Bite Club

[HiddenHollowHerp]

LOL! I'm sorry Heather, but that made me laugh like you can't imagine!

Seriously though, cat bites are scary. If they break the skin, they are extremely likely to infect. I bet you were glad when that 'li'l kitten' went home!

 

[Helenthereef]

My boas have 2 styles; an occasional bad mood quick smack "no, I'm not coming out to play, bugger off" with a fast release; but I have one klutz who more than once has done the more disquieting "hmm, smells like food, must be food", missing the animal and getting me, then trying to "walk and swallow" my finger.
This is always tricky to get off without hurting him, and my dignity!

Maybe we could have suggestions for how best to disengage attached animals?

 

[Keleida]

LOL! I'm sorry Heather, but that made me laugh like you can't imagine!

Seriously though, cat bites are scary. If they break the skin, they are extremely likely to infect. I bet you were glad when that 'li'l kitten' went home!

Oh my, I WISH it were a kitten. It was a 12lb Tomcat that bit me.

 

[wcreptiles]

Maybe we could have suggestions for how best to disengage attached animals?

As most of you know, if you are in danger from a large snake use a little to a lot of alcohol in the mouth (Listerine mouthwash, vodka or rum maybe). If you keep any of the big five you should have a bottle around. Scream for your backup helps too.

If it's a smaller snake that just doesn't want to let go, I spray them a few times (1-20) with a water bottle I keep around for misting purposes. It may take a minute or so before the snake releases but it will release on its own. I think they release sooner if they are sprayed than if you just wait it out. I would never suggest using alcohol because it's just not a very nice thing to do to them and unless you are in danger it's not needed.

 

[HiddenHollowHerp]

I have a big ol' 3-4ft snow corn named Frosty, and though his bites aren't dangerous, they really can be painful. I have a glass bottle with a dropper in it that I keep full of peppermint extract & whiskey (watered down quite a bit) and when he latches onto me, I give him a drop at the corners of his mouth, and he lets go like a snap of the fingers! Snakes really hate bitter or bitey tastes.

 

[zipzagger]

This works for me

My boas have 2 styles; an occasional bad mood quick smack "no, I'm not coming out to play, bugger off" with a fast release; but I have one klutz who more than once has done the more disquieting "hmm, smells like food, must be food", missing the animal and getting me, then trying to "walk and swallow" my finger.
This is always tricky to get off without hurting him, and my dignity!

Maybe we could have suggestions for how best to disengage attached animals?

Blow really hard right in their nostrils and eyes.

 

[ForkedTung]

Blow really hard right in their nostrils and eyes.

While I don't doubt that this works....putting my face close to a snake that has already proven it can and will bite me, would make me hesitant to try this one first!
Hot and/or cold water has been known to work! ( this could aspiration though)

 

[zipzagger]

Trust me, they don't like it at all. I shouldn't be saying this, but I learned it by doing this to my youngest son when he was screaming his head off while I was holding him. He will stop screaming immediately. Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this with a big snake, but it is fine for smaller breeds. A can of compressed air for cleaning electronics would work just as good.

One thing I would highly advise against is using any type of alcohol, especially rubbing alcohol. It can cause severe kidney damage and blindness.

 

[zipzagger]

After reading this thread a little more, I saw that someone had mentioned pepper spray. That is something else that wouldn't be adviseable unless it was an emergency. That can also cause blindness and respiratory problems. It's not just me saying that, it says it on most pepper spray containers. It also might cause a snake to go batshit berzerk. I saw a bear on TV once run right into a tree headfirst after being pepper-sprayed, and there was a would-be robber in Anchorage once who ran into traffic (and got hit) after being sprayed in the face by a cab driver.

 

[aleria]

Thus far I've only been bitten 3 times. I've had a bp for 11 years now and he has never bitten me. He bit my brother once after he had handled a rat getting ready to feed him and then stupidly stuck his hand in the cage to pull him out of his hide with the rat smell all over his hands. My mom did the same thing and got the same result. But he never bit me.
I have an '07 female hog island that got me once on my finger when she was in a hungry mood before it was feeding day, but she just tagged me when I was reaching past her to get out her water dish to clean and refill it, barely a speck of blood, so it really didn't hurt. She also got me once on the neck when she was using her head to try to get leverage to pull herself up around my neck and her mouth opened just enough for her teeth to come out on one side and poke me a little, that one didn't even draw blood.
My '08 male albino boa also got me once on the knuckle when he got surprised when I was taking him out of his hide for feeding day, that one drew a bit more blood and I believe one of his tiny teeth broke off in my skin because it felt like I had a splinter until I scraped across it with my fingernail to try to get it to come out, I didn't see it, but I can tell it was in there. And then he also got me in the neck trying to use his head to pull himself up around my neck to get into my hair, did the same exact thing as the hog girl.
But they're both so sweet that it was never a warning or pissed off mood that made them purposely bite me.

 

[AbsoluteApril]

Great thread and I've enjoyed everyone sharing their experiences.

Don't even know how many times I've been bitten, newborn boas and baby corns can be quite nippy. My first bite was in 2000 from a 4' boa that I rescued to rehab, she was quite cage defensive as you can see... got me by surprise, just a quick slap with the teeth but I went into a little shock, crying and couldn't stop shaking, still had wits enough to tell my friend to 'grab the camera!'

after washing off the blood, I love this pic, you can see the outline of the mouth:

Twice in the past 5 years I was bitten by adult boas over 6.5' (SFE both times) that was a full on grasp and coil of the hand/arm, etc. The most recent time was from my normally docile 20 yr old 8' boa... had the jumbo rat and tongs in one hand holding open the door with the other when the door slipped and she went for that hand. Got me real good, she smelled the rat and kept clamping down hard. Didn't let go until I was dragging her out the snake room and down the hall towards the bathroom, then she was suddenly 'oops mom, what did I do? you're not a rat!'.

after washing it off, this one beld quite a bit!

the next morning, you can see the outline of her bottom jaw near my thumb

The best thing about boa bites, they only hurt when happening, swell/bruise up a bit but then heal in about 5-7 days.
Showing both hands to show how one was swollen

Makes for good stories around the cubicle though.

Had some non-herper friends over showing off some of the collection and talking about how they hardly bite, open one of my atb's cages and she nails me right away.
Gotta love snakes.
-April

 

[ForkedTung]

Great stories and better pics.........thanks for sharing...bluuuhhhdddd

 

[armchairangel]

If your boa bites heal and feel better in about a week, you're pretty lucky April! You've gotten nailed more seriously than I have and it took several weeks before my hand stopped hurting.

It was feeding time. My husband and I work together when we do this and this particular experience has made me stay away from the feeding unless I'm the one offering the food. We had our 8 yr old 5' boa in her feeding tub. My husband lowered the rat, and she started heading out of the container. I put my hand down to block her escape. He pulled the rat away, but Opal obviously had gotten the scent and mistook my hand for the rat. She let go right away and it was over before I realized I had gotten bitten.

I'm guessing that mine hurt so badly for so long because she bit my hand as it was curled, bruising a couple of knuckles in the process. We do have pictures, but they're on my husband's computer.

Its frustrating cuz I've ended up being rather gunshy about handling my snakes now. Although, that night was particularly brutal. Hubby got tagged by one of the ball pythons too (in a really unexpected manner) and shortly before, he had gotten bit by our juvie alligator.

 

[TattooLost]

Well, i tried taking pics of the new carpets tonight. http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128573

They hypo red boy, I was already warned was a bit skittish or "nervous". lol I don't think repeatedly flashing the camera helped his mood tonight, and he thought he'd show me when i went to pick him up to return him to his tank. He was so cute, trying to act tough!

 

[Tiger Lilly]

NOT A CATCH & RELEASE!
I got my first 'bad' bite before work today...I swear I didn't smell like food! I pulled one of my bins out to check on a female bp that I think may be gravid. She does what she usually does, comes to the opening with her tongue flicking. I do what I usually do, move my hand slowly toward her & place it under her chin. She nailed me between the thumb & forefinger! It took me a good five minutes to get out of the room so someone could hear me yelling for help, then another 3-5 minutes to get someone to the room I was in. Couldn't get out of that room because the door opens IN & my hands were kind of full--she had a good grip on my right hand & wrapped up tight; my left hand was stuck under her coils trying to pry her mouth open. By the time my roommate heard me yelling, the blood was pooling & clotting. Sorry, no photos of the blood & gore there. Finally got her off me & back in a bin & cleaned off my hand. Luckily, she didn't lose any teeth in my hand. Photos of the holes & bruising may be forthcoming.
Any tips on what to do in a situation like this if I'd been home alone? Calling 911 would be an absolute LAST resort. Around here, that would make a 'great' story.

 

[Tiger Lilly]

Not a catch & release bite!

Don't know what's up with me & duplicate posting lately...
photos comin' up!

 

[hhmoore]

Any tips on what to do in a situation like this if I'd been home alone?

Sit down and relax - it'll let go (not necessarily immediately, but at some point). If you aren't the patient sort, you can spray/squirt a little alcohol (drinking, not rubbing) in the snakes mouth...but, if your hands are both...ummmm....occupied, that might not be possible.

 

[ForkedTung]

I'm sorry to hear that Lily, glad you're both OK. the shock of a bite really catches you off guard even though when dealing with snakes we know that this is always a possibility.
I guess we're talking about a Ball Python here?
I've heard that blowing really hard into their face can make them let go, no hands for that. and biting them back somewhere on the body as well ( they don't seem to like pain either lol).

 

[Tiger Lilly]

Yeah, it was one of my newer balls, maybe 4 1/2 ft & about 2000+ grams. The alcohol trick would've actually worked great (I was in the bathroom, so it was right there), but like you said, Harald, it wouldn't have been possible in my situation.
As for blowing in her face, Kyle, she was so wrapped up I couldn't SEE her face! It is just now starting to actually hurt, and it's been 12 hours; I am a big sissy, though!
I have decided a few things after this incident & another one that happened on Friday:
Even when playing with my balls, always try to do it when others are around;
No more playing with my balls before I have to work;
and DEFINITELY no more messing with the gravid wenches!
That, and I need to rig up something that will squirt alcohol without the use of my hands...

 

[TattooLost]

OH man... I could totally see biting a snake on the back to get it to let go, and the thing turning around and latching onto my face. hahaha

I'd be running around the house like Pee-Wee Herman. Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!