Nervous about handling my BP

Hello Everyone!
I have a Ball Python (my profile pic) that bit me due to fault of my own about 3 months ago. Since then I have been really nervous about holding him. The most uncomfortable part is when his head comes toward me. Any assistance with getting over it.
BTW I already know getting bit is a part of being a snake owner so everyone can scratch saying that. I also know I need to get over it, so you can scratch that comment either. I am really just looking for positive help getting over it as I love my pet very much and have had him since a baby.

Thanks!

Use a hook to get him out. If he gives you issues when you're trying to get him out of his enclosure try using a hook or something that you can use to "point" him away from you while you pick him up. I'm not too thrilled about opening a tub and finding someone in strike mode either...more for the protection of the snake than anything else. I'm more concerned about them breaking teeth or something. As long as you can pick them up from behind and not get up in their grill they usually calm down. Once you have him out just relax and let him explore. Be very calm with your movements...and don't do this in the middle of the living room with the tv blaring and kids running around. That will stress anything out. :)

I used to be very afraid of the snakes that bit, I didn't want to hold them or anything. But I was thinking about why each of them bit me and realized that every bite was my fault. Bps bite when hungry (generally missing the prey or I smelled like rat) or when very scarred and it is a defense mechanism. I imagined myself in the position of the snake and being held by a giant and decided that I probably would have bitten the giant as well... lol :) Hope this helps

Well, I can tell you I'm suffering this myself with one of my new hatchlings. Shes a really snippy because shes a baby. But boy I'm scared of her! The one time I got tagged it wasn't even my own snake. I was looking at a pastel female at my distributor. I felt shes was really really tense. I wasn't paying any attention to her in my hands, because I was talking to my friends and didn't even feel it. All I felt was that she "moved" quick and repositioned herself. lmao. I just noticed a little blood and said,"yep, not going to get this one." lol

I think that part one is seeing his behavior while you are handling him. If hes really tense like I described with the one time I got tagged it could be more advisable of putting him down. I have 14 snakes at this point in time and take tons of time in making sure that I'm not doing anything to provoke any odd behaviors. That one hatchling I don't know what her problem is except shes a baby. lol. I bet you anything I will probably get tagged by her at some point by her. lol.

Its going to take some time for you to get past it, but if I were you I would just try and pick him up as much as possible. Its not odd that you feel uncomfortable about him coming close to your face, I only really trust a few of my snakes to do that. My ghost is my sweetheart and don't mind whereas two of my female norms I'd rather not. lol.

The more you handle the more you will get back the comfortablility in my mind. Stay positive and don't be hard on yourself and everything will be just fine. :-)

Yeah, I think all you have to do is try to handle him when you feel really calm, when you have nothing to worry about, because that sets a tone for the snake as well. Seeing that you are calm will calm down your snake. Maybe try to forget that the bite ever happened, and just keep handling him regularly and you'll get over it soon enough :)

Am I the only one that likes biters?

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Originally Posted by Zach Nasty

Am I the only one that likes biters?

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Do you have "biters"?

I agree on the hook idea. I have a hook that I use when I feel a little nervous around my bigger girls. My normal has struck at me quite a few times and so whenever I open her tub I'm definitely on guard. I usually just touch her with the hook (flattened, not the pointy part), starting at the back of the body and slowly keep touching her up to her head and by that time she has calmed down and I can gently reach in and pick her up.

Yes. Bought one on Saturday because it tried to get my girlfriend in the face. She's just a hatchling though, but I like them to show character.

I usually put a glove on when I'm unsure of a snake. I find it makes me calmer, therefore the snake is calmer. Though this didn't work the way I had planned a couple weeks ago:rolleyes: I was cleaning the supercorn and he's a freaking pysco(spelling??) well he freaked out and went up my arm and bit me there:O But generally the gloves help unless you have a crazy snake!!!

Neither of my BP's have ever bitten me, but I always make sure that when I go to handle them that I move slow and don't put my hand near their heads at first.
I also make sure to let them know I am there before I go lifting up their hides.

Sometimes they shy away but they've never actually balled up on me or even struck at me.

I guess you just have to make sure not to scare the snake. I mean, if you saw a massive hand coming quickly towards your face what would you do? Lol.

Hope this helps!

How to get over an irrational fear.....if anyone had a quick answer to that it would change the world. A quick answer. Stop being afraid. Fight it out with yourself. "I am not afraid of a tiny animal with little teeth and no real desire to bite me. I handle far more dangerous animals like kittens and puppies with no problem. This is a completely irrational fear. The worst thing that can happen is I can get bit. The bite last time was not really that bad. I risk walking around my house when at any minute I might stub my toe, that hurts way more."

This fear is entirely in your head. The only way to battle it is in your head. You can try wearing gloves or using a hook. My instinct is that you will still feel nervous. The gloves and the hook won't help because your fear is in your head not in the cage.

Read your animal. Thats the best advice i can offer you. 98% of the time you can tell when a snake is going to bite you, or has the personality to bite (ESPECIALLY with bps). I find smaller snakes (baby anything, my solomon islands, corn snakes, young carpet pythons, etc) bite more often.

Read their body language. You can easily tell a relaxed snake from a tense, anxious one. If you cant? Spend more time observing your animal.

If you have to snap something out of feeding mode? I have a small snake hook i'll tap someone on the head with. This usually gets them out of it. If its not a feeding response? Go away and come back later. I've found that trying to handle snakes that are obviously stressed will result in a lot more bites and a lot more stress for the animal.

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Originally Posted by Egapal

How to get over an irrational fear.....if anyone had a quick answer to that it would change the world. A quick answer. Stop being afraid. Fight it out with yourself. "I am not afraid of a tiny animal with little teeth and no real desire to bite me. I handle far more dangerous animals like kittens and puppies with no problem. This is a completely irrational fear. The worst thing that can happen is I can get bit. The bite last time was not really that bad. I risk walking around my house when at any minute I might stub my toe, that hurts way more."

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I love this answer! Very helpful in my fears of snake bites.

I bought Reeses a month ago (my first snake). He normally dont move when i reach in to get him and within a minute of me holding him he relaxes..He feed 2 days ago and never really relaxed to digest since..Always watching every movement? is he still hungry? I feed a large hopper every 5-7 days.. Today he watches me really close and even follows my movements from his hide and even sticking just his head out to see around the corner..Am i just paranoid all the sudden? or is this a Feeding thing?

I've got two normals; one is a sweetheart the other one is um...well, she's a psycho. I have to be really careful getting her out of her tub, but once she's out she mellows out nicely. My advice is to just get back up on that horse or snake in this case. The more you do something the easier it gets. I'm sorry if this sounds too much like "Get over it." Good luck.

if you are using a tub, carefully lift the lid as this might startle your snake and be stressed about it. i have seen sasha get stressed about it and starts to ball and at times do the "S" position, which for me is a signal that she is scared. once you have opened the tub, look for the distal part and just hold it or pet it. that way the snake will get accustomed to being hold at. if it moves towards you get your hand out and try to reposition your snake (with a hook) and try holding again.

and like what others have mentioned, be calm and quiet, no quick movements. get the snake accustomed to you, your scent, and being pet then, given enough time, you can start by lifting her a few inches from the tub then eventually, getting it out of the tub.

good luck! :gj: