Getting over the fear

[Eversolulu]

Hi all! So I am a first time snake owner and I can't be happier! However, I have this weird fear of my bp striking at me. I'm not afraid of the actual bite but when my bp even looks like he's about to strike I get really anxious. I think I'm just afraid of being startled? I know this is something that I'll get over eventually but what do I do til then to overcome my anxiety? Thanks!

[hunter94]

I would say expect to get bitten. Tell your self your going to get bit it will ease the anxiety down a little.

[angllady2]

Believe it or not, even people who have owned ball's for years get skittish about being struck at.

The majority will even tell you, it's not the bite itself, it's the "jump" factor.

Your best bet is to move slowly and calmly around your snake, to avoid sudden movements that might startle you both. Do your best to ignore the "S" shape, BP's do that a lot, and it rarely means a bite. You can usually tell if it's thinking about biting, not only will it "S" curve the head and neck, it will tense up to the point of nearly vibrating before a strike. However, this is usually only a feeding response bite.

I warning strike happens so fast you can't even see it, and usually your bitten before you even register the strike. At my last snake fair earlier this month, a lovely little pastel I was handling got me, I didn't even know it until 15 minutes later when I wondered where the little blood droplets came from.


Try not to stress about it, what you imagine is much worse than when it really happens.

Gale

[fire-eyes]

I felt the same way at first. Funny, how such a small snake (assuming it's a baby) can be so intimidating. Over time you'll learn that if you are afraid and/or you hesitate when reaching in, the snake will pick up that you are afraid and get more upset when you hesitate. It's like a loop feedback.

Then you just have to accept that you may get bit. It doesn't hurt much, I've been clawed or bitten by cats or even kittens that did more damage and hurt a lot more. The thing with snakes is not so much the teeth but how strong the bite is, they really are incredibly strong. It's like a mini vice grip nailing you for a split second.

Once you accept that you may get bit, be determined that if you do get bit, you let them do it and DON'T yank your hand out, because you can hurt them. At the same time, you do not want them to get the idea of "if I bite, they go away. Therefore, I will bite any time I want to be left alone". Instead, you may have to take a few hits and act like it doesn't bother you (keep picking them up) until they get the idea that biting will NOT make you go away, so what's the point in biting?

Then there's simply the part where there is not yet any mutual trust built up. You don't trust the snake, and it does not trust you. The only way to build this up is some give and take from both handler and snake. Both of you have to enter a zone of discomfort and nervousness repeatedly, and get past it. At some point you won't be getting bitten or even threatened anymore, and also the snake will understand that you aren't trying to kill it.

A good example of zone of discomfort for both is that at some point the snake will be curious about your head and face, spending a few seconds right in front of your nose just checking you out, and then bailing. You're not sure if it's going to nip you and it's not sure if you're going to nip it. Only with a lot of repeating of this without incident is trust built.

This is actually a special time, observe and learn, don't expect to pick up everything perfectly right away -- Like anything else of value, it will take time and effort.

[jtyson123]

Dont worry its normal to feel anxious. No matter how many times you have been bitten it always scares you a bit being struck at. I have been bitten by burms, boas, balls, a variety of lizards, etc and even though you would think I would have a tolerance for it, I still jump to this day. I don't figure it will ever go away.

But take comfort in the fact that a bite from even the biggest of ball pythons doesn't hurt nearly as much as that of the rats that you will feed it. So just feed F/T to avoid that

[Eversolulu]

Thanks everyone! I finally picked him up and he was really nervous the first couple of minutes just coiled up and kind of scared but after that he was exploring and crawling everywhere, it was an amazing feeling!! I can't wait to do it again! And thank you fire-eyes for all the info!
Thank you everyone again!! Very grateful!

[JenEric Reptiles]

paper cuts are worse.......

[A.VinczeBPs]

It's a normal feeling. To help with the jump though, you might want to make sure you have a sort of light grip on the snake. Otherwise, if you jump at a strike, you may also drop the poor baby. (I've seen it happen before)

You won't even feel it, however, sometimes people just jump. You'll get over it.

[mommanessy247]

fireeyes- your post was helpful. i dont even have a snake yet & i find myself worrying about someday being bit & how i'll react to it. im naturally a very jumpy person. the first snake i had never bit or struck at me but struck at the glass when a cop's flashlight beam went over the terrarium (long story).
when i was first in my relationship with my current fiancee it took me years before i was able to accept that he wasnt going to hit me like my exes had done. now i have more balls then he does, at times, lol. i guess this building trust in one another is the same thing with snakes. you have to get to know each other & over time you'll both be relaxed with the other.
my question...can a snake learn to tolerate handling from more then 1 person or do they become accustomed to 1 person only hence striking/biting anyone else who dares touch it?

[SnakeKB]

Where a pair of tight batting gloves when handling the snake till your used to its actions. They give plenty of feel when holding the snake and if it strikes you in the hand at least, doubful it would hurt.