Quote Originally Posted by toddsbabygirl View Post
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