Snake always bites me.... frustrated

[tricksterpup]

I know everyone here is trying to give great advice on the snake bitting issue but if you get a snake that is just naturally a biter. There is not much you can do but take a bite every once in awhile.
I am just showing this off, my first real snake bite. It came from a Rosy Boa which wanted to wrap around my hand while she was biting me. My girlfriend wanted to remove a piece of shed off the head. She removed the shed while the snake was ahem.. busy with my hand.

The best thing to do when a good size snake gets ahold of you is to just put it under hot water or at least water going from Warm to hot. I do not want to scar my snake but they will let go once it gets a bit warm for them.
Also another rule I practice and it didn't happen with me. Never panic, things just get worse if you do. I was more worried about my snake getting hurt trying to eat my thumb than bitting me. The pain only last as long as the animal is on our body part and if you can call that pain. But it doesn't last long at all.

 

[tyflier]

Flagg wrote:

...Ditch the gloves and try not to be so fearful. The snake can sense your hesitation and fear and that just reinforces his behavior....

I don't fully agree with this. For young colubrids(hatchling to yearling or so), sure...a bite is not a big deal. But for boas(of just about any age), or adult colubrids, sometimes the gloves will give you the confidence that you might otherwise be lacking. Some people will not be able to control that fear reaction without something "protecting" their flesh. I no longer have the "knee-jerk" reaction of withdrawing my hands quickly when I get bit...but I still don't like it.

For example...with my adult male Cali King...he has gotten me good and proper more times than I can count. It hurts a bit, and the pain goes away very soon after removing him from my flesh. But the bottom line is...I don't like getting bitten. While I am not nervous or afraid of being bitten...I still don't like it. So with him, it is simply a matter of knowing...for a fact...that if I need to handle him, he is going to take a taste unless I am wearing gloves. So I simply wear gloves. Then I don't have to worry so much about watching him and his reactions...I can just enjoy his company while he lets me.

As tricksterpup pointed out...you somtimes get a naturally aggressive snake. My Cali falls into this category. He bites...everything, everyone, everytime. I don't think he will EVER stop doing it. I deal with it, and as such, I wear gloves to prevent any mishaps, and I don't allow people to hold him that are not entirely familiar with handling snakes, or are not aware that he will most likely bite them. In other words...I am the only one that handles him for the time being. Nobody else wants to hold him badly enough to risk the bites...

 

[CALIVIK]

Get rid of any hide that has a bottom. Use hides that you can pick up quickly and grab the snake underneath.. Mine all love the half coconut shells when they are small enough to fit in them.

I'm a total newbie & this is the system I use. once out he is grt & wants to stay out at least for a while. I try to take mine out at least 3 times a wk...

I also think Cuddles advice is a good. That would work perfect for my little guy!

tricksterpup~ YIKES!! Now that's bite! thanks for the grt advice! I appreciate it!!

 

[Hawkin']

:sobstory: Quit crying and just grab him!!!!! Just kidding,but really it's a cornsnake,not a Gaboon viper.I think you'd be better off to keep at it bare handed and take a few bites while he's small.Sooner or later he's going to figure out biting isn't working.Just reach in and pick him up ,if he bites just keep going. Good luck.

 

[vertigofm]

It's not that I "fear" the bite, I am just naturally jumpy. If a dog moves fast at me I startle, I don't actually get scared I just have an incredibly alert "fight or flight" response. The reason I don't like being jumpy with any animal is I fear I might stress it or hurt it in jumping back. Unfortunatly not everyone can control that jump response, something that would probably require some training for me. But seriously, if I pick up a cicada outside and it buzzes in my hand I get startled and jump and drop the damn thing. Not fear, just an irrational split-second response.

 

[bitsy]

I'm also of the opinion that - very occasionally - you'll just get a natural biter who won't be trained out of the habit. Dogs and cats can be like that, why not Corns?

I have one that bites if I go anywhere near her. She's not naturally aggressive or bad-tempered, she just automatically assumes that anything vaguely warm that moves near her, is food. It takes a brisk biting/chewing session to prove otherwise to her satisfaction. I wish gloves helped, but she bites me if I wear them as well. Fingers, hands, arms, nose (yes, really)... any part of me that's been near her over the years has been gnawed on at some point.

She's the only Corn I've ever encountered like that, but ultimately, I've had to adapt to her, rather than keep trying to force her to adapt to me.

And being bitten by a very enthusiastic adult Corn really isn't fun at the time. It's perfectly normal to not want to be bitten. It's nothing to do with being a wimp, it's about being sensible for both yourself and the Corn.

I'm sure I even remember Rich Z telling us that he once dispensed with the services of a persistant biter.

They really can be wearing to deal with, unless you find a strategy that works for both of you.

 

[dionythicus]

I'm sure I even remember Rich Z telling us that he once dispensed with the services of a persistant biter.

I remember that story!! I also recall Rich Z talking about his adults are on a schedule where they get cleaned, watered and fed in a certain order, but some think they might miss out on the meal portin and make a lunge for it!

 

[sprdonkey]

I believe..

We have one snake that disliked his previous owner but is a peach with us, one snake that is gravy with my fiancee but bites me atleast 5 times, every time I pick her up, then five more as I'm putting her down, and one that does the same with my fiancee except that he keeps striking the sides of his tub until he can't see him anymore, I firmly believe that just like with people that we don't mesh well with, some snakes just don't like the way we smell or something. Pheremones...You would think that they would atleast tolerate us for the sake of cupboard love...I thought that was universal.

 

[sprdonkey]

Seriously though

I tried gloves with different snakes. I don't know which you are using but I didn't have any success with leather or latex, I think the smell of one enreged them and the leather ones make your hands look bigger and that must be intimidating. I have had tremendous success with white cotton ones, like mittens, their teeth will stick to them when they strike and I don't think that they like the texture much, so it may deter them.

 

[tyflier]

I use an older pair of paintball gloves...thin, tight-fitting leather with suede palms for feel, and lycra padding on the backs. My "bitey boy" doesn't bite me when I'm wearing them...don't know why. But he does "seek out" my bare forearms and go in for a taste...

 

[AlexSD87]

Hmm

Im a new corn owner and I read alot about fiesty vs docile corns.
(What I learned from this forum and other readings) Do you feed your corn in his tank? If you do, then that might be a reason of the strikes.
Do you wash your hands with something strong? Like some very fruity soap? Or some chemical in it? He might be smelling threat.
Where did you get your snake? Was your snake captive raised? Were its parents? He might be fiesty because his "living" instincts are still active!
But hey you have received other great advice.
Good luck!