Is it bad I wanna get bit?

Ok so I don't really but I'm a new owner and I'm really nervous about it. I have been bit by a cat which has alot bigger teeth and I'm not stressed by that. I guess I'm saying I'll be relieved when it happens so I can just get over it. I do everything I can to prevent this behavior by my girl and i would never intentionally cause her to strike but as a realist I know it could happen.

I could help you, i'll loan you the evil queen Allison. I usually get bit by her at least once per cage outing lol. This last one, she was perched on my shoulders and slipped off somehow and fell on the carpet. When I picked her up, I guess she was mad about that and actually slimed my with a dab of musk and then bit my arm as she was climbing back onto me lol. First time she ever musked me, guess it was a way of saying, "don't even let the queen fall again!!" :P

I'll tell you, no need to be nervous... The first time I was tagged, I actually didn't even know. It wasn't until a minute or two later, I happened to look down at my hand, and there were two red dots with a bit of blood coming down. Granted, it was from a little ~4 month old hatchling. :P

And then I've been struck seriously at one other time, and dodged it! And then she latched onto herself instead (but her scales probably protected her). It's not impossible to dodge! LOL

I had my ball python grab my finger after she thought it was a skinny rat and try and drag it into her hide to eat. That actually hurt lol. The only way I got her to let go was I had to pick up with my other hand and dunk her head and my finger in her water bowl. She then let go, looked up at, adjusted her jaw and crawled back into her hide lol. She is alittle over 4'. I've also had my sunglow boa spin around 180 and latch onto the webbing between my thumb and index finger once when I thought "meh, its ok to play with F/T rats and then reach in behind a snake" "No way they can spin around before I can get my hand out of the cage".....yes they can :P That one kind of hurt too.

You can reduce some chances of getting bit if you use tongs to feed your bp, especially if it has a strong feeding response. You don't want to put your fingers into its cage with rat scent on them.

You should go back to the early episodes of Snakebytes TV on YouTube. Chewy gets bit all the time, it will take the fear out of it for ya. You'll actually start laughing when he gets bit LOL.

It's not ever really the bite that startles me, it's more the sudden movement that I'm not expecting. If you've ever caught lizards or skinks in your back yard and been bit by them, I'd actually venture to say that hurts more than being tagged by a baby ball. So does stubbing your toe, knicking yourself with a shaving razor, or bumping your head... in my opinion at least. Though I've never been solidly bitten by anything bigger than an adult Texas rat LOL ;)

Iv'e been bit more times than I can count and I don't like it. This new little girl hasn't bit me yet though. She is as chill as can be. Iv'e never even seen her ball up. I don't like to see vids where people encourage biting. It took me forever to get my better half onboard with getting another snake and the last thing I want her to see is snakes biting people on youtube.

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Originally Posted by Trisnake

It's not ever really the bite that startles me, it's more the sudden movement that I'm not expecting. If you've ever caught lizards or skinks in your back yard and been bit by them, I'd actually venture to say that hurts more than being tagged by a baby ball. So does stubbing your toe, knicking yourself with a shaving razor, or bumping your head... in my opinion at least. Though I've never been solidly bitten by anything bigger than an adult Texas rat LOL ;)

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When I was a kid someone at some reptile shop in San Marcos had a gallon jug with 10 Texas Rat Snake hatchlings and gave them all to me. I had to beg my mom to let me keep them. lol They were sooooo nippy. Those things bit me over and over no matter how much time I put into trying to tame them. I ended up keeping 2 of them until I left home and they bit like crazy the whole time I had them.

I've had so many bites over the years that I've count lost count .

Luckily all young snakes and not too large .

Culprits include a young Boas , young BRBs. , various Kings, a Woma Python and a couple of Royals ( feeding bites) . One of the Royals bit my hand and it just stung a little and was itchy about an hour later .... a week later it was a bit sore and I noticed that some teeth had been left in under the skin and had worked themselves to the surface !


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Originally Posted by cletus

When I was a kid someone at some reptile shop in San Marcos had a gallon jug with 10 Texas Rat Snake hatchlings and gave them all to me. I had to beg my mom to let me keep them. lol They were sooooo nippy. Those things bit me over and over no matter how much time I put into trying to tame them. I ended up keeping 2 of them until I left home and they bit like crazy the whole time I had them.

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I was joking yesterday about my feisty little LTRs are and how often they try and bite , I said " I'm dreading the day they get teeth :)


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I know what you mean OP, thinking about it is worse than the actual bite. My little BP hasn't bit yet, but when I was younger I had this corn that never tamed down. Those bites didn't hurt as much as the surprise of being struck at.

My sis had a baby mexican black king that mistook my pinky for the mousy kind. I was so afraid I'd hurt it, and it got almost half of my finger down it's throat before it decided I was too big. I remember it feeling very strange...

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I'll tell you, no need to be nervous... The first time I was tagged, I actually didn't even know. It wasn't until a minute or two later, I happened to look down at my hand, and there were two red dots with a bit of blood coming down. Granted, it was from a little ~4 month old hatchling. :P

And then I've been struck seriously at one other time, and dodged it! And then she latched onto herself instead (but her scales probably protected her). It's not impossible to dodge! LOL

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What is that stunner in your signature??

And, I've been kinda wondering what a bite is like too. I've got a 3 year old and a 2.5 month old. No tags yet.

Getting bit isn't bad at all, now when snakes are larger and certain breeds, this can actually hurt quite a lot.

Some of the painful bites I've endured:

1.) 7 ft boa missing the rat.
2.) 3-4 ft ATB(if you knew what the teeth on this thing looked like, you'd understand why)
3.) A copperhead as a kid when I used to catch wild snakes all the time. Well I didn't see momma, I only saw one of the babies. Momma popped me as I was reaching in. This hurt for quite some time and was pretty painful.
4.) The Rhino rat snake on my finger hurt more than a defensive bite would of, it spent some odd 30 minutes or so trying to swallow my finger so it kept turning. We tried to get it off a few times with no avail and I didn't want to hurt the snake in the process, so I just let it do whatever it needed to do and it eventually let go.

When I first got my noodle, the fear of a bite was crippling. I could barely handle him and then I'd get more stressed that I was agitating him by being so nervous or putting him back after a few minutes and kind of flopping him into his enclosure (he would jerk his head back as I set him down and that scared me so I kinda just slid him off my hand).

I still haven't been bit and it still freaks me out, but my wife did a bunch of research on how non-bitey BP are and how it doesn't hurt even when they do and, most importantly, what it looks like when they are going to strike. As a new owner, every motion he made led me to think he was going to hit me. I'm much better with him now, haha.

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Originally Posted by shadow reaper

When I first got my noodle, the fear of a bite was crippling. I could barely handle him and then I'd get more stressed that I was agitating him by being so nervous or putting him back after a few minutes and kind of flopping him into his enclosure (he would jerk his head back as I set him down and that scared me so I kinda just slid him off my hand).

I still haven't been bit and it still freaks me out, but my wife did a bunch of research on how non-bitey BP are and how it doesn't hurt even when they do and, most importantly, what it looks like when they are going to strike. As a new owner, every motion he made led me to think he was going to hit me. I'm much better with him now, haha.

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I always use large tongs whilst offering to my strike feeders just to minimise the risks .

Also I NEVER put my hand in front of the mouths / heads even through some suggest approaching them from the front with an open hand .. .. Never fancied that at all . I usually just gently stroke them on their bodies to gauge their mood - that's more for my Boas / Burm / Retic / Kings etc etc .. I've never had a feisty Royal / Ball python but I still approach them slowly and from behind ..

You're basically looking for that S shape stance _ I suppose .

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I always use large tongs whilst offering to my strike feeders just to minimise the risks.

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I feed with tongs, as well, I meant in general handling. I'm owning my first snake ever and while I've never had a fear of snakes, I also wasn't around them much. In fact, the first snake I've ever held was my own at the reptile show before I bought him! Feeding doesn't bother me because I'm far removed, but at first the idea of picking him up and holding him scared me to death. As soon as he would start to explore my hands I'd put him down. I'm much better now, but I wouldn't say super relaxed yet.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

You're basically looking for that S shape stance _ I suppose .

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That's what I thought and why I freaked out so much because anytime he backs up he has an S shape. He would try to explore out of my hand and then back up and I'd freak out and put him down. So I've heard they get a ridged, raised look to their head/neck when they will strike.

As I said I found it safer to approach them slowly from behind , stroking their sides gently to assess their mood . Works for me .

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Originally Posted by Yzmasmom

What is that stunner in your signature??

And, I've been kinda wondering what a bite is like too. I've got a 3 year old and a 2.5 month old. No tags yet.

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She's a super pastel cinnamon possible het pied! :P

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

She's a super pastel cinnamon possible het pied! :P

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Will she fade with age?? I need eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee her!!!!!!!!

What actually does hurt is if you ever get bit by a rat or mouse. Those little suckers really hurt. A snake bite next to those feel like a light tickling with a feather lol.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

What actually does hurt is if you ever get bit by a rat or mouse. Those little suckers really hurt. A snake bite next to those feel like a light tickling with a feather lol.

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No doubt. A ferret will put a hurtin on you as well.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

What actually does hurt is if you ever get bit by a rat or mouse. Those little suckers really hurt. A snake bite next to those feel like a light tickling with a feather lol.

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For sure :B I was bitten by a large~jumbo sized feeder rat on the underside of my finger, and blood flowed like a river. I was so mad. LOL