How bad is a bite from a full grown corn snake?

It's been a few months and she takes a small adult mouse. She only threatens to eat any cat paws near her tank when her meal gets delayed a day. lol

As long as your corn snake doesn't have teeth like the green tree python, don't sweat it...

Even just my blood python I look forward to when he grows lol Shorter teeth but a lot of jaw muscle space and I'm told python teeth more often break off and have to be pulled or risk infection.



There's your corn snake



Even if it has some hardware (much of the length of the teeth would be covered and not penetrate) it lacks the space for the same jaw muscles as a python or some boas. Groups like the rosy, sand, and rubber boa can't do much damage but obviously as shown some boas have the means.

The skull pics are great! They really show the relative teeth so well.

Just to add to the info - if you DO get bitten and held on to, the best way to get the snake to release without breaking off teeth is to blow (hard!) in its face. That way it usually releases voluntarily rather than having to be dragged off. (I have a bitey one too....)

As far a getting a snake to release, try dunking your hand under cold water (in the water bowl or under a running faucet, whatever is closer).

I've never tried blowing in a snake's face, but I can imagine someone ending up with the snake on their nose or in a "passionate" lip-lock, LOL!

Originally Posted by hotlips

I've never tried blowing in a snake's face, but I can imagine someone ending up with the snake on their nose or in a "passionate" lip-lock, LOL!

Like this?

(Personally the blowing has always worked for me, but I do take your point )

EXACTLY, Helen...LOL! I'm glad it's always worked for you, but I figure a snake in that frame of mind might just try another body part instead, & lips & noses bleed very freely.
Face wounds are very embarrassing when ppl know you keep snakes...to say nothing of the bad publicity for snakes.

I often use scent to let a snake know it's "me" and NOT dinner, by blowing air across my hand thru the screen top of a cage, & they normally do back right off. But a snake that's already hanging on to what it hopes is dinner is a little more "motivated" and hey,
what's one more mistake? My normally-docile spotted python gets so wound-up when she thinks food is coming that sometimes she tries to bite thru the glass before she turns and catches herself, LOL! -and she doesn't let go very fast either! So I'd think twice before blowing right into the face of a biting snake...it could backfire.

Apparently a few drops of hard alcohol makes them let go immediately. No one listed alcohol on items required for keeping snakes but if you've got a big snake on you that isn't letting go and you can't drag the thing to the sink to hold it under water... I'm thinking more the blood python or when my bull snakes are full grown. There's a lot of snake there to haul out of it's tank and find enough water which is 3 rooms away in some cases for me.

For sure, akane! I thought about mentioning alcohol too but we're mostly talking about corn snakes here. I've never had to use that method but anyone keeping larger & more
'serious' constrictors should be prepared to use that if needed. I used to have several
huge bull snakes but never had any bites from them...they were pretty smart about my
scent & backed right off, even though they were crazy-wild feeders. As far as using water though, it's mostly to splash a snake in the face to startle them into letting go.

My cb bull is an entirely different critter from the wild ones I'm used to running into. Those are nasty bastards that don't back off. Being hit by those occasionally is why I was quite concerned about snake bites at first. Then it was more inconvenient waiting for her to let go than anything. I've had more pain and longer lasting damage from cockatiels. I'll take the snake over even a small parrot. lol