"Snakes are scary because they bite you!"

My baby BP that I've had since September: Never bitten me once and never even attempted to after the first week.

My sister's Aussiedoodle puppy that I watch most weekdays for barely over a month thus far: Constantly tries to treat my hands like chew toys despite my best efforts to the point where I'm starting to get scars over scars.

But sure, it's the snakes that are super scary and dangerous. :rolleye2:

Yep. People should really be careful around those fearocious garter snakes! :rofl:

Ouch, puppy teeth are sharp! They hurt for sure, & since puppies are still learning what's what. It helps if you "yipe" when they hurt you, so they have some feedback & learn, as they get when playing with other puppies. When you have just one puppy, it NEEDS to learn these things, even if it means pretending you're another dog, lol.

lol, yeah...I work at a vet clinic and so many people come in for "snake bites" or "snake attacks"...(occasionally there is a venomous snake bite, but never super serious) - it's much more often bee stings, abscess from fights with other mammals, etc

I just like to picture the deadly rattlesnake flying through the air like a spear from its hiding spot in woods and attacking a dog...

I've also heard the "snakes are super mean and will chase you" :rofl:

I'll never forget my very first vet visit with a snake: My vet came in with his hand bandaged & still bleeding from the cat he just saw, yet bravely willing to face the snake I'd brought in. He need not have worried, my snake was a total pacifist- in fact, none of my snakes have ever tried to bite a vet, no matter what. :D But snakes get all the bad reputations.

My favorite question I get from people about my snakes when they see them is "do they bite"? To which I reply "how do you eat a cheeseburger? You bite it. Everything bites"! Non reptile people just assume that these animals hold some sort of malice towards humans! But never want to talk about the daily dog attacks on people lol.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

My favorite question I get from people about my snakes when they see them is "do they bite"? To which I reply "how do you eat a cheeseburger? You bite it. Everything bites"! Non reptile people just assume that these animals hold some sort of malice towards humans! But never want to talk about the daily dog attacks on people lol.

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I often get "how many times have you been bitten?" :confusd: I've only kept ??? number of snakes for 3.5+ decades...do you really think I know? :rofl: None that were memorable enough to "count" though! I need to remember to ask them back "how many paper cuts have you had in the last 35 years?" :D WHAT? You didn't keep track??? Hahahaha!

People always ask if I've been bitten by a snake and I say "Oh yeah several times, I've also been bitten by dogs, cats, rats, bunnies, gerbils, birds, horses, and small children. If it has a mouth it probably will bite you."

I too have heard of snakes chasing people. :D I've also heard that if you are scared then they will attack you for no apparent reason.

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Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life

People always ask if I've been bitten by a snake and I say "Oh yeah several times, I've also been bitten by dogs, cats, rats, bunnies, gerbils, birds, horses, and small children. If it has a mouth it probably will bite you."

I too have heard of snakes chasing people. :D I've also heard that if you are scared then they will attack you for no apparent reason.

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And don't forget, "they can SMELL FEAR!" :rofl:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Ouch, puppy teeth are sharp! They hurt for sure, & since puppies are still learning what's what. It helps if you "yipe" when they hurt you, so they have some feedback & learn, as they get when playing with other puppies. When you have just one puppy, it NEEDS to learn these things, even if it means pretending you're another dog, lol.

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Tried your advice and it actually sort of worked. Emphasis on "sort of." It's all really but a distraction game to keep their attention on attacking the toys and not, well, my flesh. :rofl:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

And don't forget, "they can SMELL FEAR!" :rofl:

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Isn't there some genuine truth to that sort of thing? Not so much that they smell fear but there seems to be this overriding phenomenon across many types of animals that they can sense if a person is scared of them. And that animal will potentially act accordingly because fear means unpredictability and they're readying themselves for the worst. Whereas if a well-adjusted animal is around someone who's calm and confident with animals, they know it's safe to be relaxed in turn.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

...Isn't there some genuine truth to that sort of thing? Not so much that they smell fear but there seems to be this overriding phenomenon across many types of animals that they can sense if a person is scared of them. And that animal will potentially act accordingly because fear means unpredictability and they're readying themselves for the worst. Whereas if a well-adjusted animal is around someone who's calm and confident with animals, they know it's safe to be relaxed in turn.

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It depends what animals you're talking about. Fear itself has no odor for creatures to smell- if only it was that simple, eh? ;) There are pheromones, of course, but those are directed only to our own species.

Dogs & horses are social creatures & very intuitive- they actually read our faces, our voices, & our body language.

But snakes can't hear much, they don't see well, & they're not all that logical- but they do read our touch. Watch when snakes get together & mate...they read each others touch (along with scent, of course). We don't smell like snakes (I'm assuming, lol) so all they really sense from us is how we touch them. Have you ever had a snake shove you away? Or twitch after your touch. It's all about signaling. Now when a snake already KNOWS us, they recognize our scent too, so that familiarity puts them at ease. Just like us, they fear the "unknown"- it might be a predator, so it's with relief that they get our scent & touch.

The more you go out of your way to reassure a snake, even those that you cannot handle (like the hots I used to live with*), it all helps them to calm down, & when they're calm, they're eating & staying healthier. Too much stress is as bad for animals as it is for us, as far as our immune systems. Re-homing is stressful for them, always remember that- so when you get a new snake, do everything you can to help them relax & settle in with minimal fear. So their bodies can fight off anything they might have been exposed to along the way.

*To give you an example: when I kept rattlesnakes & they'd rattle at something in the room that disturbed them (like one of my dogs running by) I deliberately went to their enclosure & gave them my scent by blowing air across my hand thru the screen top so they recognized me, and rather than them being "mad at me" for scaring them, instead I very quickly noticed that they became calmer; that's when I realized that they fear the unknown, & are reassured by our familiarity. It got to where I was seldom rattled at, except by one or two "outliers" that were very high-strung, but it worked for most of them. Always try to find ways to communicate with animals- it often pays off more than you might think. ;)

Anytime someone says "they can bite you" I respond with "anything with a mouth can bite" lol btw puppy teeth are very sharp[emoji38] I'd rather get nipped by a snake than a puppy for sure lol

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Originally Posted by Alexiel03

Anytime someone says "they can bite you" I respond with "anything with a mouth can bite" lol btw puppy teeth are very sharp[emoji38] I'd rather get nipped by a snake than a puppy for sure lol

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If it's any indication, my index finger only just today healed enough to take off a band aid from a tooth wound so deep it took nearly a week to close fully.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

If it's any indication, my index finger only just today healed enough to take off a band aid from a tooth wound so deep it took nearly a week to close fully.

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Depending on what kind (size esp.) of snakes you keep- you for sure need to slow down & pay attention to their body language, & do your best to prevent such bites. We always remind people not to jerk their hand away, but I know that's pretty hard advice to follow- reflexively we do it anyway, most of us. I'm guessing that's why yours was so deep?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Depending on what kind (size esp.) of snakes you keep- you for sure need to slow down & pay attention to their body language, & do your best to prevent such bites. We always remind people not to jerk their hand away, but I know that's pretty hard advice to follow- reflexively we do it anyway, most of us. I'm guessing that's why yours was so deep?

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Forgot to clarify, the bite was from the puppy. :rofl:

Zebes has yet to ever bite me, and I've gotten very attuned to reading his behavior to the point where I can tell if he's stressed about something so I'm learning well there. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

Forgot to clarify, the bite was from the puppy. :rofl:

Zebes has yet to ever bite me, and I've gotten very attuned to reading his behavior to the point where I can tell if he's stressed about something so I'm learning well there. :gj:

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:P LOL. It wasn't clear & I didn't remember what you're keeping- a large constrictor's teeth can definitely shred you. Puppies just have to learn & out-grow that biting hands are a :colbert:

I do think paying attention with snakes is ALWAYS worthwhile- most bites are preventable, & who needs it?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

:P LOL. It wasn't clear & I didn't remember what you're keeping- a large constrictor's teeth can definitely shred you. Puppies just have to learn & out-grow that biting hands are a :colbert:

I do think paying attention with snakes is ALWAYS worthwhile- most bites are preventable, & who needs it?

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For info's sake, all I have in terms of reptiles is a 5 month-old BP. And that's likely how it'll be for a good while due to a big aquarium-related project I'm in the middle of taking up precedence.