Keep Snakes Away From Face ?

Just got a new BP book. It states that balls shouldnt be allowed to go anywhere near eyes, mouth or nose.. but it doesnt explaine why ?

Is it because of our hot breath ?

Deebo loves climbing around my neck, getting amoungst my hair & face...will he bite me if I breath on him if he is hungry ?

Thanks guys

My guess is that they're just trying to play it safe, since BPs can carry Salmonella and your eyes/mouth/nose are basically the entry points to your body.

My boa loves to come up to my face - but I make sure my eyes are shut when she's near them as I've heard they can mistake moving eyeballs as food! Having said that she's not that big yet so when she is I may well revise this ;) She's just exploring.

True I didnt even think of that..to be honest its not a very good book.. It mentions feeding problems I will quote the paragraph..


"Occasionally, a snake refuses to feed for no apparent reason, or it will refuse because it has or has had a disease. You must treat the snake for its sickness before attempting to feed again"

How ridiculous is that > it mentions nothing about heat supply / Temps, set up, settling into a new home etc etc..

If I was a new BP owner & I had read this, when Deebo refused his first couple of meals with me..I would of panicked & rushed him right off to the vets.. it mentions nothing about the normal teething probs that can be sorted, in order for them to eat .. & then the next paragraph starts talking about Force feeds !

Which book is it?

"tHE GUIDE TO OWNING A BALL PYTHON"

Take a look at your avatar.. that's another good reason to keep snakes away from your face. ;)

HA HA HA well spotted !

One of our female BP's, Rionach, has this odd fascination with body orifices. She will constantly poke her snout into our ears, tongue flick up our noses and she lives for anyone wearing a short top so she can check out a belly button. Don't ask me why, she's always been like this LOL. For that reason Ri Ri is not allowed near mouths as I'm sure the silly thing would stick her head right on in to see what's in that place too!

She's a goofy snake LOL

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

One of our female BP's, Rionach, has this odd fascination with body orifices. She will constantly poke her snout into our ears, tongue flick up our noses and she lives for anyone wearing a short top so she can check out a belly button. Don't ask me why, she's always been like this LOL. For that reason Ri Ri is not allowed near mouths as I'm sure the silly thing would stick her head right on in to see what's in that place too!

She's a goofy snake LOL

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Yeah Deebo sounds the same, He heads for my head..frantically flicking his tongue..Im sure he actually likes his chin stroked..He always will get into the same position when im holding him..he rests his head on my finger tips, so I give his little chin a gentle stroke.. it doesnt bother him!

Oh Joanna that is too funny!


I think the two main reasons for keeping snakes away from your face have been given.
1) The risk of getting samonella in, on, or near you mouth.
2) The risk of them striking unpredictabely. Striking at your hand or finger or arm is one thing, having them strike at your face is a completely different thing.

With one of my BP's (Byron) he likes to give me little kisses - especially if I've been drinking coffee. He has been known to try and help himself to my coffee. Our Boas have developed a liking for coffee too. A few weeks ago I was holding Zig and he decided to investigate my coffee cup (which was only lukewarm). I moved it away from him so he decided to investigate the computer keyboard instead. Shortly after, I was holding Zag and she did the same (it was the same cup of coffee, by now even more lukewarm and only about 1 inch left in the cup). I moved it away again so she followed it and stuck her head in the cup and actually tasted the coffee. I stood up and she went straight rigid trying to get back to the cup. She was put back in the viv (to her obvious disgust) and I finished my coffee. The BPs and the Boas all seem to have a thing about tickling our ears and breathing in them. Seems to be a snake thing:rolleyes:


As for all these books, I have a couple and to be honest, there's so much conflicting advice, some of it either outdated or just plain bad advice, that I wouldn't bother buying any more. Best advice I've had has been from forums like this one where people have many years of hands-on experience with various species of snakes.

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Originally Posted by Lady Python

As for all these books, I have a couple and to be honest, there's so much conflicting advice, some of it either outdated or just plain bad advice, that I wouldn't bother buying any more. Best advice I've had has been from forums like this one where people have many years of hands-on experience with various species of snakes.

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Well said - this has always been my thoughts exactly since owning reptiles - I don't own any reptile books at all apart from a varanid one.

As much as I enjoy our pets, I personally DON'T want to experience a salmonella event. The membranes around the eyes and nose are very thin and the fastest route (short of inhalation) for viruses, bacterias and other cold yuckies. :bleh:
That's why all the books and handlers tell U to wash your hands well after handling reptiles.

It's just much safer to avoid the germs, and after getting my HAND tagged by even one as small as Felix, I DON'T want to experience that on my face or near my eye.

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Originally Posted by sweety314

As much as I enjoy our pets, I personally DON'T want to experience a salmonella event. The membranes around the eyes and nose are very thin and the fastest route (short of inhalation) for viruses, bacterias and other cold yuckies. :bleh:
That's why all the books and handlers tell U to wash your hands well after handling reptiles.

It's just much safer to avoid the germs, and after getting my HAND tagged by even one as small as Felix, I DON'T want to experience that on my face or near my eye.

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One of the reasons we tend to go down with many bugs nowadays is that we are too clean and don't give our bodies the chance to build up resistence to bugs. Many eminent doctors are saying this now.

I'm 50 and when I was a youngster, the standards of hygiene were much lower than they are now, particularly with food. Many people didn't have refrigerators - including shops. For example you didn't buy biscuits in packets, you opened a tin, stuck your hand in and put as many as you liked in a brown paper bag and it was weighed and you paid accordingly. We never heard of salmonella or the like and people were generally healthier. We didn't hear of allergies either. Modern living has a lot to answer for.

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Originally Posted by lisa77

"tHE GUIDE TO OWNING A BALL PYTHON"

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I think I saw that at petsmart last night...sucks

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Originally Posted by Lady Python

One of the reasons we tend to go down with many bugs nowadays is that we are too clean and don't give our bodies the chance to build up resistence to bugs. Many eminent doctors are saying this now.

I'm 50 and when I was a youngster, the standards of hygiene were much lower than they are now, particularly with food. Many people didn't have refrigerators - including shops. For example you didn't buy biscuits in packets, you opened a tin, stuck your hand in and put as many as you liked in a brown paper bag and it was weighed and you paid accordingly. We never heard of salmonella or the like and people were generally healthier. We didn't hear of allergies either. Modern living has a lot to answer for.

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My aunt was just telling me something like this the other day! So true!

It seems that the "The guide to" books aren't the best.

I have encountered terrible books and some good ones it is no easy task for the novice keeper to try and ascertain which is good or bad as they have little experience to gauge against in terms of comparison. It is easy when experienced to critique a book and see how missinformed someone can be made, and quite often it is baffling the mistakes and missinformation given.

same can be said for advice over the internet alot of the time there is poor advice given by people with little knowledge or experience which is why an established place like this with so many experienced keepers and breeders posting brings about a common unison of opinion that is borne of valid experience and can offer the novice a good starting point with backup help should they require it.

A place like this will certainly contribute to snakes getting a healthy start in life and enable the keeper to feel more secure in knowing there is help at hand.

That aside I dont think snakes should be kept near the face for obvious reasons some people often mistake curiosity on the snakes behalf as affection when it is nothing of the sort and can on occasion lead to a painful and bloody encounter.

So yes my opinion is keep snakes away from the face and teach your kids to do the same for safety of all concerned.

its safer all round http://www.boxchamp.com/forum/style_...champ/bite.gif

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Originally Posted by snakey68

A place like this will certainly contribute to snakes getting a healthy start in life and enable the keeper to feel more secure in knowing there is help at hand.

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I've read many forums, both good and not so good and have learnt so much from them, particularly this one.

I know I'm about to get pilloried again, but I'm not 100% sure that snakes can't show some kind of "affection" for their owners in their own snakey way. For example, this week my son was in hospital (he's out now and on the mend) so it fell to me to feed his snakes. Before I did that, I needed to change the substrate for one of his cornsnakes. Bear in mind, at that particular time I hadn't handled any of the snake food, so didn't smell of lunch. I put my hand in the viv to take Ryoko out - and he bit me and followed it up with a lot of tail-rattling. I swear if looks could kill I would not be writing this now. All was forgiven when I gave him a couple of nice fat fuzzies later. My son came home from hospital last night and said "Watch this". He puts his hand in the viv without any problem. It's some form of recognition, probably scent but Ryoko certainly knows the difference between me and my son - and isn't shy about telling me about it either!

I just wish some people would treat their snakes as if they had feelings then perhaps there wouldn't be so many neglected or ill-treated ending up as rescue cases.

My snakes are part of my family just the same as the cats and the dog and all have a special place in our hearts.

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Originally Posted by engywook

My guess is that they're just trying to play it safe, since BPs can carry Salmonella and your eyes/mouth/nose are basically the entry points to your body.

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Very rarely will you find Salmonella in snakes unless they are never cleaned up after they poo.The thing that started the Salmonella scare years back was young kids were placing there small turtles in there mouths:mad: .All it takes is some common sence and proper husbandry(keep clean cages) and you will never have to worry about Salmonella ;) .

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Originally Posted by lisa77

True I didnt even think of that..to be honest its not a very good book.. It mentions feeding problems I will quote the paragraph..


"Occasionally, a snake refuses to feed for no apparent reason, or it will refuse because it has or has had a disease. You must treat the snake for its sickness before attempting to feed again"

How ridiculous is that > it mentions nothing about heat supply / Temps, set up, settling into a new home etc etc..

If I was a new BP owner & I had read this, when Deebo refused his first couple of meals with me..I would of panicked & rushed him right off to the vets.. it mentions nothing about the normal teething probs that can be sorted, in order for them to eat .. & then the next paragraph starts talking about Force feeds !

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How old is this book? I bought a few books in my beggining and found more lies in them then any info.Save your money learn the proper ways from fellow members on here or any other sites you may be a member of.

Keep in mind that the face is a highly vascular area of the body. Increased bloodflow = increased warmth = big target that could potentially scream "BITE ME" to a snake, whether the animal is hungry/startled/defensive.

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Originally Posted by KLG

Keep in mind that the face is a highly vascular area of the body. Increased bloodflow = increased warmth = big target that could potentially scream "BITE ME" to a snake, whether the animal is hungry/startled/defensive.

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excellent point KLG, I failed to highlight that aspect, in hindsight its an obvious target as you clearly pointed out. Its simply not a good practice IMO especially if you have kids that are interested as well.

LadyPython I see where you are coming from but I absoloutely do not believe a snake is capable of showing affection at all in anyway shape or form. Familiar perhaps , accustomed to perhaps,...... affection ..no chance at all IMO, but I am just saying this is what I believe.

In over 20 years of keeping snakes I am of the train of thought that they are primitive and primarily instinct driven creatures that are on the whole predictable in their behaviour in general but of course they do come with some personality traits, they are incapable of showing emotion in the a way that would be construed as affection.

However I totally agree with your sentiment and your point on owners treating their snakes as if they had feelings making things more safer overall and less likely to see ill treated animals. I am for all any thinking that reduces or eliminates needless neglect or improper care of reptiles or any animal for that matter.

I have 3 cats as well as numerous snakes but I would never class them as in the same bracket of pet for example, they are essentially wild in terms of they react and carry out their instinctual commands rather than an animal that is widely able to be petted by all who visit. Snakes tolerate us , some more so and more docile than others whilst others struggle to show the same courtesy...lol

They are for me, an important part of a voyage of discovery...... and thats the best way I can describe it, you are always learning with snakes and while they are part of my family as such I dont classify them as I would a cat or a dog , I am fascinated by them , intrigued by them but I always maintain in my mind they are not a sociable animal nor can they be in the true sense of the meaning.

I admire anyone that gives these amazing animals the time and care to grow breed and prosper and fullfill what they would or would not be otherwise able to do naturally in the wild.

I do apologise, I am going on a bit here .......lol ..........anyway just my thoughts I am certainly not criticising anyone here.

No snakes near the face that was it ...lol talk about going off on a tangent.

snakey

Animals never cease to amaze me. Not so long ago it was thought that cats and dogs don't have feelings of emotion, yet I have seen time and time again the opposite of that - and I think most of us have. My son's cat knew there was something wrong, didn't want to go out and when he did, he didn't stay out long. He spent most of the week curled up on my son's bed looking miserable. Since my son came home, Chico hasn't left his side and is following him about everywhere. When our old dog died some years ago, her best friend, one of our cats, Leo pined for three weeks for his lost friend. It was really sad to see.


Snakes, of course, won't do that but I marvel at their grace and beauty, their speed when striking and the way they manage to relax us just by sitting on us. We try to give our snakes the best of everything - you could say they are thoroughly spoiled and yes, we do love them as much as the cats and the dog. In turn, they "show their appreciation" by feeding well, shedding well, looking the picture of health (positively glowing) and allowing us to handle them.

What more could we ask for:D

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Originally Posted by Lady Python

Animals never cease to amaze me. Not so long ago it was thought that cats and dogs don't have feelings of emotion, yet I have seen time and time again the opposite of that -
r:D

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Same here animals continue to amaze and always have.

I would say however that its long long been realised that they do have feelings of emotion.

There is a famous story by me located in Edinburgh regarding a wee Terrier called Bobby from 1858 whos owner died and for 14 years the faithful dog watched over his grave only leaving for food before he himself died in 1872.

The story of Grey Friars Bobby is legendary, it is well worth reading and shows how close and emotionally tied this wee dog was to his owner. here is a link if you would like a wee read

Amazing story and there are many more very similar , I find these stories fascinating and shows just what a real bond animal and man can have.

I know the story of Greyfriars Bobby well. Although I live in England now (been here 10 years), I'm Scots - come from Aberdeen. Sometimes visit my family up there for Hogmanay depending on work committments.


I've done a fair bit of animal rescue over the years and so often I've heard "It's only a cat", "It's only a dog". No it isn't. It's a living, breathing animal that feels pretty much the same things as we do.

On the subject of snakes. Even my own father, when I was a little girl were talking about snakes. I'd probably been about 8 or 9 at the time and Dad had taken us to Edinburgh Zoo. My interest in snakes started with a toy rubber snake when I was about 6, but that's another story so the Reptile House was the place I wanted to be (and nearly got into trouble because I didn't want to leave it - going to see the monkeys did not have any interest for me at all). Anyway, Dad and I were talking later about the snakes and he said to me "Snakes are cold-blooded creatures that can't feel pain":O :mad: Even at that young age I knew instinctively that was the biggest load of rubbish my father ever spoke!!! People can be soooo ignorant. My reasoning at the time was that if it was a living creature, of course, it could feel pain. Anyway, my interest in snakes never left but it was over 40 years before I got my first snake - a Pueblan Milksnake called Ringo. I now have 14 snakes and each one of them displays different characteristics. I have two Royals, one is a rescue and the other I have had since he was little more than a hatchling. The rescue Royal is typical Royal - very shy but very gentle. The Royal I've had since a hatchling is the exact opposite - bold and inquisitive yet very gentle and in a snakey kind of way, you could say very loving.

Perhaps the most charismatic snake I've got is my Kingsnake. She lets us know if she wants to come out of her viv by flicking her tongue rapidly at the glass so you hear this "Frrrt Frrrt Frrrt" sound. If she's sitting in her hide and I'm close to her viv, she'll come out and come up to the glass. If I open the viv door she'll slither onto my hand and coil round my arm. There's so much we don't know about snakes yet that every day I seem to learn something new about them. They are, beyond doubt, fascinating and lovely animals.

Actually, I've got that book too, and it's not too bad. It *DOES* discuss temperature and the importance in regard to feeding, it's in the 'Medical Aspects' section, several pages after the 'Force Feeding' section you quoted from. It's all about context.

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Originally Posted by rottnpagan

Actually, I've got that book too, and it's not too bad. It *DOES* discuss temperature and the importance in regard to feeding, it's in the 'Medical Aspects' section, several pages after the 'Force Feeding' section you quoted from. It's all about context.

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I did actually read it right the way through after I posted this & yes you are right. I dont agree with some of the things in the book though.

Thanks for everyones replies..:)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...i/100_0271.jpg

Well, I guess I'm not playing it too safe then, hmm?

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Originally Posted by Binx

Well, I guess I'm not playing it too safe then, hmm?

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As your AIM name suggests ...lol :rolleyes:

that is frecking halerious.

ahh cutie