You really must know where the snake is whenever you reach into an enclosure, otherwise it's just as easy to get bit when you try to put them in another container while you do cage maintenance as it is to get nailed by just reaching in & getting it done. Trust me, I've had a few reminders too, whenever I forgot this.![]()
There may also be times when it's necessary to reach in but when the snake must NOT (or should not) be picked up, much less removed...like, for example, if they're laying eggs. Or digesting a meal. What then?
What is most likely to get you bitten is when you're rummaging around in "their space" but you're just far enough away so they don't know for sure that you're not prey. When you're just out of reach, & they haven't caught your scent or touch, sure- their instincts are going to hope that you're prey- so think about it from the snake's viewpoint, & let them know it's you, not food.
It comes down to remembering that our snakes rarely identify us by using their vision. We're just a moving object of interest, & if they can sense our body heat, we're even more intriguing, from a snake's perspective.







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