What the heck....python bites baby

[swansonbb]

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...apartment?lite

[xFenrir]

As much as I hate to say this, if the apartment had a "no pet" policy, then the snake should've never been there in the first place. But also, if the snake was properly housed and secured then this never would've happened. Bad owners=harder times for responsible keepers.

Another thing: they say that the child had "a bite mark, bruising and scratches"... SCRATCHES? How exactly DID this animal with nothing other than a mouth "scratch" your child?

[mackynz]

Greaaaaat...also,

The father, Devin Winans, used a blanket to pull the python off the child

A blanket? What?

[Cendalla]

While I have snakes and children I take great care to make sure my animals are safe from the kid and visa versa. If I came in and saw that kind of situation I would be beyond POed (especially that someone else obviously didn't take the same responsibility). The average person doesn't have a clue about reptiles and that would be an unimaginable fear to walk in to such a situation (that and finding one in the shower). Someone's pet got loose (no matter if just plain old accident or irresponsibility) and now more reasons to spread pet law propaganda. All around sucks.

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Another thing: they say that the child had "a bite mark, bruising and scratches"... SCRATCHES? How exactly DID this animal with nothing other than a mouth "scratch" your child?

I've been tagged defensively and it looked more like scratches than bites.

[RetiredJedi]

Something about that story doesn't seem right. I find it hard to believe that a ball python would escape it enclosure, wrap itself around a kids ankle and bit him for no reason. I guess it's possbile but still hard to believe. Think of how many people on here have had an escape and it takes months to find their lost BP, and of those, how many found it in the neighbors house wrapping and bitting the neighbors kids?

[xFenrir]

I've been tagged defensively and it looked more like scratches than bites.

Hm, you're right. My guess then would be the snake was just slithering by and the child kicked it/touched it with their leg somehow and the snake reacted defensively.

[kitedemon]

I have been taged a number of times and all I have ever had were scratches bite mark? LOL

[Don]

Something is wrong with this story. A two foot (meaning adolescents snake) ball python made its way through an apartment, climbed up into a bed with a child and attached itself to the kid's ankle. I call BULL. There isn't anything about this story that is credible - Bad journalism and sensationalism at its worst.

[meowmeowkazoo]

Something about that story doesn't seem right. I find it hard to believe that a ball python would escape it enclosure, wrap itself around a kids ankle and bit him for no reason. I guess it's possbile but still hard to believe. Think of how many people on here have had an escape and it takes months to find their lost BP, and of those, how many found it in the neighbors house wrapping and bitting the neighbors kids?

My thoughts exactly. Ball pythons just...don't do that.

[RetiredJedi]

Almost seems like they worked on giving other pythons a bad name to get all of these bans put on them and now it's time to work on the ball pythons as well.