Cage Maintenance w/Snakes and how to Avoid Bites

[dakski]

Sorry to hear about the wake-up call you got from Yafe, but actually, there IS another way (assuming we're talking about harmless snakes here, not venomous):

If I need to tidy up or change a water bowl & my snake is in a hide, peeking out at me (the typical scenario), I just put something in front of the doorway to their hide to block their view & make it very impractical for them to attempt to bite me while I'm doing what I need to do. Actually, I have a ping-pong paddle that I usually use for this purpose, because it's the right size, easy to hold, & has some weight to it when leaned against the doorway of a hide.

I've never had a snake that didn't respect this temporary blockage of their view- never had a "gate-crasher" or bite this way. And the handle on the paddle makes it easy to pick up again to remove. I have some very food-motivated 7' rat snakes that I use this for, so it's an option you might consider. I suspect that after a few times, the snakes might also recognize the paddle just as they would your "hook tapping". This has worked well for me- I've been doing it this way for years, & it's better for both us AND our snakes to prevent bites.

Boger, excellent point.

I agree and that works in many circumstances and with many snakes. My boas and tend to be out and about much, especially Behira (BI) who likes to see what's up and Yafe loves his perches and likes to be able to see what's going on around him too. He was not in a hide nor would have stayed in one. He's stubborn. The corn snakes on the other hand, would stay in a hide I put them in 90% of the time.

I've never had a larger python or boa take a shot while out and about, but this wasn't my first issue in a tank when I tried to test the snake.

For me, I'll try to be safe most of the time and remove the snake. However, even after Yafe's shot yesterday, I changed Feliz's (BC) water while he was in a hide. I let him know I was there and turned the hide so the door faced away from the water dish. He left me alone and stayed put.

So, I've essentially done what you suggest.

However, if I get bit it's:

A: No fun for me.
B: No fun for mr or mrs snake.
C: Katie (wife) gets nervous. The bigger these guys get the more nervous she gets. No need to add that by getting a careless bite.
Again, thank you for the useful tip! I wasn't as thorough as I could have been, but always appreciate people chiming in and adding to my thoughts. Believe it or not, I don't know everything!