# Bitten by a snake



## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

it hurts like hell and even tho i didnt panic i wanted to smush his little head in 
im not good with anger or pain 
but obviously a gently removed him and put him back in his viv and stopped what i was doing 

i have a corn snake i wanna know what kind of things i need to look out for if he is going to strike to see if i can avoid it i was installing a new digital thermometer (the one i got yesterday was not working) and he was ontop of his hide didnt think anything of it and he just struck out and latched onto my arm i have tribal design tattoos could they have distracted him or annoyed him ??

please help the last thing i want is to hurt him 

please note im extremely new at this


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## eminem2012 (Apr 21, 2011)

In my opinion, if you can, get him a hide, if he doesn't already have one. Wait until he is in the hide, then do your work if your really that nervous. But get used to just putting your hand him, let him get to know your not a threat. It will all become clear eventually, read as much as you can and just enjoy your snake!
I'm very shocked your corn snake is biting, just because its a corn :lol2:.
If you can, remove him and put him in a container whilst making changes to the viv.


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

ha has got a hide he was just ontop of it at the time i have handled him a bit thank you for the advice i will keep it in mind and lookup on books to buy  as for the shock me to i was told they VERY rarely strikeout


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

jazboy02 said:


> ha has got a hide he was just ontop of it at the time i have handled him a bit thank you for the advice i will keep it in mind and lookup on books to buy  as for the shock me to i was told they VERY rarely strikeout


I have a few hatchling corns that strike for fun 
You'll soon get used to it and probably laugh about it later on 
: victory:


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## damien1010 (Feb 16, 2009)

could be worse, could be an afrok, then youll have something to panic about ;p


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

damien1010 said:


> could be worse, could be an afrok, then youll have something to panic about ;p


yer i have no idea what that is can you elaborate a wee bit please ??


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## I am a scarecrow (Nov 18, 2009)

jazboy02 said:


> it hurts like hell and even tho i didnt panic i wanted to smush his little head in
> im not good with anger or pain
> but obviously a gently removed him and put him back in his viv and stopped what i was doing
> 
> ...



You could just man up? :lol2:


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

is their anything to look out for or is it really that random??


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## damien1010 (Feb 16, 2009)

african rock python, big,strong and can be verry grumpy


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

I am a scarecrow said:


> You could man up? :lol2:


 thats not fair the worst think ive been bitten by was a gold fish lol c'mon now surely you been bitten?? rofl


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## SirSlithers (May 8, 2010)

jazboy02 said:


> he was ontop of his hide





eminem2012 said:


> In my opinion, if you can, get him a hide,.


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

damien1010 said:


> african rock python, big,strong and can be verry grumpy


aaahhh ok i was holding boa today he was a big fella nicest snake


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## I am a scarecrow (Nov 18, 2009)

jazboy02 said:


> thats not fair the worst think ive been bitten by was a gold fish lol c'mon now surely you been bitten?? rofl


Haha Yes I have, numerous times. Just bite them back!:lol2:


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## malky201 (Sep 16, 2006)

Mate you need to get rid of the anger feelings, the snakes only defense is it's mouth, and you are a giant. Calm, it's not sore as you say, but the more calm you are the less likely you are to get bitten. Nobody likes getting bit, but if it makes you feel that angry, then maybe gardening gloves until the snake and yourself have calmed down and adjusted. Best of luck


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## uglylad (Aug 4, 2011)

jazboy02 said:


> it hurts like hell and even tho i didnt panic i wanted to smush his little head in
> im not good with anger or pain
> but obviously a gently removed him and put him back in his viv and stopped what i was doing
> 
> ...


Without wanting to sound sarcastic... if you dont want to get bitten get a goldfish. Snakes no matter how you have them will regard you as its loving owner. It will tolerate you at best.

Just be wary of where you snake is mate and never take your eyes off it to avoid been bitten. snakes occasionally bite be it through feeding responce or fear. Glad to hear you did not harm it.


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

jazboy02 said:


> thats not fair the worst think ive been bitten by was a gold fish lol c'mon now surely you been bitten?? rofl


haha goldfish dont bite.. :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

> it hurts like hell


A bite that hurts from a corn snake ?!
You must have an extemely low pain threshold, and i mean really really low.
A bite from a 6ft boa or python can sting a bit and make you jump but a bite from a snake the size of a corn/king/milk is not even worth noticing. 

If you touch the snake with something like a rolled up newspaper when you first open the viv just to let it know that you are there, will sometimes work but there is one thing that you must be aware of.

*IF YOU KEEP SNAKES, YOU WILL GET BIT SOONER OR LATER.*

If you handle the snake every day for 5-10 minutes (except for 24 hours after feeding) it will very quickly get used to being handled although there will be exceptions to this.
I had 2 mexican pine snakes ( Pituophis deppei deppei)that i had from hatchlings and handled every day for approx 3 years and got bit almost every day for 3 years :lol2:


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

PeterUK said:


> A bite that hurts from a corn snake ?!
> You must have an extemely low pain threshold, and i mean really really low.
> A bite from a 6ft boa or python can sting a bit and make you jump but a bite from a snake the size of a corn/king/milk is not even worth noticing.



That's exept for a 4ft+ hungry kingsnake physically trying to eat you for no reason, when its moving up and down your hand digging deeper 
that sort of gets pretty sore :no1: bit more than a 6ft boa nip from my experience


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

malky201 said:


> Mate you need to get rid of the anger feelings, the snakes only defense is it's mouth, and you are a giant. Calm, it's not sore as you say, but the more calm you are the less likely you are to get bitten. Nobody likes getting bit, but if it makes you feel that angry, then maybe gardening gloves until the snake and yourself have calmed down and adjusted. Best of luck


its just me tbh im starting to stay non angry i get im gonna get bitten i do understand that with a snake im not saying i want it to stop biting me merely asking how i can avoid it i do like the advice being calm ect it helps and im getting a lot of good advice id never hurt the snake i am tollerable about alot of things as for biting it back no i did that to my dog once now she wont let me sleep alone haha

i have a few posts if you read back you will see how i aquired the snake but basically i was gonna aim to know this before i got the snake and well best laid plans and all


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## I am a scarecrow (Nov 18, 2009)

I think it's all about persistence dude. The snake will become more tolerable of interaction, you just have to put the time in.


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

PeterUK said:


> A bite that hurts from a corn snake ?!
> You must have an extemely low pain threshold,
> [/FONT]


looking back prob didnt hurt at all just the shock of it like i said im extremely new to snakes hell 2 days ago i dint even know how to hold him but im learning please be tollerable of me and just remember we all started somewhere 

thank you everyone


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

You would hate my king snake then lol
It is all part of the fun and games of owning snakes, you have one, you are going to get bitten at some point, just be thankful it wasn't a big old boa lol.


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

jazboy02 said:


> looking back prob didnt hurt at all just the shock of it like i said im extremely new to snakes hell 2 days ago i dint even know how to hold him but im learning please be tollerable of me and just remember we all started somewhere
> 
> thank you everyone


best way to learn about snakes is experience, and it comes quick at first, you'll get there in no time.

just stick at it, show the snake your not scared by carrying on doing what you're doing if it's striking, it will soon learn that biting isn't affecting you so it will stop (in theory)


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

TEENY said:


> You would hate my king snake then lol
> It is all part of the fun and games of owning snakes, you have one, you are going to get bitten at some point, just be thankful it wasn't a big old boa lol.


Leaves a pretty cool mark though on both sides of your arm 8) (or torso depending what snake haha)


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## jazboy02 (Oct 19, 2011)

xboa said:


> best way to learn about snakes is experience, and it comes quick at first, you'll get there in no time.
> 
> just stick at it, show the snake your not scared by carrying on doing what you're doing if it's striking, it will soon learn that biting isn't affecting you so it will stop (in theory)


well theory split the atom so im game :lol2:


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

xboa said:


> best way to learn about snakes is experience, and it comes quick at first, you'll get there in no time.
> 
> just stick at it, show the snake your not scared by carrying on doing what you're doing if it's striking,* it will soon learn that biting isn't affecting you so it will stop (in theory)*


Can you please try convincing my kingsnake of this, she bites, and chews on me on a regular basis lol
The other snakes are all pussy cats compared to her lol


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## xboa (Jun 9, 2010)

TEENY said:


> Can you please try convincing my kingsnake of this, she bites, and chews on me on a regular basis lol
> The other snakes are all pussy cats compared to her lol


Haha, ok so kingsnakes are an exception, i've had many kings that like to chew.. but it really is good fun, they'll chew you to death then happily take a meal afterwards..
I thought they were supposed to get get stressed from biting :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

xboa said:


> Haha, ok so kingsnakes are an exception, i've had many kings that like to chew.. but it really is good fun, they'll chew you to death then happily take a meal afterwards..
> I thought they were supposed to get get stressed from biting :Na_Na_Na_Na:


What Annie..........have a laugh. I think she would get more stressed from not biting tbh. She has bitten the end of my finger and swallowed it to knuckle before spitting me back out before now, she is a bad bad snakey lol


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## SirSlithers (May 8, 2010)

TEENY said:


> What Annie..........have a laugh. I think she would get more stressed from not biting tbh. She has bitten the end of my finger and swallowed it to knuckle before spitting me back out before now, she is a bad bad snakey lol


Why isn't this in 18+? so many remarks I want to make, might just :blowup:


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

sir slithers said:


> Why isn't this in 18+? so many remarks I want to make, might just :blowup:


Look it doesn't happen often that i have my serious head on, away with you and your smutty thoughts :gasp:


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

If you want to do some work in your snakes viv (his home) take him out and pop him in a tub while you fiddle about. You are however going to get bit from time to time.

I would also like to bite Teeny repeatedly:flrt:


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## woma man (Jan 11, 2010)

*bite*

all snakes can have a bad day. best way to no what mood he is in is let missis get him out first.:lol2:


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

sharpstrain said:


> If you want to do some work in your snakes viv (his home) take him out and pop him in a tub while you fiddle about. You are however going to get bit from time to time.
> 
> I would also like to bite Teeny repeatedly:flrt:


Hahahaaaa you silly man :flrt:


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## kimhowell (Aug 2, 2011)

Also, you'll get to understand your snake a bit better. Generally if they hold themselves in a raised "S" position. With an evil glint like :devil: in their eyes. Chances are they'll have a go, even if they only manage to headbutt you 
We've got a brb that'll strike up down sideways, you name it. But its very easy to notice the warning signs.


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## Katriana (Jul 20, 2011)

The snake sitting on top of his hide could be an indicator of hunger; when did you feed him before you got bitten? Do you feed him in the cage? 
That's a mistake a lot of people make- and I have myself- that can turn a friendly snake into a biter or even cost your pet their life. See, when a snake is hungry and healthy, it will want to hunt. If you feed them in their cage, that becomes their hunting ground. When they are hungry, anything that is warm and moving becomes food, even if it's your hand or your arm. 
If you're not doing this already, when you feed, have a carboard box with a lid that has airholes ready; put your snake in there, then put in whatever you have been giving him regularly, but nothing that is live. As soon as the food is in the box with your guy, put the lid on. Keep the box in a spot where it will stay at least 75-80F so that the snake will be warm enough to eat. When enough time has passed, carefully open the lid all the way and see if the snake has eaten. If the answer is yes, then take the box and very carefully put the snake back in his normal environment, but do not reach into that box! 
You may notice that after he eats, your buddy is probably going to go into his hide and stay there for a while. He'll come out to drink water and move around when he's done feeling sluggish after his meal. This is the time to handle him- he's not hungry, nor full and uncomfortable. Probably wouldn't mind coming out to play.
Honestly, a corn snake bite isn't anything to freak clear out about. It is startling and it does hurt, but you don't need stitches and it probably stopped hurting by now. I remember my first and only bite with my jungle carpet python (RIP Bella <3) It was my fault; she was in the tub, had just gotten through eating, and I scared her when I tried to take her out of the tub. She turned around and struck me, getting me from the heel of my palm down to my wrist. It actually shot a line of blood twice because she struck the artery in my wrist. Thankfully, my mother and I both know first aid, so all I had at the end was a few painful scratches and a big bruise. I'm actually going to get a heart tattooed around the little scars as part of her tribute. 

You and your corn snake are going to be fine. You are doing much better at it than I did when I was new. 
Oh, another tip that will help you feel better handling your guy- if you are afraid that he's going to strike you, take a towel big enough to cover him and drop it over him gently. Either do what you need to with his cage while he's covered or pick him up and take the towel off. What it does is not only surprising to them, but it's a bit confusing at first and completely snaps them out of the hunting instinct, at least in my experience with Bella. 
That would also work for after feeding. 

Good luck with everything! : victory:


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