| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Welly |
Posted - 16/06/2011 : 22:13:01
Jeez, nearly lost my face!
Samson is getting really nippy lately, never normally is but in the past few days he has bit me once and just dived for my face. Lucky my reactions are faster than his or i'd be sporting a munched nose.
I know they are nippy when young but he is over a year old now. Do they remain nippy?
All i was doing tonight was handling. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 21/06/2011 : 15:50:46
Very well said, Todd!
And lol, I just realized I made the same point twice...sorry folks! |
| Welly |
Posted - 21/06/2011 : 14:12:30
All interesting. Im not fussed on getting bit, it doesnt really hurt its the shock more than anything else. |
| CDN_Blood |
Posted - 21/06/2011 : 13:05:25
Alright, now that someone mentioned Bloods biting, I feel compelled to throw-in 2 more of my cents, lol.
When your average snake strikes, it's usually a defensive move, which is why I chose the word 'strike'. A strike is, of course, a lunge forward followed immediately by a recoil, which is how a snake warns you to keep your distance. This is sometimes done without even opening their mouths, which would be considered 'butting'. The vast majority of times, there will be warning signs in the body language that this is coming.
Oddly enough, the Rainbow boa that I have which is prone to striking doesn't display any warning and a strike will often just come out of the blue, so to speak. I have to add that my Bloods don't display any signs that this might be coming either, but will instead strike if they're startled, but only if I've startled them and am within *very* close range (e.g. approaching my youngest/smallest entirely too quickly).
9 out of 10 strikes are usually our fault - whether we're moving too fast for the animal's comfort, we're asking for it by pushing our luck doing something we know that particular animal doesn't like, teasing the snake, etc., however, I'm not so sure the same can be said for these Rainbow hits (and/or misses). Mine will sometimes lunge if, as Cliff mentioned, I'm approaching it after letting it free-roam, and those I consider my fault, but my 1 particular lunger will often strike from a seemingly content position. It's almost like she does it out of pure spite because she resents my interference with her existence, lol.
Now, let's cover the last kind of bite, which is an unmistakeable food-related bite. This is a bite and wrap, and this is almost always the keeper's fault. If you get one of these and you haven't been handling other animals that smell like food to your snake, it's probably safe to take it as a sign that the snake is *really* hungry. This type of attack are usually a result of us forgetting ourselves, they're usually warranted and usually avoidable if you think about why you got tagged.
All-in-all, a little closed-mouth butting, open-mouthed striking or even nipping/biting kinda goes with the territory, as much as I hate to say it, but of course anything with a mouth can bite, so just always be aware of the potential of your animals.
For the record, I've been raising Bloods for 10 years and have only been tagged twice by them, both times by the same hatchling, both times my fault, both times I could have avoided it by acting more appropriately. I just don't want people getting the wrong impression of them - they're not all prickly customers, you just need to respect them :) |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 21/06/2011 : 04:25:42
Well said, Joe! And actually, I'd be interested to hear your tips, too! |
| flaboye |
Posted - 21/06/2011 : 04:03:00
As was mentioned, as they are slender boas, (including heads) their bite isn't like a large redtail or a blood python (those hit like a freaking truck), and the bruises will be as bad as the punctures, lol.
However, that being said, I got to work with a few which were 10 years old, and older and VERY large (brazilians) and they could put a hurtin on ya. I've had rainbow's cut through Class 0 Honeywell Lineman's gloves (yep)!!! Best bet is to be persistent but gentle, and the worst thing you can do is teach them that once they bite they get their way (also previously mentioned) So, stick the bite(s) out and continue on with whatever it was you were doing, or they'll get it imprinted that they get their way with a strike.
I know that once you barely miss having your eye bit, it can be hard to trust. But you've got to trust the snake somehow, if you can't, well you know...
If the snake is "mad" at you, it will bite more than once, sometimes repeatedly, and I mean repeatedly! (I've been there too, lol). You can read their body language, there are a few tips I have on that issue from working with so many of them. If you want, contact me and I can give them to you.
Best of luck!
Joe |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 20/06/2011 : 19:10:37
One other point worth making: I've found my Brazilians are much more likely to nip when they've been "set free" to explore for a bit, and are then picked up again. After a few minutes of freedom, they seem to resent the "recapture." |
| tango |
Posted - 18/06/2011 : 19:34:22
like has already been said they will carm down with age but very occasionly might nip,
but nothing to worry about.
dont like the idea of gloves, as you cant fill the snake properly. |
| newbie |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 18:35:37
In spite of potential nipping I can't wait to be the owner of one of these beautiful creatures! |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 18:25:48
Welly, it's pretty common for a Brazilian to react that way to "recapture" when they're crawling "free." Most of my nip attempts are not from animals I remove from their vivs/hides and hold throughout, but from the ones I put down to let explore, and then pick up again.
Newbie, I would say skip the gloves as well. As Todd said, it's usually over before you know it, and you just have a few tiny pinpoints of blood to mark the spot. No pain though. |
| newbie |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 14:01:21
Think I'd be too worried about wearing gloves in case they got their teeth caught or something! |
| CDN_Blood |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 12:23:03
quote:
Originally posted by newbie
Does it hurt when BRBs bite? *starts to nervously look for a pair of gloves* 
It's usually all over before you even know it happened and it doesn't normally hurt at all. It's not like they can do too much damage with those tiny heads. The funny thing is that they'll nip and then seemingly go back to 'normal'. The worst possible thing is to put them down after they nip - once they learn that it works, they wont' forget it.
I *never* recommend gloves, but that's just me :) |
| newbie |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 10:30:37
Does it hurt when BRBs bite? *starts to nervously look for a pair of gloves* |
| Welly |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 10:20:54
He was crawling round the sofa and i picked him up, only when i pulled him up to look at him.
Im not fussed on getting bit, had quite a few now not to worry. Just his teeth are like razors |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 17/06/2011 : 00:08:37
He's still a juvenile, and they sometimes "forget" their training and nip. I've found each age bracket (newborn, baby, juvenile, adult) results in a further reduction of biting. Be regular, be gentle, and all should be fine. :D |
| CDN_Blood |
Posted - 16/06/2011 : 23:07:44
If the handling is gentle, it's likely to get over the biting. If the handling is rough and the snake never gets to feel secure, it's likely to remain unpredictable. Rainbow boas are shy and gentle, so adapting handling to their likes can be very beneficial, but you always have to remain a little bold at the same time. If they learn that biting will get you to put them down, they won't be forgetting it anytime soon :)
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