# Time to get a longer set of feeding tongs



## Malc

Feeding my snakes, and one of my big females missed the target and got me instead. I got lucky, she let go when she missed the rat and hit my finger that was in the loops of the tongs 

My daughter has never seen a bite and was a little shocked at how much blood came from so many pin pricks, but couldn't wait to take pictures and send them to her sister !! (the joys of social media !!)

Second time I've been nailed since 1986 when I started in this game !


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## Thrasops

Two bites in nearly forty years is a pretty amazing track record to be fair!


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## QWERTYOP

I use 12” barbecue tongs. Zero interest in being anywhere near the strike zone!


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## Malc

QWERTYOP said:


> I use 12” barbecue tongs. Zero interest in being anywhere near the strike zone!


I'm normally Ok as I tend to use the sliding glass as a shield... but my 17 month old German Shepherd opened the door to the room at that moment when I was offering the snake the rat, and it was that split second of distraction that I took my focus away and put my hand in the zone...Juts thankful it didn't result in an full on feeding bite... why I don't know.


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## Malc

Thrasops said:


> Two bites in nearly forty years is a pretty amazing track record to be fair!


Well its three really, but I don't count the attempt by a hatchling boa as a bite... it didn't even break the skin, and this time it wasn't really a bad bite... not like to only other one which came form a an adult Royal which tagged me across the wrist.... four rows of holes on top, and two below, with a nicked vein from tooth of the lower left jaw... Anyone would have thought I slit my wrist the way it bled, but it was the bruising that hurt...took two weeks before it completely faded, changing through all colours from blue, black, purple and then several shades of yellow... boy these snakes hit hard and pack a punch ! But yeah, proud I've got a decent track record


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## wilkinss77

Malc said:


> I'm normally Ok as I tend to use the sliding glass as a shield... but my 17 month old German Shepherd opened the door to the room at that moment when I was offering the snake the rat, and it was that split second of distraction that I took my focus away and put my hand in the zone...Juts thankful it didn't result in an full on feeding bite... why I don't know.


Distraction is your worst enemy where bites (& escapes) are concerned. Back in the 90s, the manager of a fish/reptile shop in Shoeburyness showed me the mess the shop's 6' retic did to his hand (I forget which hand). This had since healed, but left an ugly mess of deep, pitted scars on his hand & wrist from the bite & the resulting stitches he had to have. The damage to his tendons left him with curled-in fingers like a claw when his hand was at rest. This was the result of distraction- he'd been offering the retic a chicken drumstick from tongs whilst alone in the shop, when the phone rang. The moment of distraction as he looked round at the phone was all it took for the snake to lunge past the tongs & nail his hand! By the time he'd reached the bottle of surgical spirit to get the retic off him, the damage had been done, & he had to call for an ambulance & then call the shop owner to mind the shop until he got back from the hospital.


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## johntog

I got nailed by a 4-5 foot boa that I was raising from a hatchling once. It was a quick strike and bled a lot. I used to have a nice collection of breeding European natricine snakes and made the mistake of going near my large female Turkish grass snake after handling fish. She proceeded to swallow my thumb until she could go no further but seemed convinced she could take my whole arm, given time. She only released me after running her under a cold tap. That bled a lot.


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## Debbie1962

One of my royals once missed and got me. But he didn't let go. He coiled around my wrist and had hold of my thumb and hung on as if his life depended on it. Even putting his head under the running tap water didn't work straight away. And I use long tongs!. He eventually let go but I can honestly say the pain was bad. The next day my thumb was swollen, bruised and had little teeth marks. I now use a towel to cover my hand and wrist when feeding lol.


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## retic666

Bet that woke you up Malc 😂😂😂


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## Jibbajabba

I only ever got bitten once in my life and that was from a carpet. But I think it was because I kept hots so not getting bitten was somewhat ...... mandatory for survival


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## Swindinian

I’ve really only been tagged by corn snakes. 
As a teenager, I had a pair of corns. I dropped the rubber wedge and scrabbling to retrieve it, the corn felt threatened and warned me with the vibrating tail, which I did not take heed, so he snapped at me. Tiny bit of blood, but my involuntary reaction was like I’d been envenomated. 😂🤣😂🤫

Moving on twenty ish years and I got a rescue male corn snake in 2019. In his enthusiasm to feed, twice he has missed the meal and caught my finger, so I do now use longer tongs 😊
He is not aggressive at all, he just gets a bit excited around food. 
The worst tagging was on my Adam’s apple. He’d splashed water onto the substrate, which started to mould, so I picked him up, hung him round my neck whilst I changed the substrate. 
I wish I could have calmly disengaged him, but when he slowly attempted to mouth and engulf me from the neck, I reacted (shock/revulsion?) and pulled him off.
Perhaps this hurt him a lot, as numerous teeth were left in my skin ☹🤭
We both looked a bit sheepish 😳
He is a bit more careful now, and doesn’t seem to hold a grunge.
He is the one snake in my collection that I let free roam. He often watches me during husbandry. Couple of times a week, I open the glass doors, and he nearly always comes out to explore. 
I now leave a snake hook on the stair, to alert son and wife that Noodle is free roaming in the attic bedroom. It is a real pleasure watching him.


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## TheHouseofReptilez

Snake bites in general are just not fun what so ever I've seen some grusome bites from retics on YT and the Tyler Nolan King Cobra bite also made me cringe.


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## Swindinian

ThatCornSnakeGuy said:


> Snake bites in general are just not fun what so ever I've seen some grusome bites from retics on YT and the Tyler Nolan King Cobra bite also made me cringe.


Although evidently talented, I lost interest in supporting Tyler Nolan on youtube when he publicly backed Trump. That bite was awful.


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## Malc

Swindinian said:


> Although evidently talented. That bite was awful.


Anyone who free handles such a large, powerful and deadly snake IMO is not talented, just lucky... on that day his luck ran out and he lost his finger... it could have been a lot worse


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## Swindinian

Malc said:


> Anyone who free handles such a large, powerful and deadly snake IMO is not talented, just lucky... on that day his luck ran out and he lost his finger... it could have been a lot worse


Agreed he was v very lucky to have survived that bite, with just losing part of a finger. 

Talented creatively with design, tattoos, interior design, marine set ups etc. 
His rsi injuries seem to make his snake handling below par. I used to think he was careless, clumsy with the hooks etc, but realised it was more likely inflammation of his nerves. He may have to give up the tattooing as the vibrating tool will most likely further aggravate that condition, even in warm Florida.


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## Swindinian

Here is my intimidating serpent, Noodle


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## Swindinian

His favourite spot in the viv is the hollow cork round, which has a crack allowing cryptic basking beneath the UV tube. Have yet to install a sky hide or moist hide.


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## Swindinian

Time to explore again


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## loxocemus

i can see what happened here, u were blow drying ur perm, you slipped, cut ur finger on the table corner, then staged this scene out of embarrassment.

rfuk, your welcome 

i must rest now, solving these mysteries really takes it out of me

rgds
ed



Malc said:


> View attachment 357960
> 
> 
> 
> Feeding my snakes, and one of my big females missed the target and got me instead. I got lucky, she let go when she missed the rat and hit my finger that was in the loops of the tongs
> 
> My daughter has never seen a bite and was a little shocked at how much blood came from so many pin pricks, but couldn't wait to take pictures and send them to her sister !! (the joys of social media !!)
> 
> Second time I've been nailed since 1986 when I started in this game !


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## Malc

loxocemus said:


> i can see what happened here, u were blow drying ur perm, you slipped, cut ur finger on the table corner, then staged this scene out of embarrassment.
> 
> rfuk, your welcome
> 
> i must rest now, solving these mysteries really takes it out of me
> 
> rgds
> ed


Damm you Sherlock....case solved 

LOL - Perm indeed !!


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## TheHouseofReptilez

Swindinian said:


> Although evidently talented, I lost interest in supporting Tyler Nolan on youtube when he publicly backed Trump. That bite was awful.


His political views I couldn't care a less about in terms of supporting him no chance I think he's an idiot for free handling venomous animals such as kings and other species for that matter,

He was very fortunate to come away with only half a finger as that snake bit and held on he should be dead same goes for that other lad Chandler's Wildlife he's a bit of a clown when it comes to free handling venomous also,

In truth there is only one venomous reptile keeper I have a lot of respect for and that's Dingo the way he aims to educate his viewers is something other venomous keeps should do not prance around making stupid noises while handling reptiles that can put you 6 feet under like Tyler and Chandler do.


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## QWERTYOP

Must admit I do watch Chandler's Wildlife, but I do kinda wonder if he’s very suddenly going to stop making videos one day. Having said that, he’s clearly a very experienced guy behind his “exuberant” personality. No doubt about that. And he’s clearly gone through significant hoops to get to the point he’s at now. You don’t go to those lengths if you’ve not serious. I do wonder how he made enough money to live on such a sprawling property at such a young age though. There are knowledgeable people over there who respect him like Clint Laidlaw who’s been to see his facility. I’m not defending the risks he takes with free handling and there’s every chance it will end badly for him some day. But he does seem to have a high level of experience, and a creditable intention behind the YouTube persona.


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## Thulsa doom

Wow fair bit of blood considering the small teeth ,I almost got tagged second feeding with my male the rat slipped out of tongs and his head hit the palm of my hand .
I read that on the wild they sometimes headbutt as a warning rather than strike but that isn't feeding time .but it felt more like a headbutt than a strike they are so quick he may of realised who knows gave a a small fright as a noob also a lesson to pay better attention


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## TheHouseofReptilez

QWERTYOP said:


> Must admit I do watch Chandler's Wildlife, but I do kinda wonder if he’s very suddenly going to stop making videos one day. Having said that, he’s clearly a very experienced guy behind his “exuberant” personality. No doubt about that. And he’s clearly gone through significant hoops to get to the point he’s at now. You don’t go to those lengths if you’ve not serious. I do wonder how he made enough money to live on such a sprawling property at such a young age though. There are knowledgeable people over there who respect him like Clint Laidlaw who’s been to see his facility. I’m not defending the risks he takes with free handling and there’s every chance it will end badly for him some day. But he does seem to have a high level of experience, and a creditable intention behind the YouTube persona.


Yet in theory no amount of experience can compensate for the stupidity that goes on in Chandlers videos me personally I would have a lot more respect for him if he didn't clown around the way he does while interacting with these animals no matter how much experience you have all it takes is one wrong move Tyler Nolan is a perfect example of what can go wrong as are others and the negativity that comes after isn't placed upon the handler for being irresponsible it falls on the snake itself for doing everything it should which then further impacts how people outside of this hobby see these animals,

Yeah I get it you want to entertain the viewers watching but by putting you're life at risk is not the way to go about it at all I mean it's a snake a highly venomous snake that alone should be wow enough or if you do want to handle these snakes do as Dingo Dinkerman does wear protective gloves and use hooks.


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## QWERTYOP

Snake Discovery just got themselves a Timber Rattlesnake which surprised me as they never seem to have gone in that direction before beyond things like a False Water Cobra. I saw they attended a class in how to handle venomous snakes safely recently, but i’m not sure how much work they put in beyond that.


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