Warning please do not let your pet pythons to get near your face

[reptilian1924]

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This morning l was attacked by one of my captive breed Olive Pythons on my face as you can see in the photo, the Olive that bit me on my face is the one you see in the photo on my hand.

Has you can see if you look close it got me on my nose near my left eye, and above my right eye, it was painfull let me tell you their teeth can really hurt when they bite you.

Lucky it was only 5 foot long just amagine if this Olive Python was fully grown, it would have done more harm to me, and most likely squeeze my neck.

Please don't ever let your pet Pythons get anywhere near your face, or it may bite one of your eyes, least l was lucky it did not manage to bite my left eye thank god.


Not once in mylife since l have been keeping Pythons since August 1989, have l ever come this close to being bitting on my face by a Python.

 

[mysnakesau]

I'd like to add a similar caution regarding hand feeding. You might think your snake is a pussy, but try getting a 9ft python off you when it misses the food item and latches onto you instead. Reptilian1933 was very lucky not to lose an eye, and more lucky so that the python struck and released and did not hold on. When pythons are in feed response they bite, they hold on and they constrict their catch. Now try getting that 9ft python off your face and stop it wrapping around your neck.

Remember when you are bitten by a venonmous snake you still have time to get help. If a sizeable python wraps around your neck, you have 2 minutes to get help before it can potentially suffocate you.

 

[reptilian1924]

This 15 month old Olive Python did not let go of my face when it bit me, l had to force it of by gently squeezing it on its neck and slowely pully it of so it would let go, and l was not feeding it, its last feed was last Thursday night where l gave it one large weaner rat 120grms to eat.

Mysnakesau, like you say l was very lucky not to loose one of my eyes thank god.

 

[dylan-rocks]

well thats some risks you have to take when handling a snakes

 

[m000x]

You know what's crap... if that was a dog, there would be calls for it to be put down... but because it's a snake... OOH it's just its natural reaction..

Would not have been fun either way, thanks for sharing and super lucky you didnt get tagged in the eye

 

[dylan-rocks]

You know what's crap... if that was a dog, there would be calls for it to be put down... but because it's a snake... OOH it's just its natural reaction..

very good point

 

[moosenoose]

I don't trust Water pythons and I don't trust Olives...for that same reason :lol: My 6 1/2 male water would gladly snack on my ear given the opportunity....and has done so in the past! Mongrel thing! :lol:

 

[Morfias]

Before owning snakes all I ever saw was people putting them round their neck, since owning my own and seeing how unpredictable they can be I don't think I'd wrapping mine round my neck in a hurry !!

 

[SamNabz]

Definitely lucky there Reptilian1933

You know what's crap... if that was a dog, there would be calls for it to be put down... but because it's a snake... OOH it's just its natural reaction..

Would not have been fun either way, thanks for sharing and super lucky you didnt get tagged in the eye

I disagree mate, you can train a dog, socialize it etc., however you can not do so with a snake...

At the end of the day owners have a lot more control over a dogs actions compared to reptiles.

 

[impulse reptiles]

even an adults spotted's teeth could make a mess of your eye ball, those teeth even on a small snake could penitrate an eye lid, easily.

 

[pythrulz]

It seems that olives have a tendancy to bite people on the face I dont own any but soon will I always use tongs to feed my snakes every since one of my coastals thought my hand was food.If any size snake except for a few month old hatchie was to strikw and a tooth did pierce the eye ball you might even loose your eye

 

[narre]

Thanks for sharing this story and the above comments as well...it has served as a timely reminder for me as a beginner - the other night my 18mth bredli gave me a scare when he lunged for my face...he was making his way up my left arm...i had lost sight of him for a few seconds...only saw him coming at me from out of the corner of my left eye...scared the crap out of me....

 

[mysnakesau]

Olive pythons - even youngsters - are big snakes and reach well and are very accurate. Being the frenzy eaters they are, they may very well smell the warm CO2 of your breath and easily mistaken it for something it can eat, and mine always go for the head of their food when they strike at it. Keep them away from your face, no matter how big or little, that's a really good idea.

I was feeding my biggest intergrade boy last night. After receiving the "Best bite" award thanks to him, I have been so much more cautious. Last night I opened his door just enough to drop a rat in his cage but his nose was too eager and came out through the gap, stretching up towards my face. Knowing he was in feed response I immediately stepped back and grabbed my hook to guide him back into his tank. Then he found his rat. Any other time, this snake is a gentle giant, but I never trust them at feed time.

Be sure the smell of food isn't lingering when you handle your snakes. If you handle a pet rat, and go straight to your snake afterwards, you are asking for a feed bite. Always wash your hands thoroughly, change clothes even, between handling potential food and handling your snakes.

 

[Torah]

wow damn and Ive been mad for two days cause my woma hissed at me for disturbing him while he was shedding ...

 

[Snakewoman]

Very good advice there. I have small snakes that I let around my neck, but only because they aren't strong enough to kill me yet. I have one adult snake who is 7ft long, he's incredibly strong and I certainly don't put him anywhere near my neck. When I have him out he usually wraps around my waist, that's just fine with me. I also don't handle him if nobody else is home, you can't be too careful. I don't even open his enclosure for anything until someone else is there.

 

[Elapidae1]

Seems to be a very common spot for face bites.

 

[Darkhorse]

My friend was recently bitten on the face by a juvi jungle. Its teeth punctured her eye lid and shattered her contact lens. All I can say is thank god she had the contacts in! She ended up with a real shiner for about a week after that but no eye damage. She is not inexperienced - she actually works with pythons but it goes to show you can't be complacent with any python.

 

[Chris1]

lucky to escape with no eye damage there,..!!

my 4-5 foot diamond gave my neck a good squeeze the other day,...would hate to unravel anything bigger than him!!

makes me wonder when i see kids getting olives and scrubs as their first snakes,....

 

[mysnakesau]

Kids don't look at worse case scenarios. When they want something they want it right or wrong. Scrubbies and olives are a WOW factor and gives them the attention that kids love. I thought I wanted a scrubby. Not as my first, but I want to have at least one snake of every Morelia species. But, after snake-sitting for a friend who has a pair of sub-adults, I thought long and hard about it and decided to give the scrubs a miss. Talk about attitude. I opened the door of one of my friends scrubby's to grab its water bowl, and it launched itself at me with its mouth open. Then I found myself confronted with an angry scrub python as I spent 30 minutes trying to get it back in its enclosure. I didn't spend 30 minutes harassing it. I had it by the tail and it just sat there while I thought about what I was going to do. But everytime I shifted my position it flung around and struck at me. I had a folded newspaper between me and the python so he didn't get me but it didn't make me feel any better. I still had to get it back in its enclosure. Eventually I spotted a pillowcase on the floor. After a couple of attempts I eventually dropped the pillowcase on the snakes head and grabbed his head. He didn't fight, I wonder if it was because he couldn't see me and I gently lifted him back up into his enclosure. By then I only had the door open just enough for him to fit in so he couldn't launch back out. Then I had to cover his and his girlfriend's tanks, just so they would stop hitting the glass.

I'll happily visit my friend and check out his scrubbies but I think he can keep them..lol

 

[Jackrabbit]

Time to start wearing safety googles when handling snakes. perhaps they should be an essential part of a snake handlers kit.

I knew there was another good reason I wear glasses.

In all seriousness I always pull my snakes away from my face if they are heading up my arm. As you say they might be a great handler but who knows what might sprak them into biting mode in an instant. They still act out of instinct not love.