whats with the concept of manliness in letting snakes bite you? LOL

Just making a vent thread

What's with the repeated idea among men of having to handle feisty snakes without gloves on, because apparently letting feisty snakes bite you proves you "have a pair" or are otherwise manly? I had some random man on the internet tell me to "grow a pair" after I posted a video of handling my GTP while wearing gloves, since she has tried to bite me a few times in the past in the middle of handling. And the variety of man-to-man comments I've gotten in the past about "manning up" and just letting my scrub python bite me, from people who clearly don't realize I'm in fact not a man. lol

I don't know about you, but I'd still prefer not to have a bunch of holes in my skin if there are simple ways to prevent it and while knowing the snake is readily defensive, thanks.

And I don't see an actual man as lesser or lame if you do wear gloves when handling feisty snakes, so... haha. In fact, I'd see it as just a smart, normal preventative.

I can't help feeling the "pair" he was refering to were neurons.

I get bitten occasionally while feeding - I can assure you screaming obsenities and squealing like a little girl during a large adult feeding bite in no way increases testosterone.

Oddly I do advise handling without gloves simply because it lets you more accurately judge the pressure you are applying to the snake during handling - but if you are feeding you shouldn't be handling and vice-versa.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Just making a vent thread

What's with the repeated idea among men of having to handle feisty snakes without gloves on, because apparently letting feisty snakes bite you proves you "have a pair" or are otherwise manly? I had some random man on the internet tell me to "grow a pair" after I posted a video of handling my GTP while wearing gloves, since she has tried to bite me a few times in the past in the middle of handling. And the variety of man-to-man comments I've gotten in the past about "manning up" and just letting my scrub python bite me, from people who clearly don't realize I'm in fact not a man. lol

I don't know about you, but I'd still prefer not to have a bunch of holes in my skin if there are simple ways to prevent it and while knowing the snake is readily defensive, thanks.

And I don't see an actual man as lesser or lame if you do wear gloves when handling feisty snakes, so... haha. In fact, I'd see it as just a smart, normal preventative.

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Safety first :)


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I have been mitten by my 7+ ft boa. I didn't even know it happened till it was over. I was surprised how little damaged she did. Sure it was bloody and all but in the end you can't tell anything ever happened.

I have scars from cat scratches.

But the psychology of being bit by a snake is much greater than being scratched by a cat.

All that being said to say that, it is perfectly understandable to try and protect yourself but an animal known for biting.

This is an honest question, because I seriously don't know the answer. Since I've never kept a snake that I felt warranted gloves I've never done much research on the topic. So here's my question:

Would the gloves increase the risk of injury to the snake?

My thought is that the material may snag a tooth more than skin might.

Again, I honestly don't know, so I'm asking.

Either way, @redshepherd, I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and admiration for you animals. Whether you wear gloves or not doesn't make a lick of difference to me, because I know your animals are well cared for.

It's just the 'old school' mentality, same as how some 'big dudes' only want to have 'big snakes' or gators to show a 'toughness'. Used to see it a lot more 20 yrs ago too.
Vent away and ignore it, silly machismo. I don't normally wear gloves but I wield a snake hook and shield like no body's business.
I'm not against wearing gloves though. I've had an ATB bite my hip and get a tooth stuck in jeans for a moment, they usually free themselves quite easily.
Also... If getting bit makes you a man then I guess I'm wearing the wrong type of pants. XDD
Silly people.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

...What's with the repeated idea among men of having to handle feisty snakes without gloves on, because apparently letting feisty snakes bite you proves you "have a pair" or are otherwise manly? ...

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The smarter you are, the less "brave" you have to be... And I'm a gal too so I'll never "grow [or have] a pair" but FYI guys, if you want to put on some gloves so
you have hands left that aren't shredded, it's perfectly fine with me. :cool:

I've never felt more manly than when I cried for 3 days and refused to get out of bed because I had a head cold.

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Originally Posted by MasonC2K

I have been mitten by my 7+ ft boa. I didn't even know it happened till it was over. I was surprised how little damaged she did. Sure it was bloody and all but in the end you can't tell anything ever happened.

I have scars from cat scratches.

But the psychology of being bit by a snake is much greater than being scratched by a cat.

All that being said to say that, it is perfectly understandable to try and protect yourself but an animal known for biting.

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I've been bitten so many times by my tanimbar python that I lost track so then I decided to wear gloves, since I already know she'd bite me anyway. :/ My GTP has attempted three times but she's dumb and misses and bites the perch or herself instead LOL, which is frequent considering I only take her out like twice a year. It's not really psychology, it's that I already know they're going to bite me without a doubt ahah.

And craig, for some reason I've found that the gloves keep them calmer and they don't act up or get as nervous when I handle with gloves, I guess because the temp isn't super warm like my skin. My skin temp seems to be what makes my tanimbar python tick. So they've never actually bitten the gloves.

That's a great point about gloves helping to disguise our body warmth, I never thought of that. I only have one snake that I put on gloves for, a perpetually-
panicky (& adult) Korean rat snake.

Toxic masculinity... being unafraid of pain (ie stupid) is the sign of a real man. :rofl:

My water python can be feisty when I first take her out, and has a wicked set of teeth, so I use a pair of leather work gloves when I take her out, and slip them off when she has calmed a bit.

I see no reason to expose ones self to harm needlessly, but then again I value intelligence over machismo.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

And craig, for some reason I've found that the gloves keep them calmer and they don't act up or get as nervous when I handle with gloves, I guess because the temp isn't super warm like my skin. My skin temp seems to be what makes my tanimbar python tick. So they've never actually bitten the gloves.

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Thanks! That makes good sense too. I wouldn't have thought of that. I 1000% say if it works for you and your snakes, keep doing it.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Thanks! That makes good sense too. I wouldn't have thought of that. I 1000% say if it works for you and your snakes, keep doing it.

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Or maybe it's that they get far less of our scent (and some of their own?) on the gloves?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Or maybe it's that they get far less of our scent (and some of their own?) on the gloves?

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It could be that too!

Thinking back, I noticed that even when I stick my hands in the enclosure with the gloves on, she has never struck at the gloves or even seem that bothered by it. While she 100% does at my bare hand. And when I touch her body with gloves, she barely even reacts to it. Where when I touch her body with my bare hand, she literally jumps out of her skin in shock and either turns around to bite or zooms away LOL.

I've never heard of this being a sentiment that is only held by men. I'd guess that there are women who believe this as well.

It comes down to the individual male or female whether you wear gloves, hook train, or even handle in the first place etc. So I can't see it being inherent to any one gender. Just personal preference.

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Originally Posted by Valyrian

I've never heard of this being a sentiment that is only held by men. I'd guess that there are women who believe this as well.

It comes down to the individual male or female whether you wear gloves, hook train, or even handle in the first place etc. So I can't see it being inherent to any one gender. Just personal preference.

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Here in the US at least, it does seem to be a man thing, maybe it's because most snake keepers here seem to be male (although in the last decade or so that has begun to change) or maybe guys here seem to want to prove themselves as being tougher than everyone else by doing stupid things. Either way, I see what shepherd is talking about fairly often, especially among guys who keep the bigger and feistier species.

Me Tarzan! Me like snakes! Snakes bite me! Me Man!

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

I've never felt more manly than when I cried for 3 days and refused to get out of bed because I had a head cold.

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I am truly the biggest baby when it comes to being sick. My wife hates it because all I do is whine and complain.

Being bit is not at all fun. I've been bit by almost everything I have, and my juvenile olive python bite I recently received was the worst. Mere food response, but it was a bite, head twist and coil that left some bruising.

I still jump when someone strikes harder than usual at the rat, so I suppose I should also grow a pair.

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Originally Posted by PiperPython

I am truly the biggest baby when it comes to being sick. My wife hates it because all I do is whine and complain.

Being bit is not at all fun. I've been bit by almost everything I have, and my juvenile olive python bite I recently received was the worst. Mere food response, but it was a bite, head twist and coil that left some bruising.

I still jump when someone strikes harder than usual at the rat, so I suppose I should also grow a pair.

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Oh I'm right there with ya when it comes to being sick. I'm such a whine bag. Such a baby.
Cuts and burns from work (I cook for a living, so they're frequent) don't phase me anymore. I played a hockey game a few years back and broke my thumb in the 1st period, finished the game and after the game I showed my girlfriend (a registered nurse) and she was shocked. I had purposely left my glove on for the rest of the game to try to contain the swelling but it blew up immediately after the game. She just gave me a look, and I knew I was headed to the ER for x-rays (I wouldn't have gone til at least day 4 or 5 on my own).
Yup, the same guy who whines at the first sniffle finished a meaningless hockey game with a broken thumb. Maybe it's the hockey player in me (soccer, baseball, basketball players would have gone down and made a spectical crying like babies) but maybe that machismo is just in our DNA to some degree.

Anyway, I got off topic a bit, but wanted to finish with this thought: men are generally raised to put on a tough guy front from childhood. Men aren't supposed to cry, men are supposed to be rocks. However, that seems to be fading with each generation.
Granted, the world is changing and I think many kids these days are entitled little babies, there's still that stigma that men are supposed to be tough.

Well, all that being said, I'm an almost 40 year old man. I cry, I take baths sometimes and I'm a mega wimp when I'm sick. But I'm having knee surgery a week from Tues and will likely not whine once. I'll be back to work in a week regardless of the pain. So yup, for whatever reason, we put up the facade and act tough, because we're men. We're "supposed" to be tough. But most of us are just stubborn morons.

Lol - I agree that it's a silly macho thing. I don't know why and I'm not a man either so I can't shed light on the inner workings of the masculine mind, but Ive dealt with it for years in the wildlife and veterinary field. I've had men laugh and snicker when I've put on a pair of eagle gloves to deal with red-tail hawks and great horned owls that were down (both instances that we in public were big tough animal control officers, the other times were around male volunteers).
Yes, they seem fluffy and weak, especially the hit-by-car cases, but a great horned owl can crush a box turtle with it;s feet...I like my arms. And I can attest that if a bird really wants to talon you the gloves don't stop it entirely, and it hurts like heck.

As for snakes, I've worn my thin kangaroo gloves when dealing with very feisty large black rats when doing injections or wound treatments - the bites don't hurt but why get bit when you don't have to? I also used them when dealing with rattlesnakes / copperheads the few times I've had to, I doubt it would stop their fangs, but i liked feeling like I had a good grip on the snake hook and moving whatever they were hiding under.

If I had a larger feisty snake that was not ok yet with handling, I'd probably wear them too. The kangaroo is thin enough that I don't feel like I put too much pressure and smooth - I've never has scales stick to the seams or anything.

I've seen that attitude a fair amount. I don't generally wear gloves but if it's an animal that can cause damage absolutely. I had a very grouchy iguana and you bet I put gloves on if I grabbed him. My snakes usually it's more to prevent a bite, as they are less likely to strike a glove than my hand if they seem grouchy and once out of the cage they are just fine.

So I am a man, I grew up on a farm. I raced motorcycles as a kid and broke femurs, collar bones, elbows. I was the test pilot for new horses and as such landed hard more times than I can remember. As a result of my childhood I have a stupid tolerance for pain and refuse to take pain meds following everything from a vasectomy to tonsillectomy as an adult. I requested to be awake when they did surgery on my wrist so I could watch. I have been a firefighter for the last 22 years. My wife refers to me as a "man's man".
With all that said anyone who says you should "man up and take the bite" has never been bitten by a 10' scrub python. I took a friendly bite in the forearm from one and had nerve damage for months. It was a full year before I could feel my entire hand again. "Taking the bite" from any snake opens the door to injury and infection by both parties unnecessarily.
As for gloves, i don't like them. I like the dexterity in my hands. Often times i can tell what my snakes are going to do based on how tense their muscles are. If i have a snake i question at all i prefer a hook. With a hook I can control the head and feel the torso. To me it seems better for predicting their behavior and they seem more calm with the hook than gloves.
Keep in mind I am not working with hots and I am talking about working with larger pythons. With smaller stuff hatchlings and smaller species too small for a hook, I can usually prevent a bite with a flat palm.
Hope this helps and dispels any myths about "gloving up"

P.s. this does not mean I will not poke fun and a 350 lb body builder wearing welding gloves while holding a baby corn snake. We all gotta have our fun.

IMO alotta these men are just projecting some insecurities when they say stuff like that. like who are u trying to impress? or are u (over)compensating for something? lol. just keep doing u boo!