BP Biting

[paulrcooper]

I have owned by BP now for 4 months and had him since he was 6 weeks old.

When i first got him he was really snappy but now he has calmed down and is very happy however I still find it hard to handle him.

I can hold him but when his head gets near to my skin I think he is going to bite and I put him down.

Do they only bite when in the 'S' position ?

Do I just need to trust that he wont bite me and if he does its not going to hurt anyway ? Any advice please ?

[frankykeno]

Paul, it's sort of a thing where if you expect it to happen and tense up, well I think it's far more likely to happen. Animals, especially predators, I think can pick up these "vibes" from us on a level we aren't aware of. If you are nervous, then for now simply wear some gloves until you feel more confident in yourself and your snakes reactions to you.

I can tell you from my own experience that we have over 20 snakes from three different species. I've been bitten a total of one time and that was a large snake we were rehabbing at the time so a bite or attempt to bite was fully expected. I've been hissed at or jabbed at (a closed mouth jab) lots of times, it comes with owning multiple snakes. In the end, most bites are triggered by the snake's owner and more his/her fault than the snake's - which is just reacting to stimuli usually.

[martyb]

BP rarely Bite and as this is 4 months old then the bite wont hurt as they only have little fangs

just keep handling and he should calm down

just be patient

[darkangel]

I've only been bitten by my RTB. But struck at MANY MANY times by my bps! I almost always use a glove to lift them out of their enclosure, and if I'm lifting out my guy that's particularly nervous, I lay a pillowcase over him and gently lift him out.

[shhhli]

try wearing long sleeves and gloves if you are still nervous.
prehaps with that you'll be able to read your snake without fear.

i just make sure when picking up my snakes to pick them up from behind their head and unless i know that snake really really well, keep my hands mostly to their back and never right in front of their nose unless they cruise around to that point. i also make sure to fully support & keep the snake close to add security.

like the others, once you really get to reading their body you'll know to a degree what's rolling around in that head of theirs.

[JoshJP7]

Ive also noticed that if they are going to bite you theyll do it before you pick them up... I personally would not use a glove simply because they can smell you... once they learn your scent you shouldnt have much to worry bout... but once you pick them up id say your pretty much in the clear of them biting you... This is no 100% fact or anything just something Ive observed... I have 1 female pastel that hisses like no other but once you get ur hands on her and get her out she calms down real quick... Another thing that may sound silly is to keep your shirt off... I do this a lot with my babies so its much easier for them to pick up on your scent... They flick their little tongues out and can smell you real good. Like franky said they def can tell if your nervous or what not so be confident with yourself... Everytime my female pastel hisses at me I get cautious (can never be too safe) but if you let them get away with it theyll keep doing it... she hisses and i tell er to shut up and i take er out any ways .. pesky lil boogers eh.

[KJE]

If you are getting bit when you take your snake out of it's enclosure you should start using a snake hook. You can go to the hardware store and buy a small paint roller handle. If you need more length then you can get the stick that screws into the handle and cut it to the length you want. It's not the prettiest hook, but it works. You just have to make sure the snake isn't too heavy for the hook.

[Morphie]

I have a few strikers/biters. They have been really good for me: I am starting to get over being scared of their bites. I've gotten nailed for real a few times, and it's like a bunch of paper cuts and it barely stings. Seeing the initial strike will activate your defense instinct naturally, but if you try, you can train yourself not to have the "hot stove" reaction to it, and be completely comfortable.

Avoiding bites is preferable, but the main idea is to teach your brain that it's not a huge deal if it does happen (because it's really not**) , and then you'll be all set.

**If they're in food mode and you get bitten accidentally, they may try to constrict, which complicates things. The way to deal with this is to always feed with hemostats and otherwise leave them the heck alone when you or anything else in the viscinity smells like rodents

[rushchaser]

Many people here have hit on it exactly, if you are scared and show it then they sence it and strike becasue they are scared also. once they see that you are comfortable and that you aern't a predator trying to eat them then they settle down. You also want to make sure that you don't hesitate when picking up your bp. When you do this you are basically imitating the movement of one of its meals, so when you are reaching in just reach in and pick him up DON'T HESITATE and once you have him you will be fine. My 4 year old little girl who lives with her mom was at my house this summer and of course she wanted nothing to do with them at first but after a few days she wouldn't leave me alone about wanting to hold one. She even got nipped by one of my bigger females becasue she was wiggling her finger at the opening of the hide. She said that they snake scratched her and did want to hold "Hannah Montana" ( she named this snake) for about an hour and then she was back at it "daddy can I hold Hanna Montana." I hope this helps.

[Mr. H]

I have owned by BP now for 4 months and had him since he was 6 weeks old.

When i first got him he was really snappy but now he has calmed down and is very happy however I still find it hard to handle him.

I can hold him but when his head gets near to my skin I think he is going to bite and I put him down.

Do they only bite when in the 'S' position ?

Do I just need to trust that he wont bite me and if he does its not going to hurt anyway ? Any advice please ?

I've been looking after my friend's boa constrictor for a while now, and he's struck at me a couple of times (never successfully bit, thankfully). Sometimes I get quite tense when I hold him and he looks at my face though. The key is to remember when you weren't afraid of them biting and to power through it. It's usually just you being paranoid. Of course, if you don't want to hold him, no one is going to force you to.