To bite or not to bite?

[mertle]

Hi everyone!

I had my Mac out today for a quick hello,

He is 5-6 months old, now, he comes out fine and I can handle him for a few mins, he has a look around and lays on my arm,

it seems when he has had enough he will slowly open his mouth to perhaps bite my arm?? I'm not sure, he does it so slowly too, now I know I am too big to eat!

I was just wondering if anyone elses snake does this?

I put him back when he does it, if I keep him out after he does it at first he will do it again a few secconds later.

I am thinking he is just letting me know he has had enough?

Thanks for any help!!!

[Tsidasa]

my stimson's opens her mouth really slowly to eat a pinky, it's funny cos it looks like she's trying to be sneaky. but the things already dead it doesn't care one time she opened her mouth on me but it looked more like she was yawning lol and didn't move to actually snap any part of me. i was a bit concerned it may be a sign of a respiratory infection but she hasn't done it since so i got over my paranoia =)

[Thor1]

so you have never left him out to see what will happen?
maybe you should try it.

[Bonustokin]

hey mertle, i have a mac around the same age, and he has never done it for me, only after a feed, and i think hes just putting his jaw back in place. When my little guy has had enough he wraps around my arm and squeezes, to get warmth, so i put him back on the heat. I have no idea sorry.

[Julie-anne]

I've seen my coastal yawning a few times and sometimes she has yawned while being handled. But I think you would know if yours was yawning too, its quite obvious, you can tell their not striking and its over in a few seconds.
Like Tsidasa mentioned, if its ongoing it could be a sign of a respiratory infection? can you hear any wheezing?

[Tsidasa]

ALTHOUGH i just had a thought, is it a certain spot on you that he does it?? because my friend's snake gets to a spot on her chest just below her neck and slowly opens his mouth, and then eventually goes to bite, the last time he got her hand. Anyway she discovered it was a type of perfume she was wearing and since she stopped wearing it he's stopped doing it. It smells nice to us but must secretly be made out of mice

[mertle]

no i can't hear anything, it's like he sniffs my arm and then decides he would like a mouthfull? he doesn't do it any other time , only the last two times I have had him out. I havn't seen him do it in his box or anything, and he strikes his pinkie when he eats, not like this.

It's just a slow open mouth sort of thing like he wants to eat my arm?

Hope he is ok, I will keep an eye on him now more

[mertle]

mmm perhaps I should only handle him after washing my whole arm and not just my hands hehehe

[snakegal]

Originally Posted by mertle

mmm perhaps I should only handle him after washing my whole arm and not just my hands hehehe

Maybe wait and see what happens if you don't put him back....if he bites you guess you have your answer. :wink:

[munkee]

Yep I had an adult maccy that did that to me . I was sitting on the computer (looking at this site quite possibly) and I had him curled around my left wrist. I saw him move so I looked at him and he half opened his mouth and leaned toward my thumbs knuckle. He half bit the knuckle first (mouth was only slightly open) I continued to watch him and ever so casually he opened his mouth and bit my knuckle and constricted my wrist . He then let go after about five seconds or so. I hadn't heard of it prior but my current female has tried to do similar once though I realised what was going to happen and stopped her in time.

This guy was very food oriented and had also slammed and contricted my hand while I was moving things in his enclosure.

Don't really know why he did it but thought you'd like to know that similar behaviour has happened to at least one other. Cheers

[salebrosus]

I have a snake that gets fed every 5-6 days, the food is big enough so she should be fine. By the four day mark don't put your fingers in cos she will bite, wrap, unwrap but still chew, move up the finger realise that the nice big pinky is attached to another four and oh, bugger me...i just can't swallow. She then lets go but she is very edgy until she gets that next feed. Doesn't stop her frmo continually trying.

I also have an adult woma that loves to sit sweet and cuddly in your arms before resting her head against you arm and then nailing you.

Simone.

[mertle]

Thanks for that guys! I ended up feeding him today because he was looking for it for so long, he had 2 pinkie mice, so I guess he was just hungry! hehehehehe

[munkee]

johnbowemonie - Really? This is the first time I have heard about a adult woma or BHP nailing anyone. The BHPs and Womas I've seen are all lovely. Hmmm maybe I should be more careful around my BHPs now........

[salebrosus]

yeah yeah munkee rub it in. LOL. Bit me straight through my betty boop pj's. I didn't even flinch i just waited for him to let go. About 30 seconds later and lots of blood it was ok. Didn't realise he had broken a tooth off until a week later. He's definately a chomper.

Simone.

[Pythoninfinite]

That kind of slow bite is often a result of hunger, and is a response to the warmth of your skin (they have those pits for a reason...) Your snake may actually be underfed. It may also be that it can smell food - do you wash your hands after handling anything related to food, they can even react to things like cooked chicken and other unlikely snake meals.

But try feeding it a bit more, or larger food items.