Holly Hissing...

[Don5999]

I was giving her tub a quick spruce last night and thought it a perfect opportunity to weigh her. I think I spooked her though as she was perfectly settled in her hide and I disturbed her.
Anyway, she started hissing at me which she has never done before.

Bonus, after all her previous feeding problems, is she is now 212g and looking lovely.

Anyway, my actual question is this: should she have decided to bite me, how would I have gotten her off? I would assume it wont hurt too much since shes only ickle, but I dont want to freak out and hurt her!!

Ta xx

[hoo-t]

Since she was hissing, a bite would have been a defensive bite. Most likely just a "tag". She would have released and been ready to bite again before you would have even realized that it happened. Its hard, but the best thing to do in this instance is to not pull away. If you are quick enough to pull away before she lets go, you risk tearing your skin and breaking off teeth.

When they bite and hold on, its a feeding strike, where they want to hold on, constrict and kill their prey. When that happens, there are several things you can do. One is just wait it out. She'll figure out that you aren't a rat/mouse and let go eventually. Another is to gently PUSH (not pull), like you are trying to actually force her mouth further onto your hand. Their teeth are curved back, so pulling will not only tear your skin, but potentially break off teeth. Finally, sometimes moving their head under cold running water will cause them to release.

Steve