POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

Simple quesiton. Have you ever been bit by a captive ball python?

I'm just curious how often it is. I see people talking about it on these forums but I've never seen it happen in person. My sister in law has had one for over 10 years and it's been handled by dozens of people without ever biting a single person.

I just got me a young fella and he hasn't tried to bite me yet.

You shoulda posted a poll. :cool:

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Originally Posted by N4S

You shoulda posted a poll. :cool:

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It's there!

Babies are most likely to bite as a self defense mechanism.
With that in mind I have bred and handled many babies and have been tagged a time or two(ok maybe more than that:D).

I brought some babies to the vet today for a health exam for shipping abroad and one tried tagging both of us several times, good fun.

fantastic and interesting poll

XD I've gotten tagged by one baby and 2 adults. The baby was just pissy, one adult was hungry and I conveniently smelled of rats, and the other adult comes out of her box at feeding time and goes for my face...she got my arm.


As far as bites go, I'd rather all my snakes bite me all at once than one rat get me. :rolleyes: The ball bites make you bleed a wee bit and feel like a flick....Rat bites need stitches! *points to nice shiny scar on hand from angreh mommy rat*

Never been bit, but I do see it in my near future see as how I currently only have one BP and looking to expand to 6 or so by the end of the year.

Never been bit,
but boy have i dodged the bullet on that one...
im hoping to get a couple more baby girls this year, so its quite possible that it will happen....

my bite record shows corns, rats, racers, burms[babies], a carpet at a pet shop, rainbow boa[6ft], red tail[baby], and tons of other random things that i have held.... im sure there is more, but yeah... lol but no balls yet =]

I've been bitten by hatchlings and didn't feel a thing. Sub-adults sting a little for a second but that's about it. Never been bitten by an adult though... Tanks a pretty mellow guy! :D

I've been bit more times that I can remember...

not tryna take over the thread but anyone wanna post pics?

My male BP strikes at me a lot he's hit my arm and hand numerous times but it's more like he's warning me with a tap. His mouth has never been open :D

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Originally Posted by Nick

not tryna take over the thread but anyone wanna post pics?

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very rarely do you actually get injured from it. Usually it just startles the crap out of you. The few times I have bled, it was a scratch at most.

Mike

I have a male that didn't eat for months and I was getting careless trying to feed him. actually I was trying to tap his nose lol. I was holding the rat with hemostats but as soon as my finger got close bam he got me good.. Lots of blood but very little pain.

I've been bit twice by hatchlings while popping them. First by a pied and last by a lesser.

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Originally Posted by boafa

I've been bit twice by hatchlings while popping them. First by a pied and last by a lesser.

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i wouldnt mind being bit by a pied or a lesser lol

never been bitten by any of ours....
just hissed at alot, and a lot of puffing up

I haven't actually been bit yet... Veneno has struck at me more times than I can count, but he's either missed or struck a glove. Without the gloves I'd have been bitten though!
He's getting better though :]...

Yeah I've been bit a few times. of course every time it was my fault. should have washed me hands after handling their food.

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Originally Posted by Venenito_X_Remedito

I haven't actually been bit yet... Veneno has struck at me more times than I can count, but he's either missed or struck a glove. Without the gloves I'd have been bitten though!
He's getting better though :]...

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gloves?
WUSS!
haha i mean, noone wants to be bit but, they will get use toyour hand...

Been tagged once and hissed at alot (by the same BP). Also have a milksnake that used to latch onto the end of my finger and chew like she was nursing blood... which actually she was.

Never had one bite and constrict, but this BP was defensive biting, definitely handler error on my part.

Bruce

I used to work in a pet shop so yea...I've been bitten quite a few times. Just by babies though. Actually the worst injury I ever got from a BP bite was when my co worker saw the baby about to take a snap at me and gallantly tried to yank me out of the way, smacking my head on the cage door. Once I quit laughing I told him I'd have rather been bit, LOL.

I put my hand too close while feeding, so it was an accident and all my fault. my BP has never hissed or struck at me on purpose.

Ive been tagged maybe 10 or so times by the balls, not bad condsidering I have a moderate sized collection ( greater than 1 but less than 100.) :D

Although I have to say never have I been bit by a ball I have owned for more than a year.

A couple of times I was "gummed" by them. They strike open their mouth but no teeth. Kinda weird... anyone else experience this?

6 Snakes, almost 4 years, No bites :)

Not yet

But I picked up my 3rd BP today so the odds are increasing!

The closest I came was when I got my first BP, Samson. The day I got him I was faffing around inside his cage moving moss around etc, and I got a little close to the opening of his hide and he zapped out at me. He did not get close but she scared the begeezers outta me on the account of him being so quick....

Since then nothing, a couple of hissing fits but that's about it:gj:

Yes, its part of owning snakes
i think im around 7-10, each snake has there bad days, shed, hungry, or just pissy :D

Let’s put it this way I have a bite me sign on my forehead. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Let’s put it this way I have a bite me sign on my forehead. :rolleyes:

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http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/biteicon.jpg

;):rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by lenastorms

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/biteicon.jpg

;):rofl::rofl::rofl:

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:8: In that kind of case I am the who bites :O ;)

Once, by my youngest BP. It was at night and I guess she was hungry. ;) She pulled back right away. It didn't hurt at all.
Just surprised me.

Ball python bites are like kisses compared to taking mama beast boa away from her puppys. I couldnt imagine all those breeders with the really big mamas and do it year round pulling teeth out of my leg is only cool like once a year.

Dont buy the snake if you cant cash the check when he deposits it you wont hold it ever agian. I have had 2 people buy boas and bring them back after 3 years of being good just because they got lit up once. Ball pythons are different they act more like cats a bite is like a scratch from a house cat and same purpose intended when either one "scratches" you it means "back up biggin im strapped".

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Originally Posted by allmote

Dont buy the snake if you cant cash the check when he deposits it you wont hold it ever agian. I have had 2 people buy boas and bring them back after 3 years of being good just because they got lit up once.

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i have to admit, when the BRB bit me, it caused me to be a little more cautious and listen to her more, if she hisses, leave her alone, or go slower lol.
it knocked down my confidence a little tho, but i know that she knows when im tensing up lol... she tenses up double time... so i have to totally chill when im holding her

I have been bit a lot. My adult male gets in this ravenous feeding mode every couple months (not saying he eats every couple of months) he just goes through a period where he becomes a super aggressive feeder and there is NO stopping him. Then he snaps out of it and is fine again. Always been like that.

He has bitten me many times. Still better than getting bit by any rodent any day!

right on the nose... totally my fault.

So far the only time she's tried to bite me is when I was putting her in a bag to bring her home the first day. Five days after that and she's barely recoiled towards me.

Though be it, I've only had her since February.

I just got a ball yesterday (a friend left the country in a hurry, family issues) its only 2 months old and im a bit nervous about handling her, I've handled much bigger snakes than her but i knew they were "tame". Basically im asking how much does it hurt when you get tagged, how often it might happen and does anyone have any advice to help me get over this "fear"?

Only once....... I was feeding my snakes and my male Ghost got me the second I opened his tub. My other hand was on top of his tub.
Guess he was real hungry :) It was my fault 4sure. Now I keep my hands lower and pay attention :)

I got a new BP in 9 days ago, she is an 06 and I think she wants to eat my face!!!!!! She has eaten twice so far, looks like i'll try in another few days but I know she's gonna rail my A@# sooner or later, probly sooner though.

But to the question at hand, I have been biten a few times.

Hmmmmm

Lets see have I been bit yes..I hate the getting bit part but don't mind a biter. I've learned how to deal with them and also figured out that biter eat so thats a Plus for me.

I've been bit by every thing from babys to 3000 gram girls (they suck the worst)

No, neither of my snakes have bitten me.

I've only been bitten once by my first corn snake (that died in the vets office) and that was cause he was sick and stressed. :[

The first day I had my ball he bit at a few things but never at me really.

never been acutally bitten by my either of my 2 balls, but when i was handling my friends 4 foot long burm it bit me 3 times

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Originally Posted by Seneschal

The other adult comes out of her box at feeding time and goes for my face...she got my arm.

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I had this happen with my adult male normal.I think it was a normal feeding night, but I was cleaning cages and planning on feeding everybody the next day. I eventually got tagged after he missed my face and I was in the middle of weighing everybody. If I'd left him alone after the first attempt, I wouldn't have been bit.

As for the first bite, it was a defensive bite from my ball normal as a baby. I went to move a bottlecap before he slithered over it and apparently my hand came in to fast at his head.

I think I've gotten tagged by other baby balls.

The more memorable bites were from a carpet python and a variable kingsnake. It's really funny when the snake that bites you is thinner than your pinky. :rofl: (And it doesn't hurt at all.)

yes quite a few times but it hand been long enough to think somthing might have changed. lol

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Originally Posted by captin_crash

I just got a ball yesterday (a friend left the country in a hurry, family issues) its only 2 months old and im a bit nervous about handling her, I've handled much bigger snakes than her but i knew they were "tame". Basically im asking how much does it hurt when you get tagged, how often it might happen and does anyone have any advice to help me get over this "fear"?

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I can tell you the surprise is the worst part...that and having your confidence trashed. The bite of a 3 week old BP broke the skin in 4 places...teeth holes...bled...but the next morning could not tell at all what had happened.

Any ideas anyone has on how to work with these guys on being so head shy is VERY appreciated.

I think wearing gloves is the ticket for me for a while...

Can anyone comment on if they are a biter to start are they a biter forever and visa versa?
Does tha fact that this guy was fed live make them more of a biter?

I got bitten by one of the "captive hatched" BP's at the petsmart i work at. :P

Is it bad that when my BP bit me it didn't bleed, hurt, or even leave a mark? D:

I mean, I was moving the thermostat probe and was kinda invading his hide (I was trying not to disturb him so I didn't take him out of it) and he kinda tried to bite at me.
But there was no blood or anything. I'm confused..

I've never been bit, but I know it's coming.... :wierdface

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Is it bad that when my BP bit me it didn't bleed, hurt, or even leave a mark? D:

I mean, I was moving the thermostat probe and was kinda invading his hide (I was trying not to disturb him so I didn't take him out of it) and he kinda tried to bite at me.
But there was no blood or anything. I'm confused..

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Sometimes they just give a warning "strike" without really biting you. The babies i worked with did that a lot.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Is it bad that when my BP bit me it didn't bleed, hurt, or even leave a mark? D:

I mean, I was moving the thermostat probe and was kinda invading his hide (I was trying not to disturb him so I didn't take him out of it) and he kinda tried to bite at me.
But there was no blood or anything. I'm confused..

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If he felt like he made contact perhaps he just had a closed mouth 'strike'.
If you are concerned he has no teeth or something along that line...I would not be too concerned...if he's eating etc.