my snake bites

[mrsshep77]

Great words of advice Scott!

Just be patient and don't be scared of it!!! It's only the shock of the bite thats the worst part!! And trust me this is coming from someone who used to jump too! I was always petrified that they would bite and you know what I was scared until the day that my (tiny) baby spotted python bit me!!! Then I nearly laughed so hard at myself for being scared over something that DIDN'T hurt!! Let him bite you so you know that it's not going to hurt and YES the first time you will jump but it'll only be the shock of it!
We have 2 juvie jungles at the moment and they are soooo bitey but so far we've "taken it like men" and they are getting to know we aren't a threat!
Everyone can tell you on here what you should and shouldn't do but at the end of the day it comes down to you and YOU need to be confident and like Scott said "show it that it doesn't matter what they do and how many times it bites it's not going to intimidate you"!!! Otherwise you will end up with a snake that has you totally bluffed and it will only be a look don't touch snake and thats not why we own these grgeous little creatures!
Just be brave and once you get past the first few bites, you'll realise there's nothing to it!!!

Good Luck

 

[Chris1]

just wear a gardening glove to take her out till u feel comfortable with her,...then take it off once shes out and settled so she can get used to the feeling of ur hands.

they can sense that they imtimidate you, Loki got worse and worse they more he made me jump, i got more and more scared of him and by the time i'd had him fr o 2 months he was launching himself @ the glass @ the mere sight of me,.... then i just bit the bullet and started handling him, i'd put him back in and he'd strike @ me straight away again, so i'd pulll him back out till he stopped. Now hes such a lovely boy he comes down off his slate stack and wants to come out, i open the doors and he slides onto my hands..

leaving her alone reinforces that that behaviour works in scaring u off, teeth that small might leave a small scratch, but probably wont even break the skin..

 

[gaara]

Having a bitey snake isn't necessarily a bad thing, though.

 

[grimbeny]

I really suggest using a hook or coat hanger to get her out. With a big gardening glove u are likely to freak the snake out. Once the snake is out it is likely to be alot less agressive, and will probably calm down if u do this a few times a week over a period of time. Remember, bites DONT hurt!!!

 

[sammyj]

Thanks heaps scott and everyone, I will def try this stuff and im sure i will get bitten, i will let you all know how i go

also, i know i said shes 40cm... the way i measured her was by measuring the side of her little tank thing which was like about 20 or 25. she would be double the lenght of that at least so thats where i got it from (because im scared to touch her to measure her hahaha)

alllsssssoo... should i only try to handle her when she is already out from her little rock, so that im not disturbing her? she comes out quite a bit... but she kinda looks like she is hunting cause she is just scoping the lid of the tank (cause thats where her food comes from??)

 

[Mr_Matt]

I wouldn't stress too much Sammy

Just avoid using those tweezers again, as you might injure the snake. Whilst 40cm might seem small to some for a 12 mth old Stimson, it isn't really, as some locality Stimmies differ slightly in size. Some stimmies only ever reach about 70 to 80 cm at full adult size.

Just perservere with handling, but not too much as to cause the snake any stress. With time it will probabby settle.

I have a male bredli who is cage protective and goes nuts anytime I put my hand in the enclosure, but is a "gentle puppy" once outside. What I can't figure out is that my GF can put her hand in and touch him etc and he is tame for her. I guess he is a "ladies" man.

Cheers
Matt

 

[junglist*]

DO NOT wear gloves when you get the snake out, this is conditioning you to believe that the bite will hurt. Especially when the snake is so small, if you are conditioning yourself this way, it will only get worse when the snake is older.

Use a hook, and tap it on the ground right in front of the snake's nose every single time before you take it out of the enclosure. When you are feeding, do not do this.

Over a couple of months, this should condition the snake to understand that the tap of the hook in front of the snake's face is a sign that it is safe, and that it is NOT feeding time.

 

[sammyj]

umm 10 points to your girlfriend for putting her hand IN the tank when she knows he bites you haha i want to be like her!

 

[mrsshep77]

To start with I would probably get her out when she is already out of her hide as that is where they feel most secure so you don't want to take thay security away from her!
I agree with the gloves, they would tend to frighten her even more!
Just start off getting her out for 5-10mins and then as she gets more comfortable (and you do too) start making it a bit longer!
Oh and don't treat her "gentle" when you get her out. What I mean by this is make movement around her (a little at a time) show her that your hands aren't hurting her. Keep her moving over your hands and let her get familiar with you.
In time you will find she'll quieten down herself but you have to perservere! Don't be afraid cause she can't hurt you, only scare you which is why she is behaving the way she does. It's all about intimidation and who can intimidate who!! Right now she has you bluffed into thinking she's tough and will hurt you but now you have to bluff her!! haha!! Make her think she doesn't scare you no matter what she does ok!
And yes we would love to hear how it's all going! Don't be afraid to ask questions, we are all here to help each other!

Good Luck

 

[liasis]

a snake that small wont hurt you wont even feel it let it bit you once and you will see

 

[Adandiluvsmyreptiles]

As soon as you get the first bite over and done with you should be okay U'll know u're not going to die and it isn't that bad

 

[sammyj]

can snakes see good, or are they mainly going on scent and heat?

 

[mrsshep77]

I hope this helps!

Hearing - Although snakes are not equipped with outer ears like people, sound waves from the air hit their skin and are transferred from muscle to bone. When the sound reaches the ear bone beneath the skull, it sends vibrations to the inner ear, and the sound is processed by the brain.
Sight - Snakes do not see colors, but their eyes are equipped with a combination of light receptors: rods that provide low-light but fuzzy vision, and cones that produce clear images. The complexity of the eyes varies among species because of their different lifestyles. For instance, snakes that live primarily underground have smaller eyes that only process light and dark, but snakes that live above ground and hunt by sight have crystal-clear vision and good depth perception. Some species, specifically boas and pythons, have a second visual tool: Pit organs on their heads see heat sources in their surroundings like infrared goggles -- an effective ability for nocturnal hunters of warm-blooded animals.

 

[mrsshep77]

Smell - Like humans, snakes breathe airborne smells into nasal openings that lead to an olfactory chamber for processing; but snakes have a secondary system, as well. When a snake flicks its tongue, it is gathering odor particles for transfer to two fluid-filled sacs at the roof of the mouth -- Jacobson's organs -- that lead to a second, smaller olfactory chamber. The tongue is used only to assist in this process; snakes do not have a sense of taste

 

[sammyj]

ohhh rad, thats so interesting

no wonder everyone loves snakes so much

 

[Ozzie Python]

Sammyj, where do you feed your stimmie? I don't know if it has been mentioned or not in this thread, but don't feed in the enclosure or it will relate your hand coming in as food.

My childreni was a bit hard/snappy when i first got him and would have a go at me when i tried getting him out, i just rubbed my finger along side him when i got a chance and always before picking him up, he soon realised when i warned him i was coming i was no threat. He handles well now and hardly ever tries to strike me, maybe he tolerates me or its just he has grown out of his fiesty hatchy stage.

On another note, your brothers name isn't jeff is it?

 

[mrsshep77]

Tell me about it's such an addictive passion!!! We started out with 1 Diamond python and now we are just about up to 5 and by the end of the year will have 6!! Who knows in the future when we get to build our house (with a customised snake room) we will get more! My hubby wants to own a BHP and I just want more diamonds!!

Just to put your mind at ease when we got Sassi our little very small spotted python... she terrified me!! There was a point where I was in tears and my hubby was taking her back!!! But the maternal instinct kicked in and there was no way he was returning her so I put on a brave face and put my hand in her tank... got bitten and upon realising it didn't hurt started laughing!! Sassi & I have never looked back, she is such a placid little snake that even my mum who's PETRIFIED of snakes is able to hold her and be ok!
By the way I have no hesitation in putting my hand into the enclosure with our 2.1m diamond python!!

 

[sammyj]

lol no my brother isnt jeff,

i always feed them when they are in their tanks... where should i be feeding them?

 

[Ozzie Python]

Just wondering how many males have called their snake fluffy. That makes 2.

I use a seperate click clack for feeding. Just buy a cheap one that you can clean out, or even a small box or something. Some people just put them on the kitchen table, anywhere just not in their permanent enclosure.

Mine used to bite all the time after feeding so getting him back into his enclosure was sometimes a pain cause i didn't want to stress him straight after a feed so maybe something small that you can put back into the enclosure that it can get out of without being picked up, this might save you a few bites also.

 

[mrsshep77]

We feed ours in their enclosures and have no problems with them differentiating between feed time & non feed time.
This just seems to us the most natural and less stressful way as there's no relocating after feeding! Even with our most snappy biters they all stay in their enclosures and are happily fed!