BP Bites

[Emily Hubbard]

I have never been bit, my girl is soooo mellow, nothing gets her worked up except rats. She goes from chill, mellow, sweetest snake ever to a complete psychopath as soon as she smells her rat defrosting. Someday, she will tag me when I am trying to feed her, I am sure of it, her feeding response is insane.

In fact, today I wasn't sure where she was in her tank when I slip open the glass. I usually just toss the rat in and let her find it, which takes her all of about 12 seconds just because I know she will tag me if I dangle it in front of her. Well, I opened the glass not knowing where she was and she came FLYING out with her mouth open right at my nose. Didn't get me, I leaped back on the floor, but holy crap, my heart skipped a beat. I closed the glass and opened the other side, threw the rat in, and she struck for my face again, smashed into the glass, spun around, saw her rat and lunged at it. It's like a horror movie, she just strikes at ANYTHING until she hits rat. Nutcase.

[Orangephoner]

Wow. I didn't expect such a responce. Thank you. I really like all of your stories. One other question. Do they give you any signs that they are about to strike? Or do they just go for it?

Christian

[Slim]

Do they give you any signs that they are about to strike? Or do they just go for it?

In time you'll start being able to read each of your snakes, and you'll kinda' have an idea they might be ticked enough to take a swing.

If the bite is a feeding response (if you have rat smell on your hands) it can come out of no where.

BTW, try not to have rat smell on your hands

[JLC]

I got tagged the other day by my adult spider due to SFE. (Stupid Feeding Error) She got the webbing between thumb and finger pretty good, as well as the knuckle of that finger. The bite stung...the bruising on the knuckle afterward hurt for a couple days....but it's a really small sort of hurt. Not a big deal. It's the ITCHING after a bite that drives me nuts. LOL That can go on for several days.

I'll concur with others that the adrenaline rush from the strike is far more dramatic than the bite itself actually is. I've got two snakes that will furiously launch themselves out of their tubs on feeding day (the spider is one of them! LOL) and they always get my heart to racing.

Does that count as aerobic exercise?

[Rob]

furiously launch themselves out of their tubs on feeding day (the spider is one of them! LOL):

X2.....I think it's safe to say spiders are nuts! In a good way of course