Crazy bad snake bite (not me, guy at pet store)

[blueberrypancakes]

When I went to get the rat pup at the pet store, this guy was cleaning out the reticulated python tank- and he got bit real good. It scared the mess outta me! That snake was HUGE. He was very calm about it, but then I overheard him cussing at the owner telling him to clean out the dang tank himself! Well, he was bleeding alot, and his hand looked like it was sliced up bad. Anyone here have retics and bps? Are either of them more likely to bite than the other, or was it perhaps just not a good time to clean his tank? That got me a little jumpy...

[Kinra]

I've never been bitten by anything other than a small sub-adult female BP, but snakes bites usually don't hurt. Pet store snakes are under a lot of stress and generally are not kept in the best conditions which could have contributed to the bite. I don't own a retic, but I know larger ones aren't likely to bite if you take care of them, handle them semi-regularly and don't smell like food. Ball pythons generally don't bite people either. I wouldn't worry too much about getting bit just remember that your snake can bite while you are interacting with it but it's not likely to happen.

[corgigirl9]

I have BPs and have had several bites including my 3000 gram plus female who thought my hand was a rat and was determined to eat it until the mouthwash came out. She was not planning on letting go ever. But all in all.... I've had paper cuts that hurt worse. Maybe some day you'll join the "i've been bit club" and it wont be so scary anymore.
Cant say much for retics though... I wouldnt wanna be bit by one of them.

[purplemuffin]

I've had my ball python for three years and never been bitten by him. Only person to get bitten by him was my boyfriend's father, and he was a little tipsy at the time--and acting unnatural. Scared the snake!

Fear also causes your body to move weird as well, and can scare the snake. You need to be confident and you are less likely to be bitten. Imagine yourself as the bp, trapped in a cage with a big 'predator' coming towards them. It is scary to have something that big be frightened but still coming towards you. It's like being trapped in a small room and there is a large tiger or something coming at you. Now imagine the tiger looks frightened and cornered and is moving in an agitated way. Snakes can sense those movements and vibrations better, so if you get nervous and jump back from a snake, it looks terrifying to the animal, you are now unpredictable and frightening! Good lord if that was me, I would be terrified, I wouldn't know what that animal was going to do! If I was a snake I'd bite it in defense as well!! So don't be too frightened. The guy might have been scared of snakes/hates them and acting funny. Add that to the fact that pet stores don't usually provide adequate hiding places or good care. So you have a stressed out snake in a stressed out moment.

When you learn their body language it gets a little easier to predict a bite..

Also, snake bites don't hurt bad, but they do BLEED and look bad. Once he wipes that blood off and washes his hand you'll barely see pinpricks in his skin. If you've ever been bitten by a bird or scratched by a cat, you've probably already felt way worse pain!

[Jessica Loesch]

A lot of larger snakes will rip flesh out if forced off however, so don't do that with a retic. Merely has to do with the way their teeth are positioned.

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[Highline Reptiles South]

Snake bits don't hurt is fairly true for ball pythons...but i venture one might alter that belief if they ever got nabbed by a retic.

I've been nailed by bp's and red tails...especially juvis....and they were really nothing to speak of...

But a retic bite would scare me...

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/10766...33716074UzJGaT

[RetiredJedi]

Yea a great example I have just happened the other day. I got my new pin, Memphis, all setup in his enclosure and had no intentions of messing with him until he got settled in. Well, the next morning I looked and noticed that he crapped all over the place so I had to take him out to clean it. He had actually been very calm even with all the action around him at the Repticon and all the people touching him throughout the day. I had him out of the enclosure and my wife was holding him while I cleaned it and changed his substrate (he was in a nice tight ball). Sure enough my chihuahua, Presley, came in the room behind my wife and wanted to see what momma was holding. She stuck her nose a little too close and BOOOM, Memphis decided he didn't like what he saw and Presley was on the receiving end of it. I really felt bad for both of them because Memphis was scared and Presley was just curious. I went in and looked and Presley wasn't bleeding or anything and her little nose was just a bit red like if you got slapped. Presley's feelings were hurt for sure but all is good now.

I have to give kudos to my wife because she didn't drop Memphis or anything and we are now laughing about it and probably will for some time.

[mainbutter]

Here's a fairly well-known video of some guys in Brazil (I think) removing a large anaconda, and it get's one of the guys responsible for handling the head.



I wouldn't want that happening to me.

[Kinra]

I wasn't trying to say that snake bites tickle, especially from something large like a retic or a berm, but compared to a dog bite I can't imagine they hurt that bad. But I've never been bitten by anything larger than a 1500g female so maybe I'm wrong.

[Ladybugzcrunch]

When I went to get the rat pup at the pet store, this guy was cleaning out the reticulated python tank- and he got bit real good. It scared the mess outta me! That snake was HUGE. He was very calm about it, but then I overheard him cussing at the owner telling him to clean out the dang tank himself! Well, he was bleeding alot, and his hand looked like it was sliced up bad. Anyone here have retics and bps? Are either of them more likely to bite than the other, or was it perhaps just not a good time to clean his tank? That got me a little jumpy...

My first snake was a retic. LOL I did not know that the very small baby rainbow snake would turn into a 10 foot long killing machine in 6 months!!!!!! She was terribly aggressive and we had a really hard time getting rats into her cage without her striking out at us. One day she got my boyfriend. She would not let go. His hand turned purple by the time I pried her off of his arm. He had so many teeth embedded in his knuckles it was unreal. It also got really infected and looked nasty. I sold her right after that. She went to a more experienced python keeper and was fed rabbits after that. I am sure her aggression was due to my poor husbandry and stupidity. I totally agree with those who believe that large and dangerous snakes should not be sold to just anyone. I think you should have to have a permit to have such a thing. They are VERY dangerous. BPs are one thing but retics burms and anacondas are something totally different and should be right up there with cobras and rattlers.