Bitten

Hey all,

I have owned my BP for two years... and I was bitten for the first time about two weeks ago. She did not latch on, but struck when I put my hand in her cage to remove her for a feeding.

Now, I have become nervous about handling her. She has been amazing up to this point.

I am hoping that she was hungry and I startled her... and that this is not the beginning of a new form of behaviour.

My question is, is that do most strikes occur upon first contact? Or will they also strike once you have them in our arms for a while?

Cheers,

Anthony

Feed her in her enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Feed her in her enclosure.

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X2 and x3 and x4

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Originally Posted by carlson

X2 and x3 and x4

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x5

Also you may have just startled her. She'll relax after you have her out for a bit but it's always possible to scare her with a sudden movement or something. If you are scared and or stop handling as much it might happen more.

Oh yeah, and next time post pics of the bite :D

it almost always happens on first contact.

maybe your BP simply was sleeping and you startled her.

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

it almost always happens on first contact.

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No it doesn't...

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Originally Posted by mackynz

If you stop handling as much it might happen more.

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This is a myth too. Not handling them shouldn't make them more apt to bite.

If found that if she looks like she is going to bite you. Just wrap your hand in a shirt or something then gentle pick her up and then remove the shirt from your hands. Once she is up in your arms she shouldn't be nearly as aggressive.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

This is a myth too. Not handling them shouldn't make them more apt to bite.

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I'm with Mike on this one. Some species may need "taming" in the sense that regular handling keeps them more tolerant of you, but BPs do not need regular attention.

She tagged you because you either startled her, or she knew it was feeding day. This is the #1 reason that I think it is totally illogical to feed in a separate enclosure. Why would you want to reach toward a hungry snake on feeding day? How does handling her before feeding her (when the room smells like rodent) and then handling again after feeding (when she is in feeding mode and EVERYTHING smells like rodent) teach her that handling ISN'T related to feeding? I never handle on feeding day unless it is absolutely necessary, feed all 30 of my BPs in their home enclosures, and have never had a "tank aggression" issue. Same goes for the 20 years I fed my boa in his tank. (rant over)

xWhatever. You're more likely to get bit pulling a snake out for feeding not because they're cage aggressive but because they're hungry. There's no way I would go near my normal female with my hand if I have a rat thawing even in the kitchen on the other side of the house. Feed in enclosure and next time post a pic! We love seeing bites, and pictures of the culprits.

30 bps anna?! How about a collection thread, i wanna see all your balls. :D

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

30 bps anna?! How about a collection thread, i wanna see all your balls. :D

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Lol, yeah, I'm waaaay overdue. I'll try to get my butt in gear this Saturday and get out the light tent. :D Just for you, of course.

Well I will say it again just for good measure, feed your snake in its home enclosure. No reason to feed it elsewhere. You are just asking for a bite by moving it.

The bite was probably feeding related. Either that or what others have said, you just freaked her out.

Ball pythons really don't bite that often. If they are scared they are much more likely to curl into a ball then to bite you. Just learn to read your snakes posture. Don't be scared to handle your snake because it bit you once. Since you have been bit, you should know it really isn't a big deal ;)

They don't normally bite once they are out and moving around or flicking their tongue. They also don't strike when they are all balled up.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

This is a myth too. Not handling them shouldn't make them more apt to bite.

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I guess with most cases for BPs I would agree since they seem more keen on hiding than defense. I would still put money on one that isn't handled often being more likely to bite than one that is. Probably depends on the specific ball as well.

I do agree that she thought you were bringing her food or was sleeping is a likely reason. You probably both just scared the crap out of eachother.

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Originally Posted by Kurtilein

it almost always happens on first contact.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't even have any bps, so how would you know this??

Op, you don't need to move her to feed her. She was probably hungry and your bite was in response to that. Moving a hungry snake in feed mode is just asking to get bit. Stop moving her, and don't be afraid of her. Just make sure you don't smell like rat when you go to handle her. It is possible she was startled, but I'm going with feed related.

Thanks to all,

I was originally told by the seller of my BP, that it was best to feed her in a different tank so that she does not associate her home dwelling with feeding... but clearly, the experts have spoken!

And I have no idea how to attach a photo to this link... help?

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Originally Posted by mackynz

I guess with most cases for BPs I would agree since they seem more keen on hiding than defense. I would still put money on one that isn't handled often being more likely to bite than one that is. Probably depends on the specific ball as well.

I do agree that she thought you were bringing her food or was sleeping is a likely reason. You probably both just scared the crap out of eachother.

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I don't think that matters, as much as the actual personality of the individual snake. I would bet I could not handle my bee for awhile and she would still be the sweetest thing around. I can handle my butter all the time, and she still has her moods.

You need to upload photos to a photo hosting site like photobucket or flickr. Or you can upload it to your BP.net gallery!

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1848800

Or if you have a smartphone the tapatalk app is super easy to post photos.

I just uploaded a couple to my member page... clearly, the bite is not very severe...

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Originally Posted by mackynz

I guess with most cases for BPs I would agree since they seem more keen on hiding than defense. I would still put money on one that isn't handled often being more likely to bite than one that is. Probably depends on the specific ball as well.

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I agree with you on the depending on each ball comment. My newer younger additions, most of them hide or just try to act tough, and as for my older kids, I can not hold them for a good amount of time and still no big deal when I do, but my young mojo... Wow she is a spitfire... But the small amounts of consistent handling I've been doing with her is definitely helping.