• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

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

leboshade

New member
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Miami, FL USA
Had one snap at me the other day and was wondering if anyone has had an experience of being bitten from a full grown adult?
 
I was struck once (during feeding); it feels like being cut by a razor. Stings a little, and bleeds quite a bit, but not bad. Just slap some triple antibiotic on it and a bandaid.
 
It's better than a paper cut, I can tell you that. Mostly you'll get rows of tiny pin-holes that bleed freely for a while but rarely get infected. If you jerk your hand away, you'll likely cause some teeth to break off embedded in your skin though, which can be bothersome- like a splinter you cannot see. (their teeth are translucent) As far as 'pain', most snake bites are like getting a shot at the doctor's office, over before you know what hit you. I wouldn't let it keep you awake nights, lol...
 
It's not that bad, just a few pinpricks which heal quickly.
I have a bitey one :)
GarnetChomp10_09.jpg
 
I was struck once (during feeding); it feels like being cut by a razor. .

I dont think its as bad as being cut by a razor.I am thinking razor blade, ouch.Its really not a big deal, doesnt really hurt and barely bleeds.
Think about wrestling with a kitten with your bare hand, its not even that bad.
 
I was worried to get bit because of adult bullsnakes getting me as a kid when I tried to move them. Small boas and corn snakes are not even worth stopping to worry about. The only problem I had was I didn't just get struck. I was trying to be made dinner so I'm holding the snake over it's cage and my husband is googling how to get a snake off your hand while it twists around on my finger. She popped her own jaws off eventually. Stopped bleeding in a couple minutes, wiped it off, and that was that.
 
Well the bite of any snake in 'feeding mode' is never much fun, but the teeth of corn
snakes (even the adults) are small & not much to worry about. That must be one hungry corn snake though, to hang on for so long, Shawna. Time to feed, LOL, & don't take it
personal.

Celia, I agree...kittens are far worse, in part because both teeth & claws carry WAY
more "germs", & either one can dig much deeper into your skin than corn snake teeth. But if you ask most people, they fear a snake-bite far more.
 
Rescue snake. Had been fed 1 pinky a week at 3 years old, no heat, cedar shavings.... Everything was food when she got warm.
 
Oh that poor little soul! No wonder she grabbed you Shawna. I've taken in a number of
rescue snakes too, over the years. It breaks my heart, the way some neglect their
"pets"...way to go! I would be careful to increase her meals gradually though...to make
sure her stomach can handle the change & so she doesn't regurgitate. I think (& hope) she'll be fine, given some time with you.
 
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...
 

Attachments

  • gtb_teeth_02.jpg
    gtb_teeth_02.jpg
    5.3 KB · Views: 202
Last edited:
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.

variants_large_7591.jpg


There's your corn snake

variants_large_7543.jpg


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....:eek:)
 
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!
 
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
 
Back
Top