banded nightmare... little sucker bites his own shadow!!!

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Originally Posted by aSnakeLovinBabe

I have the meanest, most satanic BP in existence. A little male that's very neatly banded. affectionately known as my little banded nightmare... little sucker bites his own shadow!!!

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I think he has a good competition in my het pied female hahaha let's NOT breed them together, they'd have a clutch of monsters lol

I've never been bitten by my three BP's yet, though my ghost looks like she wants to sometimes lol.

But my friend bit me once when he was drunk:banana: (actually not joking)

I got bitten twice by my second BP years ago. stupid me stuck my hand in to move something twice after feeding.. still smelled of mouse. Doesn't hurt at all, snake appeared to feel bad.

Mice? terrified. i got attacked while babysitting by the kids' mini hamster. sucker kept getting out and bit the crap out of me each time I tried to re-catch it.

Nope. And I've had her for well over a year now. Cu is such a sweetie. Stick a tube down her throat and she doesn't even hiss. Love her to death.

The only time she ever struck (like crazy) was at the vets after she had gotten a shot (between the scales, straight into the heart... ouch! :( ), but the vet was great (really knew what she was doing, I feel so lucky to have a high quality herp vet local) and got her in the bin without any of us getting tagged.

Anyways.

So far, I haven't been tagged by Sangre either, although I doubt that will last very long. :P Short tails will be short tails, after all.

Yep..... Little son of gun just tagged me twice!!!!! did not hurt but i was not expecting it.

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Originally Posted by k2l3d4

Yep..... Little son of gun just tagged me twice!!!!! did not hurt but i was not expecting it.

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tickles eh :P

never been tagged by a bp but my tree boa has got me off guard.

Funny this thread pops up again, The last couple weeks has not been my week. I have been bit 3 times by 3 different snakes and 2 of them weren't mine lol

I've never been bitten by a ball python, but I'm sure that'll change when I start making babies. I'm already nervous about having to pull my first protective mama off of her clutch of eggs. :P I have been bitten by a corn snake and a 6 ft red tail. The red tail got startled, and the corn snake was my fault, didn't wash my hands after handling a feeder.

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Originally Posted by Seneschal

As far as bites go, I'd rather all my snakes bite me all at once than one rat get me. :rolleyes:

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Agreed! Rodent bites HURT, too, and they like to hang on where as a snake is just strike and go. Been a while since I've been bitten by a rodent, but my boyfriend had a feeder mouse chomp down on the end of his finger and didn't want to let go. OUCH.

I haven't been bitten *yet* but my BP collection is rapidly growing so I'm sure I will be at some point. Honestly, I kind of just want to get bitten soon so I can get it over with. I don't care about the pain (infinitesimal or not) but I know it will scare the crap out of me.

I have been bitten numerous times by my rambunctious and clumsy American Pit Bull Terrier (during play) in both his puppy and adulthood, so I could care less about pain from a BP. It's just a matter of being startled/uncomfortable for me.

Oh I also might add that I handle all of my BPs very frequently and like to get them accustomed to handling/being taken out of tubs so I'm sure a bite is in my imminent future.

No, amazingly, still no! We have one that is vicious and strikes at the glass if we walk in the room, two that are moody and sometimes strike, and one that never usually does but has once so I'm unsure of him... and the other 12 are sweethearts. I hold every single one, but I am very cautious with the aggressive/fearful ones. It's not the pain that scares me- it's the startle response I have to sudden movement! ;)

I have been bitten by my BRB (ouch), and nipped by my JCP baby, but that just tickles and is funny. A milksnake my feeder supplier owns chewed me up a couple weeks ago- it was funny, because I hardly even reacted! lol I KNEW he was gonna bite, his body language was obvious.

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

Honestly, I kind of just want to get bitten soon so I can get it over with. I don't care about the pain (infinitesimal or not) but I know it will scare the crap out of me.

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Like others have said, it's more shock than pain, really. The bite feels more like a cat scratch if even that bad, and can bleed a bit depending on where you were bitten. They've got tiny, needle-like teeth, and can puncture the skin quite effectively. The bite on my hand hardly bled, but when the red tail bit my arm it bled for several minutes and left a nice mark, lol.

I think I have the meanest BP in existance. She hisses every time I enter the room. I've been bit by her maybe 2 or 3 times, and she has struck at me countless times. She is the only one that has bitten me out of spite and not eagerness for food.

I've been bit by another one of my normal females once when I smelled too much like an ASF. And had a similar incident with my female spider.

Went to get my adult males water bowl out. Moved a little too close, too quick and...

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/hpim0143.jpg

I was bit days after getting my first BP last week. It was more of a strike then a bite it didn't leave any marks nor did it hurt just startled me. I was changing his half-log hide with a smaller more secure hideout for him. I guess I moved to fast and he struck at me. Oh well it was expected when I decided to get him :snake:

Maybe Obamacare will cover the family snake!!!:salute:

I had a BP who when she was 12 months old, she went off her food. The fast lasted 18 months. No weight loss what so ever. She is now with a friend as I am concentrating on boas and bigger pythons and caiman.

I have been bit by more snakes that I care to remember and a lot were bp's not even close to majority but a lot of them have been. I would say the majority has been boas or burms mainly just babies on them. As to balls I have been bit by every size there is just out the egg to a huge 2500 gram female. All were my fault too. Never be dumb like me and have rats in the same room as the snakes they tend to be a bit more hungry and faster feed response even if it isn't feeding day. But if you do keep your rodents in the same room I have warned you lol.

I tell myself.

"He's gonna strike. He's gonna strike. Dear God please do not jump when he strikes. Please don't."

And what do you know. When he strikes I jump and scare the little guy even more.

Aphrodite has only bitten me once. I've had her since 07 and I guess it was sometime in early 08 I was feeding her and after she got done eating I reached my hand in the cage and I guess I smelled like prey....she let go as soon as she bit me and hasn't offered to since.

My bp that I had when I was a little kid bit me. And my Burm got me a few times when he was younger.

I willingly let one of mine tag me ( a small one tho lol) as I wanted to just get it over with :D

I've been bitten twice by a bp, as a matter of fact yesterday was my second time.... just a baby though.

I got bit by my very first Ball within the first week, a very jumpy so far little male mojave named Vladimir, guess he took to his name too much!

It was so quick I was more shocked than stung, it felt like getting poked by the doctors needle a few times...although it bled way more than I usually bleed when I say cut my finger or something (he got me right in the fat of the second section of my index finger).

Glad I got it out of the way early... although now I'm jumpy around him when he starts arching his neck, I'm sure he'll tame out of it.

Heh... bite from a ball python? nada...

Bite from a Burmese Python... yep
Bite from a Rock Python (Adult)... yes, and it was near as bad as a dog bite. Note to self: make sure NOT to eat grilled chicken and have that scent still on you when handling a Rock Python.

EDIT: and the rock python was, eh, about 13-14 feet or so.

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Originally Posted by alikax

I got bit by my very first Ball within the first week, a very jumpy so far little male mojave named Vladimir, guess he took to his name too much!

It was so quick I was more shocked than stung, it felt like getting poked by the doctors needle a few times...although it bled way more than I usually bleed when I say cut my finger or something (he got me right in the fat of the second section of my index finger).

Glad I got it out of the way early... although now I'm jumpy around him when he starts arching his neck, I'm sure he'll tame out of it.

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It's not unusual for younger ball's to be easily spooked and have high anxiety levels. They tame up fairly quickly... the more you handle them, the more docile they become if they do bite when young.

If its not a young python, and you just bought it off someone, even it was tame with that person, it has to adjust to its new environment and you. It's going to be a bit nervous the first couple of weeks.

My friend just bought a ball thats 6 years old, and never bit the seller once, was handled and babied everyday. First second my buddy reached in to pick it up at his home, BANG!. Didnt hurt him much at all except felt like someone slapping your finger (as he states), but lesson learned. Let them get use to you and their new environement for a couple of weeks before u think about reaching your greasy finger down in there to snatch them up. You CAN handle them to ease them up, but use a snake hook for the first couple of weeks.

Always think of the situation to handle any reptile from the animals point of view... and they share the same caution we do with total strangers and new places, and are more edgy until they settle in.

I usually use a snake hook anyway, or another method, is curl your fist up into a ball and rest it at the bottom of the habitat a bit of ways from the ball. Once they tame up, they will usually just go to inspect and rest upon it, and you cna then lift them, and they will wrap around your arm. Keep your fingers together, dont twitch them, make sure you've washed ur hand with soap to remove any scents, and when it finally does start to move around on your arm, you can slowly ease your fingers, and allow it to move between them. This is especially helpful for younger pythons that are easily spooked by twicthing fingers. when they are in your hand and facing your fingers, the less spasmatic and jerky movements from your digits, the more comfortable the snake is.

Figures that after I answer this poll no, one of my hatchlings struck at me.

Haven't been bit yet, but I am sure eventually it will happen. Everything pretty much has the potential to bite you.

Yes : as you can see from my other thread.
But I think I have come to conclusion I was really unlucky.
Ball Python bit in the only soft part of my hand lots and lots of blood.
As the ball Python would just not let go and my hand round my thumb is all bruised blue now .Its actualy painful to move the thumb. :(
He was in a feeding frenzy. :taz:

Oh well hope it never happens again.

Hubby got a pretty good bite from our 5' female. It was very odd, she didn't strike at all. She was running her nose along his wrist, and just opened her mouth and closed it around his wrist.

He was so surprised, we'd had her for several years and she'd never offered to bite before. I talked to him, telling him not to freak out, while I pried her off one tooth at a time.

It shook him up pretty good, but by the next day you could barely see the mark.

Gale

Almost got bit in the face tonight by a super cinny...Mr.calico will have to talk some sense into her maybe?

my 4500 gram female got me a couple weeks ago. i've been bittin allot but that was the worst so far.:)

Yep, countless times by now by babies and one of my sub-adults. Not one single bite has brought blood (so far). However, my hubby has been bit as well, and the snakes always seems to get him in a place that bleeds. LOL I've come to love the biters, though. They all seem to be good feeders! ;)

Knew a girl that got bit by her ball python when she was pregnant . . . she freaked out and went to the emergency room. I was thinking to myself, "Geez, panic much?" If it were a venomous species, I could understand it, but a ball python?! Gimme a break.

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

Figures that after I answer this poll no, one of my hatchlings struck at me.

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HAHA..hatchlings are nippy sweeties..my two baby albinos had a go at me tonight..settled for mice instead :D

I have a Pastel sub-adult who bit and released. It really wasn't bad. Their teeth are so sharp that it isn't terribly painful. It was 100% my fault too. I saw the S and knew he was feeling stressed and I reached in anyway and he let me know that he didn't appreciate it one bit!

YUUUUUUP. I made my nippy baby spider bite me just to see how bad it was. just felt like needle pricks for a quick second. blood came to the surface but no real pain, but just recently my adult female pastel got my good in the forearm. that one hurt on impact. more blood than pain. then the area got bruised (next day) from impact i guess. other than the initial bite, i didnt feel anything after. I dont hold my pythons as much as i should , so they dont really like to be touched. I'm sure regular handlings would settle them down tho.... it was fun

I only have one ball python and he got me a couple weeks after getting him. He was almost a year old. I was holding him and I think he bit me out of stress/being scared. It bled a little but really didnt hurt at all... just kinda scared me!

Got bit last week so I guess you can cross me out on "never" to "once." Happened when I was thawing some mice (silly me, forgot it scents the room and puts an extremely gluttonous bp into feeding mode) and decided to do some spot cleaning, took my male out, set him on the floor next to me (I was sitting) while I went and cleared the poo, then as I got up to throw the poo away--BAM, got me right on my leg. Then he started coiling and was squeezing the heck out of the limb. Tried to untangle him first, didn't work, just held on tighter, then ran him under some water. I guess the need to breathe overrode his feeding response.

Wow, it didn't hurt so much as surprised me and was kind of annoying to remove.

Had a good run though, about a year before my BP bit me, cornsnake hasn't even tried yet and that's 3 years. =3

since I replied to this nearly a year ago, I still get the occasional nippy baby, although my recent hatchlings are as sweet as pie. I get hissed at a lot. But now , over the summer, I rescued a young bp female from a home where she was left alone with live prey. She had the bite marks to proove it along with scalerot and retained eyecaps that were making her blind. she is completely healed up now and even feeds on f/t but she is fiesty. bites without warning all the time. oh well, cant blame her and its not so bad.

I've only had my BP for about a month be he hasn't even nipped at me a little and crawls on me without and issues.

I have only been bit once it was my fault because i had a mice scent on my hand got tagged on my middle finger lol

After reading most people comments, I'll be sure not to play with a mouse before handling my bp lol, seems that's one of the most common ways to get bit.

Hi everyone, new guy here. And yes, I've been bitten by one of my babies. Number 6 was different from the start.

I have had my lil baby 2009 hatchling for about a month now. She was shipped all the way from CA to Arkansas, and she was still completely calm when I held her. Maybe she is just a really calm baby I dunno. She struck at me once, and that was because she was in shed and I didnt know it. I think I just scared her.

I have been bitten by Ball Pythons a couple times over the years. They were my fault. One was worse than the other, to a point where I went to the ER and then was sent to a specialist to make sure there was no permanent damage.

Rick

I dont know wether I should be counted as being bitten but what happened was I put my hand in my new bp's tank so i can get the water, I used one hand to steady myself and the other to grab the bowl. The hand that I was using to support myself apparently striked my snakes interest and she went over and proceeded to crawl all over my hand, smelling every inch of it. Then randomly she just opened her mouth slowly and then proceeded to like bit my hand. She didn't do it very hard and she didn't seem aggressive, it was kinda like hmm..... is this thing edible? kinda bite. It scared the poo outta me and I pulled out my hand very quickly, I thought that I startled her but she seemed to not care and just went about her business. Thinking about it now it was kind of funny! :D