Snake bite and bacteria?

Hi guys!:) I sometimes think that whether there will be some bad bacteria pass through snake bite from the rodent to human? I fed my babies frozen/thaw rat I bought from perfect prey, I feel it should be OK and I saw that everyone will just wash the wound and rinse some rubbing alcohol or something after checking the snake is OK. And I haven't saw any news or posts that someone get some disease or infected by some bacteria (salmonella? lol) related with the rodent after a bite. So may I know is it enough to do like this after a bite:
1 gently let the snake go and check if he/she loses teeth. If not, snake is OK.
2 wash human wound with water and rubbing alcohol.
Thank you so much!

Yeah, that's about it, unless you get bit by an adult retic or burmese... then stitches are in order. Lol

As long as you aren't feeding extra extra thawed (aka starting to rot)-your bite can just be cleaned.

However, if you get bit by your Argus monitor lizard who has been snacking on his sun ripened dead goat on/off for the last week...you probably want to get it checked by a professional...

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1 gently let the snake go and check if he/she loses teeth. If not, snake is OK.

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Snakes are losing teeth most of the time. It's not a big deal. IMO, the answer here is gently let the snake go, or not, whichever seems the better idea at the time.

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2 wash human wound with water and rubbing alcohol.

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Check that no snake tooth was left in human's wound. Wash human's wound with soap and water. Or some other antiseptic if desired. Antibiotic cream is generally not needed but optional.

Years back, a state herp club did a survey of infections from snake bites. Of approximately 50 responses, none reported an infection. For what it's worth, I've had plenty of bites from non-venomous snakes without any infection.

I had a snake tooth stuck in the first finger of my left hand just past the first joint out from the knuckle for nearly a year before I figured out why it didn't feel quite right. I finally opened up the spot and squeezed out the tooth. There was no infection either before or after I got rid of the tooth.

Fortunately, I have never been bitten by a snake that was big enough for the wounds to require stitches. However, a couple of times I have dripped blood all the way to the sink. :)

LOL Thank you! Luckily the biggest snake I may have is a BCC boa haha!

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

Yeah, that's about it, unless you get bit by an adult retic or burmese... then stitches are in order. Lol

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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Thank you so much! You guys are so humorous! :D

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

As long as you aren't feeding extra extra thawed (aka starting to rot)-your bite can just be cleaned.

However, if you get bit by your Argus monitor lizard who has been snacking on his sun ripened dead goat on/off for the last week...you probably want to get it checked by a professional...

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Any and all bites should be cleaned and washed out. The bigger the snake and reptile, the worse the bite and the greater chance of a hospital visit. For little snakes like ball python, just use some antiseptic and water to wash off the bite and you will be just fine.

WOW!!! That's really great news!! Really nice to hear that! Thank you so much! Now I'm ready and confident to get any bites from my new baby suriname boa lol!!! He's not happy recently since I start to treat him with his mites and sometimes he's hissing me lol!!! Wow one year!!! Is the tooth too small to see? Will they lose teeth even we don't move after their bite? Will snakes also lose teeth when they eating?:confusd: Wow is there anything like anticoagulation will be sent when they bite which causing more bleeding:confusd:? Wow plenty of ! you must have so many snakes:)! May I know which kinds of your snakes are responsible for most of the bites lol?

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Originally Posted by paulh

Snakes are losing teeth most of the time. It's not a big deal. IMO, the answer here is gently let the snake go, or not, whichever seems the better idea at the time.


Check that no snake tooth was left in human's wound. Wash human's wound with soap and water. Or some other antiseptic if desired. Antibiotic cream is generally not needed but optional.

Years back, a state herp club did a survey of infections from snake bites. Of approximately 50 responses, none reported an infection. For what it's worth, I've had plenty of bites from non-venomous snakes without any infection.

I had a snake tooth stuck in the first finger of my left hand just past the first joint out from the knuckle for nearly a year before I figured out why it didn't feel quite right. I finally opened up the spot and squeezed out the tooth. There was no infection either before or after I got rid of the tooth.

Fortunately, I have never been bitten by a snake that was big enough for the wounds to require stitches. However, a couple of times I have dripped blood all the way to the sink. :)

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Thank you so much!:) Hope my Suriname baby will be docile when he becomes big...:please:

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Originally Posted by SDA

Any and all bites should be cleaned and washed out. The bigger the snake and reptile, the worse the bite and the greater chance of a hospital visit. For little snakes like ball python, just use some antiseptic and water to wash off the bite and you will be just fine.

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Originally Posted by alice40604345

Wow one year!!! Is the tooth too small to see? Will they lose teeth even we don't move after their bite? Will snakes also lose teeth when they eating?:confusd: Wow is there anything like anticoagulation will be sent when they bite which causing more bleeding:confusd:? Wow plenty of ! you must have so many snakes:)! May I know which kinds of your snakes are responsible for most of the bites lol?

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Teeth can be hair-thin, even from a good-sized snake. If you’ve ever had a fine cactus spine/hair, sliver of glass, or insulation fiber, its kind of like that.

Anti-coagulant is usually a venom component. Bleeding is usually because bites consist of a bunch of punctures, and are usually on or near your hands, which have plenty of circulation, especially when the surprise of a bite gives your blood pressure a jolt. [emoji57]

The snakes most likely to bite, IMO, are scared babies. Which is usually not a big deal, and with gentle, consistent care and handling they grow out of it.

Then there’s the bites that are mostly human-caused, where the snakes
* aren’t handled consistently
* aren’t handled respectfully - startled, handled roughly, not supported, etc. Grumpy while in shed is a small sub-section, as sometimes handling while in shed has to happen
* feeding accidents - like the time I reached into my Woma python’s enclosure on feeding night for another group of snakes. He could smell food, sense warm thing in his enclosure, and went for it, then let go in confusion - Hey! That’s not my mousie!


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Originally Posted by alice40604345

WOW!!! That's really great news!! Really nice to hear that! Thank you so much! Now I'm ready and confident to get any bites from my new baby suriname boa lol!!! He's not happy recently since I start to treat him with his mites and sometimes he's hissing me lol!!! Wow one year!!! Is the tooth too small to see? Will they lose teeth even we don't move after their bite? Will snakes also lose teeth when they eating?:confusd: Wow is there anything like anticoagulation will be sent when they bite which causing more bleeding:confusd:? Wow plenty of ! you must have so many snakes:)! May I know which kinds of your snakes are responsible for most of the bites lol?

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Prognathodon gave good information.

A 1-year old boa probably has teeth about as thick as the period in a newspaper article and ~1/16 inch long. The less stress on a tooth, the less likely it will be lost. Yes, snakes also lose teeth when they eating. A buddy of mine collected the poop from a gaboon viper, soaked it in water and broke it into fragments. By the end of a year he had a nice collection of fangs and teeth.

Bullsnakes have given me the largest number of bites (mostly feeding bites) because I've kept more bullsnakes than any other species. They are great animals! But a nervous 7-foot boa constrictor gave me my single worst bite.

I've been bitten by most of my snakes and they range from 4 feet to about 8-9 feet. Caesar hasnt bitten me yet and he is my biggest at 8-9 feet. Rosey did bite me and she is almost 7 feet. It bled all over but i just washed it and rubbed alcohol on and made sure i didnt have teeth in my arm and its fine. It didnt even hurt but it was also a startled bite from her, not a i want to kill you bite lol. The worst bite i got was actually from my 4.5 foot BP who thought my index finger was a bald scrawny rat and tried to drag it into her hide to eat. I had to dunk her head with my finger into her water bowl to get her to let go. Mice and Rat bites hurt a LOT more than a snake bite. I personally wouldnt worry too much about an infection or getting some kind of life threatening illness. Just wash it, make sure there are no teeth in there and rub down some alcohol on it and you should be fine.

Wow!!! First time to know! In the past, I thought the teeth may be strong and firm and thick...Really interesting to know these knowledge! Thank you so much!!
Oh Oh! Cactus spine:O I'd rather been biten by thicker teeth lol! Yeah mine is a scared baby lol! Hope he will grow out of it~
I don't know why when I take him out, he's calmer than when I put him back to his tub. He's so scared when I put him back and close the tub...I'm always quite slow...:confusd:
Wow! I should be careful when feeding lol! Your woma is so cute lol！ He recognizes it's you not mouse haha. Do you use hook to touch them before grab them? I find many people do hook training here but I haven't.

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Originally Posted by Prognathodon

Teeth can be hair-thin, even from a good-sized snake. If you’ve ever had a fine cactus spine/hair, sliver of glass, or insulation fiber, its kind of like that.

Anti-coagulant is usually a venom component. Bleeding is usually because bites consist of a bunch of punctures, and are usually on or near your hands, which have plenty of circulation, especially when the surprise of a bite gives your blood pressure a jolt. [emoji57]

The snakes most likely to bite, IMO, are scared babies. Which is usually not a big deal, and with gentle, consistent care and handling they grow out of it.

Then there’s the bites that are mostly human-caused, where the snakes
* aren’t handled consistently
* aren’t handled respectfully - startled, handled roughly, not supported, etc. Grumpy while in shed is a small sub-section, as sometimes handling while in shed has to happen
* feeding accidents - like the time I reached into my Woma python’s enclosure on feeding night for another group of snakes. He could smell food, sense warm thing in his enclosure, and went for it, then let go in confusion - Hey! That’s not my mousie!


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Hahahahahaha! They'll poop the teeth out?! That's so interesting! I guess that's where my gaboon viper teeth I bought from a reptile expo came from:tears::D...."a nice collection of fangs and teeth..." Looks like their teeth grows like human's hair...:D....Oh not sure whether my Suriname may grow to that size...he's a male though... May I know why the bite is the worst? Is it because the boa has more teeth or he/she just bite with all his/her power?

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Originally Posted by paulh

Prognathodon gave good information.

A 1-year old boa probably has teeth about as thick as the period in a newspaper article and ~1/16 inch long. The less stress on a tooth, the less likely it will be lost. Yes, snakes also lose teeth when they eating. A buddy of mine collected the poop from a gaboon viper, soaked it in water and broke it into fragments. By the end of a year he had a nice collection of fangs and teeth.

Bullsnakes have given me the largest number of bites (mostly feeding bites) because I've kept more bullsnakes than any other species. They are great animals! But a nervous 7-foot boa constrictor gave me my single worst bite.

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I’ve been bitten by all kinds of things snakes, lizards, tarantulas, and scorpions, technically a sting and truthfully haven’t always washed them out. Now granted as an adult I’d be more inclined to because as I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed I don’t heal as quickly. The only problem I’ve ever had was a bite from a copperhead and that definitely wasn’t bacterial 😁

Wow Thank you so much! that's surprising that ball python wins the bite competition :O Do most of your bites have something to do with food? So if they don't let us go,spray or dunk their head into water is the best way right?:) I'll try this if it happens lol!

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I've been bitten by most of my snakes and they range from 4 feet to about 8-9 feet. Caesar hasnt bitten me yet and he is my biggest at 8-9 feet. Rosey did bite me and she is almost 7 feet. It bled all over but i just washed it and rubbed alcohol on and made sure i didnt have teeth in my arm and its fine. It didnt even hurt but it was also a startled bite from her, not a i want to kill you bite lol. The worst bite i got was actually from my 4.5 foot BP who thought my index finger was a bald scrawny rat and tried to drag it into her hide to eat. I had to dunk her head with my finger into her water bowl to get her to let go. Mice and Rat bites hurt a LOT more than a snake bite. I personally wouldnt worry too much about an infection or getting some kind of life threatening illness. Just wash it, make sure there are no teeth in there and rub down some alcohol on it and you should be fine.

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Originally Posted by alice40604345

Hahahahahaha! They'll poop the teeth out?! That's so interesting! I guess that's where my gaboon viper teeth I bought from a reptile expo came from:tears::D...."a nice collection of fangs and teeth..." Looks like their teeth grows like human's hair...:D....Oh not sure whether my Suriname may grow to that size...he's a male though... May I know why the bite is the worst? Is it because the boa has more teeth or he/she just bite with all his/her power?

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Teeth are among the few things that a snake cannot digest. Tooth enamel is about as chemically inert as a body part can be. So when a loose tooth gets caught in a prey animal and is pulled free, the tooth just goes down into the stomach with the food and on out in the poop. A food rodent's teeth, hair and claws are not digested and become part of the snake's poop, too.

Snake skulls: https://www.google.com/search?q=snak...N6oTNUj16RrFM:

In the pictures, note the gaps between teeth. Those mark where loose teeth were lost during skull preparation.

The 7-foot female boa constrictor that gave me my worst bite was wild caught and had a larger head than most boas I've seen. Her mouth was wide open when she nailed me across the back of the hand. So lots of teeth went into me in an area with large veins and a short distance between veins and skin surface. That's why I dripped blood all over the floor. Most of my other bites involved fewer or smaller teeth going into areas with smaller veins and more padding.

If it were a wild snake I might consider a doctor's visit, but in captivity they are unlikely to be exposed to any bacteria you don't already have in the house. So I would focus on keeping the wound clean so you don't pick up an infection post-bite. ☺

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Wow that's really interesting knowledge! In the past I thought all teeth in a snake's mouth is like the skull.
OMG looks super painful!!:O Maybe the strongest and wildest boa can survive in the wild... so she must be a really wild and strong animal:please:...Hope that no scar left on your hand.. Is she much calmer now?

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Originally Posted by paulh

Teeth are among the few things that a snake cannot digest. Tooth enamel is about as chemically inert as a body part can be. So when a loose tooth gets caught in a prey animal and is pulled free, the tooth just goes down into the stomach with the food and on out in the poop. A food rodent's teeth, hair and claws are not digested and become part of the snake's poop, too.

Snake skulls: https://www.google.com/search?q=snak...N6oTNUj16RrFM:

In the pictures, note the gaps between teeth. Those mark where loose teeth were lost during skull preparation.

The 7-foot female boa constrictor that gave me my worst bite was wild caught and had a larger head than most boas I've seen. Her mouth was wide open when she nailed me across the back of the hand. So lots of teeth went into me in an area with large veins and a short distance between veins and skin surface. That's why I dripped blood all over the floor. Most of my other bites involved fewer or smaller teeth going into areas with smaller veins and more padding.

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Thank you so much lol! :)

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Originally Posted by Lirenn

If it were a wild snake I might consider a doctor's visit, but in captivity they are unlikely to be exposed to any bacteria you don't already have in the house. So I would focus on keeping the wound clean so you don't pick up an infection post-bite. ☺

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Salmonella is actually in the snake's digestive tract, and I believe it helps them digest their food. The concern with salmonella has to do more with the snake's waste than it's mouth, so I don't think you need to worry about it with a bite. I've heard feeding-related bites are worse than fear-related ones mostly because the snake doesn't plan on letting go when they strike at prey, versus nipping at a threat to warn them away. I've also heard that being bitten is just part of owning snakes, so let us know when you do have your first experience! (I've not had mine yet either.)

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Originally Posted by alice40604345

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OMG looks super painful!!:O Maybe the strongest and wildest boa can survive in the wild... so she must be a really wild and strong animal:please:...Hope that no scar left on your hand.. Is she much calmer now?

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If there are scars on my hand, I can't see them now. I'm not quite as blind as a bat yet. :)

This bite was over 40 years ago now, but it wasn't one to forget easily. Actually, there was surprisingly little pain. Possibly endorphins kicked in though.

The snake did not belong to me. I had borrowed her for possible breeding with my male, and this bite was soon after I got her. No luck with breeding because I didn't have a clue to what conditions were needed. I returned her to the owner after about 6 months, and she was considerably calmer when I returned her than when I got her.

Wow thank you so much! First time to know...In the past I just thought it's some kind of dangerous bacteria carried by rodent and never done research. I was always thinking whether human breed rodent still have bad bacteria or virus lol. Yeah I can feel it must be really bad if they bite me with his feeding response. My boa always stays a strike position with S shape neck and upward head after eating his rat :please:. I always wait until he's calmer then pick him back to his home....When I pick him up, he'll turn around his head and shows his strike position again and looks like he wants to taste my hand :tears:
LOL yeah I saw a bite club here. I'll let you guys know when I join in.

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Originally Posted by elleon

Salmonella is actually in the snake's digestive tract, and I believe it helps them digest their food. The concern with salmonella has to do more with the snake's waste than it's mouth, so I don't think you need to worry about it with a bite. I've heard feeding-related bites are worse than fear-related ones mostly because the snake doesn't plan on letting go when they strike at prey, versus nipping at a threat to warn them away. I've also heard that being bitten is just part of owning snakes, so let us know when you do have your first experience! (I've not had mine yet either.)

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40 years ago! Wow!! You have kept snakes for a really long time!:) I hope I could still have my babies 40 years later! Ah she maybe just want to be single and do not want to have babies lol

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Originally Posted by paulh

If there are scars on my hand, I can't see them now. I'm not quite as blind as a bat yet. :)

This bite was over 40 years ago now, but it wasn't one to forget easily. Actually, there was surprisingly little pain. Possibly endorphins kicked in though.

The snake did not belong to me. I had borrowed her for possible breeding with my male, and this bite was soon after I got her. No luck with breeding because I didn't have a clue to what conditions were needed. I returned her to the owner after about 6 months, and she was considerably calmer when I returned her than when I got her.

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Once you get tagged by these a couple times, everyone else’s bites will feel like feathers [emoji23]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...412d8d48b0.jpg


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