POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

I got bit by my first BP when i was younger. Other than that I've been bit by wild king snakes and that's about it.

Sent from my LML212VL using Tapatalk

Bit once, poor shed when I inherited her, eye caps stuck, she hit my finger rather than the mouse! User error, has never happened again!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

By a BP? I’ve only been bitten once. Years ago, I thought this particular animal wasn’t going to eat, so I tried to grab the dead rat (it was f/t) from her enclosure. She, in fact, DID NOT want her food taken away from her [emoji28]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep. My normal buy was Very defensive when I first got him. He is good now though.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Ball Pythons are generally quite docile. However those who have been mistreated (like my current rehab project) or are hungry, in shed, etc. can bite. It doesn't hurt very much at all, mostly like any snake bite the speed is a bit startling if you've never been bitten before.

In four years, the only other strike was due to my son coming in too fast from above/front. That time, Cinnamon let go of him, immediately... a defensive bite.

In retrospect, Cinnamon had shed in the day or two prior and hadn’t eaten in over a month. I was anxious about it and in a hurry, because it was getting too late at night. I had handled the rat to ensure it was thoroughly warmed. I used a short 4” hemostat to offer it. The snake struck PAST the rat and grabbed hold of the thumb on my opposite hand, at least a foot past the rat... and coiled up, constricting around it. That caused it to bleed pretty good.

The shock was far worse than the bite. It hurt a little with a larger snake, but it’s very tolerable. The bite left tiny pinholes in opposing U shaped jawline patterns. Recovery/healing was very fast. I took the normal precautions of washing the wound and applying antibiotic salve to stave off any infection. I had no pain as it healed and three days later you couldn’t tell what had happened.

The bigger problem was how to get the snake to RELEASE me after biting, since my thumb was going to become dinner. I wasn’t sure what to do. With the adrenalin lowering in my system and rational thought returning- I realized that forcing/prying could end up in injury and a bigger loss of trust, so I ended up going into the bathroom and put her briefly under the faucet with some cold water, barely dribbling.. and she IMMEDIATELY unlatched.

We’ve been staring at each other with hurt looks through the enclosure door, for about two weeks, now... but it’s time to get back on the bus and try again. Once she eats, she’ll feel better and be happier... then, after a couple of days, I will start handling her again in order to rebuild trust.

I've now been tagged 2x, both by hungry young pastels, one looking for food and one when I removed food he hadn't taken. Both hit me quick once and backed right off, couldn't really feel anything, those teeth are tiny.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GoingPostal

I've now been tagged 2x, both by hungry young pastels, one looking for food and one when I removed food he hadn't taken. Both hit me quick once and backed right off, couldn't really feel anything, those teeth are tiny.

---

Odd enough my best EVER Royal feeder was a Pastel .. he ate every time plus any leftovers.. . I had to use a hook to get him out as he was insatiable.. lovely once out of course


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zincubus

Odd enough my best EVER Royal feeder was a Pastel .. he ate every time plus any leftovers.. . I had to use a hook to get him out as he was insatiable.. lovely once out of course


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

---

The one was an acquaintances that I had for a year, the other the rescue I took in last year. What's interesting is both of them are/were great feeders for me, never the slightest issue but both were in poor condition when I got them, stuck shed, severely underweight, "wouldn't eat". Nothing wrong with the snakes and everything wrong with their setups and temps.

I have had 3 ball pythons and a current boa constrictor and never gotten bit. I came really close once, but to my surprise, the ball python didn't even open its mouth. It just lunged at me and hit me with its head lmao.