POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

[loonunit]

I think the real question is, have you ever been bitten BADLY by a bp?

And was it because of a feeding error?

My nicest snake bit me square on the thumb last week because I tried to take his mouse away after he dragged it through his water bowl and dropped it. He seemed more horrified about biting me than I was, and it took some coaxing to get him to take the mouse again.

And most of the baby snakes I've acquired like to chew on me a bit for a few days/weeks after I bring them home. Mostly it's just gumming--I think they really don't know yet what's food and what's threatening and what's none of the above.

[Moofins07]

First, and only, bite was from a prospective "adoptee" that I was just about to look at. He struck at the owner as he handed him to me, and just as I said, "Hey, be nice, mister!" ... He bit me. And coiled. lol

Must've been that pet Ring-Tailed Lemur of his that I had just pet.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

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).

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.

LOL YES!! IN fact I have been tagged by three of my youngsters in the last 6 months. They have great feeding response and you can not reach in to take out a water bowl without being seen as food

I laugh at myself and them every time it happens. I have not been bitten by an adult BP though.

[exiled reptile]

yes by my yearling het for pied female but shes a bit flighty any way ive been bitten more than 6 or 7 times by my lil cal king

[j_h_smith]

yes by my yearling het for pied female but shes a bit flighty any way ive been bitten more than 6 or 7 times by my lil cal king

Cal kings are probably the worst colubrid for biting. Beautiful, so they get away with it, I guess.

Jim Smith

[toddsbabygirl]

we just got our baby today.. and thats the ONE and ONLY fear i have is being bitten.. im scared that it'll hurt and i wont want anything to do with her/him again. she is just a baby though and only 16" long

[j_h_smith]

we just got our baby today.. and thats the ONE and ONLY fear i have is being bitten.. im scared that it'll hurt and i wont want anything to do with her/him again. she is just a baby though and only 16" long

If you keep snakes for any amount of time you are going to get bitten. Well, that's not entirely true. Your snake is going to strike at you. Maybe something you did was wrong, maybe he does something like mistaken you pinky finger as a rat pup. That's why it's REALLY important to keep washing your hands. Most of the time it's going to be a closed mouth strike which is his way of telling you to get away and give him his space.

HOWEVER, anything with a mouth has the ability to bite. So, there may be a time where you DO get bitten. Be prepared for it. Most of the time, the strike is the scary part and the bite is not that bad. If you screw up and handle a rat/mouse, then reach in to move something or do something around the snake, he may mistaken your hand for a rat/mouse and bites and wraps around your hand. Don't panic, uncoil him and usually they let go and crawl away knowing they did something wrong.

If for some reason, the snake doesn't let go, fill the sink with water and dunk your hand (along with the snake's head) into the water. This will usually make them let go. You will probably never see this with a Ball Python. They don't usually clamp down and chew like the BIG pythons.

The heartbeat will rise at the time of the bite, but after it's all over, you'll see it's not that bad. Even a real bite from a Ball Python isn't all that bad.

Take Care,
Jim Smith

[phantom1bc]

non of my BP's have ever bitten me, a few strikes when they were babies, just had to gain their trust.

Now my Retic and one of my RTB's nail me good now and then,,not so funny from my point at the time,but wife loves to luagh while i sit down holding the snake till it lets go,can't bring myself to force them to let go, they usally let go quickly enough

[Crazy4Herps]

Had my big girl for two years, my little girl for almost a year. Dunno if she'll last a full year, she's a nippy one. So far just strikes and a lot of hissing, but some day she'll get tired of putting up with me.

Actually, I haven't been bit by any of my snakes (though I'm bound to get a good one from the blood, too), just a NWS I caught in Wisconsin.

[Deacon240]

Finally got tagged Christmas day by my red tailed boa... Felt like someone poked my hand. Not scared of getting bit anymore, that's for sure!