POLL: Have you been bit by a BP?

[beavermatic]

I got bit by my very first Ball within the first week, a very jumpy so far little male mojave named Vladimir, guess he took to his name too much!

It was so quick I was more shocked than stung, it felt like getting poked by the doctors needle a few times...although it bled way more than I usually bleed when I say cut my finger or something (he got me right in the fat of the second section of my index finger).

Glad I got it out of the way early... although now I'm jumpy around him when he starts arching his neck, I'm sure he'll tame out of it.

It's not unusual for younger ball's to be easily spooked and have high anxiety levels. They tame up fairly quickly... the more you handle them, the more docile they become if they do bite when young.

If its not a young python, and you just bought it off someone, even it was tame with that person, it has to adjust to its new environment and you. It's going to be a bit nervous the first couple of weeks.

My friend just bought a ball thats 6 years old, and never bit the seller once, was handled and babied everyday. First second my buddy reached in to pick it up at his home, BANG!. Didnt hurt him much at all except felt like someone slapping your finger (as he states), but lesson learned. Let them get use to you and their new environement for a couple of weeks before u think about reaching your greasy finger down in there to snatch them up. You CAN handle them to ease them up, but use a snake hook for the first couple of weeks.

Always think of the situation to handle any reptile from the animals point of view... and they share the same caution we do with total strangers and new places, and are more edgy until they settle in.

I usually use a snake hook anyway, or another method, is curl your fist up into a ball and rest it at the bottom of the habitat a bit of ways from the ball. Once they tame up, they will usually just go to inspect and rest upon it, and you cna then lift them, and they will wrap around your arm. Keep your fingers together, dont twitch them, make sure you've washed ur hand with soap to remove any scents, and when it finally does start to move around on your arm, you can slowly ease your fingers, and allow it to move between them. This is especially helpful for younger pythons that are easily spooked by twicthing fingers. when they are in your hand and facing your fingers, the less spasmatic and jerky movements from your digits, the more comfortable the snake is.