Boa Bite - Why?

Everyone loves a post about a snake bite so I'll get to that, hahah my red tail, dennis, almost 5' got me today and this was the result:

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0932232c.jpg


But why did he? He has bit me about 3 times all in the span of a couple weeks. He has always been insanely calm, but now he seems to be irritable, he is not hungry, in shed, or anything like that, so any guesses as to why? I was just handling him normally and all of a sudden - bam! could it be because i am dumb and let my cat sniff him and that made him mad/hungry or something? He ate 2 days ago

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Originally Posted by Eazyyyb

Everyone loves a post about a snake bite so I'll get to that, hahah my red tail, dennis, almost 5' got me today and this was the result:

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0932232c.jpg


But why did he? He has bit me about 3 times all in the span of a couple weeks. He has always been insanely calm, but now he seems to be irritable, he is not hungry, in shed, or anything like that, so any guesses as to why? I was just handling him normally and all of a sudden - bam! could it be because i am dumb and let my cat sniff him and that made him mad/hungry or something? He ate 2 days ago

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Nice bite LOL!

I'd bet it was the cat and whether you think he's hungry or not, he'll take any opportunity to eat. This time of year is spring and there are subtle temp increases and certainly changes in daylight. Coming out of winter, boas will start to become more interested in eating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YdGk7W0zLk

Cats are on the menu.

He bit you because he's a snake. Not a dog or cat that is trained and loyal. Snake's operate with a very primitive brain and they are ruled by their instincts. Sometimes that means they will bite you for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Having said that, it could have been a result of the cat sniffing him. Not because he was "mad" about it, but because he smelled a warm blooded animal and was likely reacting out of either a defensive or food-driven instinct.

Check your temps and humidity, make sure they are within optimal parameters and watch how often you are handling him. A stressed snake will be more aggressive or flighty.


Btw, that's a good gruesome bite!! lol.... :D

I think snakes are smarter and more aware of their surroundings than you think. When I hold my girl she's very active and calm and will even come out of her cage right into my hand, whenever a friend holds her she balls up and is very skittish. Although this is only my second ball I've never been bitten or even struck at in 2 years, and I have friends that say there dogs are more likely to bite them then their snake is.

I have to to agree the cat probably pissed him off.

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Originally Posted by Tennessee

I think snakes are smarter and more aware of their surroundings than you think. When I hold my girl she's very active and calm and will even come out of her cage right into my hand, whenever a friend holds her she balls up and is very skittish. Although this is only my second ball I've never been bitten or even struck at in 2 years, and I have friends that say there dogs are more likely to bite them then their snake is.

I have to to agree the cat probably pissed him off.

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Of course they are fully aware of their surroundings. And I do agree that they are smarter than most people give them credit for. But their reactions are still a result of millennia of instinct and not because he was "pissed off". ;)

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Of course they are fully aware of their surroundings. And I do agree that they are smarter than most people give them credit for. But their reactions are still a result of millennia of instinct and not because he was "pissed off". ;)

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What they do when they react is pure instinct, just like when someone is aggravating you, you may turn around and shove or punch them which is an instinctual way to react.
However, OP's trying to find out why the boa bit him, and I'm interested to hear this as well. It could quite possibly be because of the cat as Gio pointed out, but there's still a bit of uncertainty.

I can't speak to the OP's boas. Every bite I've gotten has been a food response rather than an aggressive or defensive response. My boas can go from zero to FOOD!!!! in about two seconds, so I don't handle them if I've been handling feeders, if I've been thawing feeders, or even around other animals like my dogs.

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Originally Posted by pythonminion

What they do when they react is pure instinct, just like when someone is aggravating you, you may turn around and shove or punch them which is an instinctual way to react.
However, OP's trying to find out why the boa bit him, and I'm interested to hear this as well. It could quite possibly be because of the cat as Gio pointed out, but there's still a bit of uncertainty.

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And in my first response, I gave my opinion as to WHY I believe the snake bit him.....

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

He bit you because he's a snake. Not a dog or cat that is trained and loyal. Snake's operate with a very primitive brain and they are ruled by their instincts. Sometimes that means they will bite you for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Having said that, it could have been a result of the cat sniffing him. Not because he was "mad" about it, but because he smelled a warm blooded animal and was likely reacting out of either a defensive or food-driven instinct.

Check your temps and humidity, make sure they are within optimal parameters and watch how often you are handling him. A stressed snake will be more aggressive or flighty.


Btw, that's a good gruesome bite!! lol.... :D

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It could be the cat but has the cat been involved each time? If not I doubt that was the cause, but is still a possibility. My reptiles are fine around my dog but I had one go crazy a couple weeks ago because the dog walked past it. It didn't stop hissing and striking, in its tank, for hours after.

I am wondering what might have happened during the first bite and what did you do after each bite? Did you put him back after? Did you keep holding him? Would he keep striking or just the one bite them be fine after?

I don't know what caused the first bite but how you react to it can sometimes cause it to continue. Generally though if it isn't a normally defensive snake it was something you didn't that startled it and it just reacted like a snake normally would. And I am not stating tht as a blame To you. I am just stating it because that is generally the cause. People might not always now they did something wrong.

Gonna have to get your boa into some counseling to figure this out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

He bit you because he's a snake. Not a dog or cat that is trained and loyal. Snake's operate with a very primitive brain and they are ruled by their instincts. Sometimes that means they will bite you for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Having said that, it could have been a result of the cat sniffing him. Not because he was "mad" about it, but because he smelled a warm blooded animal and was likely reacting out of either a defensive or food-driven instinct.

Check your temps and humidity, make sure they are within optimal parameters and watch how often you are handling him. A stressed snake will be more aggressive or flighty.


Btw, that's a good gruesome bite!! lol.... :D

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I really think Kali is spot on here. There are a lot of variables, but the fact of the matter is,,,,,,,, Snakes are as stated, ruled by instinct. They will eat when any opportunity to do so presents itself barring a few situations.

If you look at the time of year, at least in the US, you'll see increasing temps and daylight. Snakes will sense these changes. If your snake has grown, and is hungry and less shy than it used to be it may "catch a whiff" of the cat or even see it and go into feeding mode. Maybe last year the cat seemed too big to eat, but now it's looking like a possibility. Hard to say.

Warm hands and motion in front of the animal MAY trigger a feeding response after smelling cat in the air.

You will certainly know the difference between defensive behavior and feeding behavior once you are able to read your snake.

Everybody that owns a snake usually says "It's not if,,,, but when" they'll get tagged.

Unless there is some terrible mishap with temps and humidity I think this is a feeding response.

Dennis is a 5 foot male. Even if fed 2 days prior, having the cat sniff him is certainly going to stir up his senses. The video I posted of the boa and the cat shows what looks like a fairly small snake trying to constrict a cat.

Spring time leading to summer is when the food supply for these animals becomes abundant and maybe Dennis is on a second growth spurt.

Even after a larger meal, my 4 foot 9" male will stay "turned on" for a day or two after feeding.

How's he doing now? Is he more settled and calm?